


Deduction in Shadows

by GremlinSR



Series: A Holmes in Konoha [1]
Category: Naruto, Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: A bit of gore and torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Uchiha Massacre, Brief discussion of suicide to escape torture in a past life how do I even tag that, Crime Solving, Deductions, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Mentor Uchiha Fugaku, Puppets, Reincarnation, So There Are Discussions of Various Major Crimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2018-12-15 20:15:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 463,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11813418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GremlinSR/pseuds/GremlinSR
Summary: Shikaku just wanted to finish his paperwork before lunch so he could squeeze in an afternoon nap. His plans are derailed by a six year old orphan when she sneaks into his office with proof that somebody has been kidnapping the children of Konoha and covering it up.He never does end up getting that nap.Or: A Holmes is reborn into the ninja village Konoha. Chaos ensues.





	1. Orphan

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, I went ahead and created that 'The Daughter of Mycroft Holmes Gets Reborn into the Naruto-verse' that nobody asked for. Enjoy.

A sound reminiscent of a pile of stones hitting the desk next to his head jolted Nara Shikaku, Jounin Commander, out of his well-deserved midmorning nap.

He blinked up at his perpetually-harassed-looking assistant, who had just plopped down a tower of paperwork that had to be half as tall as the man himself. People said frontline fighters had legendary skills, but Shikaku wanted to know the magic behind how paperwork ninjas managed to carry so much of the stuff without the whole stack falling over.

Shikaku sighed. "Shouta, how many times have I told you not to interrupt my mid-morning naps for extraneous work?"

The mousy-haired man didn't even bother to look appalled at his employer's lazy attitude anymore. Shikaku would have to up his game.

"If you consider A and S ranked mission approvals for the week extraneous then yes, I will continue to interrupt your naps. Now finish these up by lunch or I'll be bringing you fish cakes and nothing else to eat. And then I'll let  _you_  explain to the Hokage why our revenue has decreased due to a slowdown in the administrative process."

Shikaku slouched down further in his seat - the Nara equivalent of a pout - and decided not to waste his energy on answering other than a few grumbles about how Shouta was supposed to be his assistant, not the Hokage's enforcer. Truly, Shouta was a cruel man. He knew how much Shikaku hated fish cakes. Nose in the air, Shouta exited the room as soon as it was obvious Shikaku wasn't going to put up a fight. The door shut with more force than usual behind him.

An hour later Shikaku was pulled from his paperwork haze by the sound of his door latch clicking. He flicked his eyes towards the sound, expecting to see his snooty glasses-wearing assistant checking in to make sure he was 'actually working,' but all he saw was the edge of the door creak forward by half a foot, before quickly but silently shutting again.

Disconcerted, he moved his gaze downward and met the stare of a much shorter and younger visitor than he was used to seeing in his office. A girl of about five or six, dressed in the regulation cheap blue shirt and white pants that were standard fare for orphans, stood solemnly in front of him, a thick manilla folder clutched tightly to her chest. Hair so dark blue it was almost black fell in stringy unkempt waves to her shoulders, framing a thin, pale face dominated by wide charcoal grey eyes.

Her expression was solemn, but he detected a hint of nervousness that set him on edge. How in the world had this girl gotten past his battle-ax of an office assistant? While it was true that a child probably didn't pose much of a threat to a shinobi of Shikaku's strength, it wasn't unheard of to use children for assassination missions. Just look at Uchiha Itachi and Hatake Kakashi. Despite his caution, Shikaku retained his relaxed demeanor, though he inched the hand not holding his pen casually to rest in his lap next to his kunai pouch. A small smile crossed the girl's features and something that looked like approval flashed in her eyes.  _Interesting._  

"Oi, brat, I think you must be lost. Daycare is on the bottom level." The smile dropped off her face and she leveled a flat-eyed stare at him.

Silence stretched for a long moment before she broke it. "Nara-sama," she began, voice barely trembling with nerves, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I have some information that may be of interest."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow but didn't otherwise show any reaction.

"I..." the girl's eyes darted from his for a moment as she faltered, before she visibly gathered herself and met his gaze again. This time, her voice came out strong. "My name is Nomaka Mayu and I'm here to report someone for multiple kidnappings and treason against Konoha."

Shikaku showed his shock only in a long blink, quickly recovering as his mind raced through the implications. As this was much more interesting than doing paperwork, he decided to give the girl a bit more of his time. "And who do you make these accusations against, Mayu-chan?" he asked in a mild voice.

Mayu swallowed again, nerves obviously getting to her before she whispered out a name. "Shimura Danzo."

In a blink, Shikaku was out of his chair, hands on his desk and leaking killing intent as he stared down the child in front of him. Mayu let out a small sound of terror and backtracked so quickly that she tripped over her own feet and fell hard against the door with a thump.

"That," Shikaku said, all pretense of being only a lazy paperwork ninja abandoned, "is quite the accusation to make against a council member. Think hard before continuing."

The handle on the door rattled, Mayu having locked it behind her when she slipped in, and Shouta's worried voice could be heard through the thick wood. "Nara-sama, are you alright? Nara-sama?" At the same time, he felt an ANBU signature flare to signal their appearance in the space above the ceiling.

Apparently, Nara Shikaku letting out some killing intent in the middle of the day was a Big Deal. A small hand gesture and Shikaku communicated that he wanted the ANBU to watch and wait without interference.

"I'm fine, Shouta," he said calmly. "Go back to your desk and continue your tasks." Code for  _a small situation, I can handle it for now, wait for further instruction._

His gaze was still focused on the girl, who was sweating and shaking but had managed to flick her tear-filled gaze to the ceiling where the ANBU's chakra had pulsed.  _This girl keeps getting more and more interesting,_  he thought and tried not to feel guilty for terrorizing a kid.

He had to make sure she understood that this was no game - if she backed off now and claimed it was a prank, he would set her free with minimal consequences. While he didn't doubt that Shimura had his hands in a lot of not-so-legal pies, it was dangerous to draw attention to the fact that you knew such things.

"I -" Mayu stuttered out. "I have -" She stopped and took a few shaky breaths, obviously on the verge of hysterics. Really, for how young she was it was impressive that she was still standing. "I have proof!" 

Shikaku released his killing intent, but retained his position. "Explain."

Mayu took in a few shuddering gasps of air before straightening up from her spot against the door and visibly attempting to pull herself together. Squaring her small shoulders and gripping the folder closer to her chest to (unsuccessfully) hide her tremors, Mayu crossed the room to his desk and gently laid the folder on its surface between stacks of papers.

"This could take awhile. Do you mind if I pull up a chair?" she asked primly.  _Well, she's certainly adorable,_  he couldn't help but think to himself at her attempts to appear unaffected and offered her an answer in the form of a shrug.

He watched as she dragged a chair from the corner of his small office to the front of his desk, seemingly unperturbed by the sound of wood scratching against wood that marked its passing.

Once Mayu reached the front of the desk she spent a few moments fussing with the position of the chair before clambering onto it, letting her small legs swing since they weren't long enough to reach the floor. Shikaku really hoped she wasn't sent there to kill him, because she was seriously pulling at his heartstrings.

After she was sorted, Shikaku allowed himself to slowly relax into his own seat across from her, both hands still flat on the desk in front of him. For a moment they stared at each other and he took the chance to study the girl in front of him more closely.

Her skin was still clammy and pale from her earlier fear and he could see that she didn't eat as many full meals as a girl her age should. Her shirt was a size too large, the collar sliding down on the right to reveal a bony shoulder.

She seemed to be studying him in turn, gaze darting from his bottlebrush ponytail to his scarred face before focusing on his eyes. Something she saw there must have reassured her because she blew out a breath and began to speak. "I think that we should keep this between the two of us for now." Her eyes flickered up to the ceiling and back to his. Shikaku narrowed his eyes at her, but she didn't flinch away. Finally, he nodded and made a hand sign to dismiss the ANBU operative. He bit the pad of his thumb, drawing blood, and reached under his desk to drag it across the seal carved there, activating it.

Mayu's eyes widened. "What was that?" she asked as the chakra flared and Shikaku shrugged.

"Privacy seal. Now no one but us will be able to hear what's happening within about a five-foot radius." He motioned towards her, a clear indication that she should begin.

"Six months ago," Mayu began without fanfare, opening the file and pulling out the sheet at the top of the pile before handing it to him, "one of my roommates at the orphanage disappeared. His name was Hakun. After a police report was filed and a  _short,_ " her voice turned cold at the last word, "investigation the police said he had run away.  _Idiots_. Like Hakun had the imagination or courage needed to run away. Also, he was only five! Where did they think he would go that a team of elite ninja investigators wouldn't be able to find him?" She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, fitting the part of a petulant child easily.

Shikaku blinked a few times before accepting the piece of paper from her. He could tell by the watermark and format that this was an official record that the village put together on all orphans. "And how did you get your hands on this?"

Mayu waved her hand in irritation. It seemed she was past her earlier fear now that she could concentrate on her story and annoyance with the Military Police Force. "That's not important. Just read it and tell me if  _you_  believe he could be a flight risk."

Shikaku scanned the information and had to admit it wasn't very likely. The face of a happy five-year-old beamed out at him, missing one of his front teeth. His psychological profile described him as a steady, generally cheerful child despite his circumstances. He had good physical health and was tagged as a potential candidate for the Academy due to his family's past as active ninja and an undeveloped but potentially large chakra core. Everything else about him was pretty average, from intelligence to physical fitness.

"Alright," Shikaku conceded, setting down the piece of paper, "I'll bite. Show me the rest."

The girl in front of him slumped over in relief, the tension she'd been holding since she walked into the door leaving her body. "Okay." She took a deep breath before straightening again and reached for the next piece of paper. "So, the police officers weren't happy when I pointed out their general incompetence." He snorted and she flashed him a quick but sincere smile in response to his humor that brightened her whole face.

"Which, you know, not surprising. The Uchiha don't like it when people question their skill. What  _was_  surprising," and now she had fallen into a voice that wasn't that different from an Academy teacher in lecture mode, which Shikaku had to admit was pretty cute coming from such a tiny body, "was the reaction of the mistress of the orphanage, Nono Yakushi. She got scared when I wouldn't stop saying that something bad must have happened to Hakun and that they shouldn't give up."

At this, Mayu handed the next piece of paper to Shikaku, who almost facepalmed when he saw it was another official report - this one detailing the history of one Nono Yakushi. She had once been in ANBU and had retired during the Third Shinobi War due to injury to run the orphanage. Any personnel file of ANBU and former ANBU members was strictly guarded and for good reason. How in the world had Mayu gotten it?

"She punished me severely and threatened to kick me out onto the streets if I didn't keep my mouth shut. This only proved that she was hiding something and I knew that I would just have to continue looking into it on my own. And don't ask how I got those files, because I don't think you would like the answer. I thought you shinobi and kunoichi were supposed to be good at guarding stuff," Mayu said with a disdainful sniff.

Shikaku just gaped at her before shaking his head and setting aside the report. He would circle back around to her grand theft tendencies  _later_.

"I remembered that a while before Hakun disappeared there was another runaway - Chiyo - who had also just disappeared with no clues and I decided to look around and see if I could find any patterns." Mayu looked down at the pile in front of her and started sorting through it, mumbling to herself before pulling out a small stack and holding it out to Shikaku with an expectant look on her face.

"These are the profiles of all the orphans that have gone missing from the orphanage in the past seven years. Look at them and see if you can find any patterns."

Shikaku couldn't help but think that her bossy attitude reminded him of his wife, Yoshino, when he or Shikamaru were being particularly lazy. With a sigh and a muttered "troublesome," he took the stack and relaxed back in his chair to begin perusing the pile.

The only sounds in the office were those of paper rustling and Mayu fidgeting subtly across from him.  _She hides it pretty well, but the girl is nervous. No wonder, as she came in here to accuse a council member of kidnapping multiple village children._

At first glance, there didn't seem to be much of a pattern to the disappearances. While most of the twenty-six children fell between the ages of three and twelve, that wasn't unexpected since usually, they left the orphanage to either attend a trade school or became genin before turning thirteen. After a quick perusal of names, ages, and dates of disappearance, he began going through the reports with an eye to detail. He only had to look at the first handful before it clicked and he sat up in alarm.

"So you see it," Mayu said. "You don't have to read the rest - I can tell you right now that each is marked as a potential Academy candidate."

Shikaku gently set the stack down in front of him. "Okay," he said and let his eyes sharpen, dropping his lazy mein. "You officially have my attention."

Mayu closed her eyes and let out a breath before burying her face in her hands. "Oh thank god."

To Shikaku's consternation, a small sob escaped her and her shoulders began to shake. Alarmed, he stood up and walked around the desk so he could crouch beside her, and gently laid a hand on her back. Mayu flinched and wide tear-filled eyes darted over to him warily. He removed his hand and held both of them up to show he didn't mean any harm.

"What's this about, then?" he asked gently. "I thought you'd be happy that I'm willing to listen to you."

"I - I am," Mayu said, visibly trying to get ahold of herself. "I was just. I was just so." Her face scrunched up and her eyes overflowed. "I've been so scared."

Shikaku's heart clenched and once again he really hoped she hadn't been sent to play him because if she had, it was working. He'd always had a soft spot for kids. "Don't worry, I'll help you figure this out," he said, slowly wrapping his arms around her thin frame and drawing her towards him.

Mayu collapsed against him this time, fisting the edges of his flak jacket in tiny hands, and dissolved into tears. He couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since she'd had someone comfort her like this.  _Probably never._

Eventually, much more quickly than Shikaku had expected, her crying subsided and she sat back. He couldn't help but chuckle at her bewildered expression. She sniffled and touched her fingertips to her wet cheeks, futilely wiping at the tears streaking her face.

Shikaku stood, ignoring his creaking joints, and reached into one of his many pockets to grab a roll of bandages. He unrolled a small section and with a flash of kunai separated it from the rest and held it out to Mayu, who had watched his motions with wide eyes.

"I don't have any tissues in here, but this should do until you can wash your face properly." Shikaku turned around and sauntered back to his chair, where he sat down and busied himself straightening paperwork to give her a chance to pull herself together.

When it seemed like she was calmer and all traces of snot and tears were removed from her face - if not his jacket - he spoke. "So, tell me what you've found that's got you so spooked."

Mayu took a shaky breath and when he glanced up he saw that her shoulders were squared and her little face, though still flushed and a bit swollen, was set with determination. "Right. Well, I realized the same thing that you probably did. Someone is collecting or killing children that would otherwise someday make up the ranks of Konoha's shinobi forces. As long as he or she had the help of a few officials, it would be easy to nab orphans. With Nono-san's help and probably someone in the Military Police forces', this person has been doing this without gaining the attention of the village for years."

Mayu paused, probably to see if he would make any protests against the idea that someone in the police force was turning a blind eye to kidnappings. When none came, she continued. "If the kidnapper was taking children from the orphanage, then he would probably also be taking other vulnerable children from the village."

Shikaku sighed. "You mean the poor."

Mayu nodded, then reached for her file and pulled out a small stack to hand to him. These were reports from the Military Police - another resource she shouldn't have access to - but he decided to ignore that in favor of reviewing the papers in front of him.

"Most of them were in the same age range as those taken from the orphanage. Mostly the sons and daughters of poor merchants or single working mothers and fathers from the seedier parts of Konoha. A few academy dropouts..." she let her voice drift off into silence while he shuffled through the stack.

Finally, he set it down. "Okay, I agree with you that most, if not all, of these are serial kidnappings. What I'm still missing is how you connected this to Shimura Danzo."

Mayu flinched and lost all the color in her face when he spoke the name of the council member, but she forced herself to answer. "Right. Well, after gathering that information, I came to a bit of standstill - no new information was flowing in. I guessed that the kidnapper had some political power, and probably a lot of resources, but that was it. I followed Nono-san around to see if I could gather any more clues, but she wasn't doing anything suspicious."

Mayu had reverted back to her 'lecture' voice and seemed to be warming up to her subject, her earlier discomfort forgotten. "That was when I realized I had forgotten a whole group of possible victims." She leaned forward in excitement.

"The homeless population," Shikaku said, caught up in her enthusiasm.

Instead of being annoyed that he had stolen her moment, Mayu beamed at him, obviously pleased that he was keeping up with her. He was again reminded that this was actually a child and not the small adult she seemed to emulate.

"Yes! Exactly. So, I spent some time making contact with and convincing some of the groups of homeless children around Konoha's Flower District to talk to me." She sobered. "I discovered that they were hit harder than any other group so far."

Here, she stopped and sorted through the much-diminished pile. Instead of reports, she handed him hand-written descriptions of children. "They didn't have any records, so I had to create these profiles myself from what they told me about the kids that disappeared. There wasn't anything like IQ scores or chakra core scores, but I did notice that a lot of the missing children were considered special in some way by their peers. Either they were smarter, meaner, faster..." Mayu swallowed and looked away. Shikaku could tell that they were getting to the part of the story that had ultimately led her to his desk.

"It also turns out that the kidnapper was a lot less careful to cover his tracks when it came to the homeless gangs. In fact, it looked as though he even personally came to collect the children. Usually, he didn't leave any witnesses, but about a year ago, he messed up. She is the sister of a boy he had taken. She was hiding in the woods and saw him."

She handed Shikaku another piece of paper. "If you offer her protection, a home, and a promise to do whatever you can to save her brother, she should cooperate." Mayu's lip quirked up, but her expression sad. "She's not exactly brave, but she is all alone and would do anything to save him. You'll find information on how to find her there."

Shikaku looked down, quickly memorized the information on the sheet, and promptly turned it to ash in his hand. Mayu's eyes widened - either at his casual use of chakra or his choice to burn the information -before they narrowed in thought and she nodded. She understood how important it was that they keep the identity of their only witness a secret. He didn't intend to tell anybody outside of this room until he had the girl in his hands.

"Tell me what she saw," he demanded.

"An old man, wrapped in bandages all down one side of his body, with a cane. She said her brother, Fu, laughed at him when he said he'd be leaving with him. The old man knocked him out and signaled to someone who had been hiding up in the trees. A woman, dressed in black with a sword on her back, came, picked up Fu, and then they left."

Shikaku sighed and rubbed his temples. "An old man in bandages with a cane, huh?" 

"At first, I had no idea who that was - as an orphan, I'm not really aware of big political figures other than the Hokage and a few of the clan heads. I spent the next few weeks researching in the public library. It didn't take much to find a suspect that fit her description. Shimura Danzo is in most scrolls and books featuring powerful Konoha figures that are still living."

"Okay. That explains how you came to the conclusion that Danzo is somehow involved in these kidnappings. What it doesn't explain is why you're so afraid."

Mayu paled again and looked down at her fingers. "When I figured out who had done it, I wasn't sure what to do with the information. I couldn't go to the Military Police for multiple reasons - not the least of which was that at least one higher up is probably directly under the influence of Danzo."

"The other being that they wouldn't be too impressed with your propensity for stealing classified files?" Shikaku asked lightly. Mayu had the decency to look ashamed, though he had a feeling she was faking it.

"Yes. That...too." Mayu fidgeted before continuing. "Also, the eyewitness account of one street rat didn't seem like it would hold up very well and I felt like I had hit a wall of how much I could do on my own with my limited resources and the fact that I have no idea how politics work in Konoha. You can only learn so much from books." Mayu sighed.

"So I started looking into other powerful figures in the village like the clan and military department heads. I read about you all, of course, but I also did some information gathering around the village." Mayu held up a finger, "Uchiha Fugaku didn't seem like the type to be under  _anyone's_ thumb, but he also didn't seem like someone who would listen to the theories of a small child that had somehow stolen important police files out from under him. Plus, the Uchiha seem to be in some sort of silent feud with some of the village idiots."

Shikaku couldn't help but snort at her description of the people who insisted that the clan had anything to do with the Kyuubi attack. They had lost more members and power than any other that night, after all.

Mayu held up another finger, "I wouldn't make it within ten feet of Hyuuga Hiashi, though he'd probably take something like this seriously considering the effort they put into keep their bloodline limit from falling into the hands of anyone outside their clan," another finger went up, "Hatake Kakashi would probably go straight to the Hokage, which would be a mistake before we were able to gather more evidence against his childhood friend, since he's proven in the past that he's reluctant to act against those he cares about," another finger, "The Inuzuka for the same reason."

Mayu shrugged. "The Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Nara all seemed like they wouldn't fall under Danzo's control willingly, but out of the three, I figured the Nara were the clan that he would be least likely to even try with. You are known for being the smart clan, and when you're not being lazy you're being scary."

Shikaku chuckled at the description. "Okay, I can see your reasoning behind coming to me - though you should know that coming to one of the three generally means coming to all of us. Inoichi and Chouza have my full trust."

Mayu shrugged, seemingly unperturbed. "That's fine - I just needed you to believe me enough to take over." She took a deep breath. "That's not all, though."

"I figured. So far everything you've told me isn't anything that would put you personally in danger."

Mayu gave a short nod. "Like I said, I've been following Nono-san to see if she could lead me to any other information. Until yesterday evening it was all pretty boring."

Shikaku made a vague noise when she paused to encourage her to continue. "My room is next to the stairs. Her apartment is the floor above our rooms, so late last night, I heard her sneaking out. I guess she didn't think she needed to be very quiet when the only people that might hear her were a bunch of orphans. Anyway, I ended up following her out to the courtyard. I hid under the porch and after a few minutes, he showed up. Danzo."

Shikaku inhaled in shock, though he'd been expecting it. "What did they talk about?"

"He said...that he'd just finished the initiation and needed more recruits to fill the ranks. I think...the way that Nono-san reacted..." Mayu took a shuddering breath. "I think initiation is bad. I think he needed to find more kids because so many...died."

Shikaku allowed his eyes to close for only a second before opening them again to give his full attention to the now-shaking and silent girl in front of him. "Okay, Mayu. Can you tell me what happened next?"

For a moment he thought she wasn't going to continue, but she nodded and visibly gathered herself. "She gave him a stack of papers. I think they were reports like the ones I showed you before. He started looking through them and asking questions about a few of the kids. I've written down the names there." She nodded towards that last piece of paper in the stack. Finally, she seemed to steel herself for the next part of her tale.

"He asked about me," she said in a small voice and curled in on herself. "My IQ is... higher than average,"  _no shit,_  Shikaku thought but didn't say, "but physically I'm not very impressive. I'm too young for them to have any real idea of my core, though it should be at least average if not higher..." her voice drifted off and her eyes met his. He jolted at the terror in them.

"That's why I had to act now. That's why I came today, as soon as I could. Please," she whispered, sounding more like a child than she had throughout the rest of the conversation, including when she had broken down, "please don't let him take me."

Once again Shikaku found himself kneeling by her chair, though this time he didn't even remember getting there. He took her small, trembling hands in his own. "I won't," he vowed. 

He knew that he'd do everything within his power to keep his promise. Danzo would take this child - or any others - over his dead body.

000

Chouza studied Shikaku from across the dinner table, not trying to be subtle about it. He'd received an invitation to join the Nara family for dinner, worded in a way that let Chouza know that refusal wasn't an option, and he should leave his own family at home. Inoichi must have received something similar because he was seated next to Shikaku, also with a semi-disturbed expression on his face.

While Shikaku hid it well from most of the world, those closest to him would pick up on the subtle clues. Shikaku was furious - the angriest that Chouza had seen him since the Hokage's advisors insisted that Hiashi's brother give up his life in the name of diplomacy after the mess with the Kumo diplomats.

Perhaps more telling was the way his muscles were coiled beneath his lazy demeanor. Shikaku wasn't only angry, but he was ready to do something about it. That was never a good sign for those who had drawn his ire.

Chouza had seen Shikaku like this a handful of times, but usually the reason for it was obvious. Enemy troops killing off a whole squadron under his command, the council giving up a member of Konoha as a sacrificial lamb, the village driving one of its heroes to suicide after a decision with massive political consequences. Right now, he was in the dark and from the furtive glances Inoichi kept sending his way, he was as well. 

 _Oh well,_  Chouza thought to himself, turning his attention back to Yoshino's excellent cooking,  _I'm sure we'll find out what's got him worked up eventually._

"Mayu-chan, you should eat another serving of vegetables," Yoshino said to the small blue-haired girl sitting quietly by Shikamaru, who quailed under his mother's pointed glare and reached out to spoon more roasted vegetables onto her plate.

Chouza couldn't help but nod his head in approval. Though she was clean and dressed in what looked like one of Shikamaru's old yukata that he'd outgrown, she was obviously underfed.

"Thank you Shikamaru-san, Yoshino-san," Mayu said in a low tone.

Shikamaru yawned in response while Yoshino beamed and exclaimed over her good manners. Mayu looked around, obviously not sure what to do with Shikamaru's lack of reply and his mother's over-exuberance. Shikaku just shrugged at her when her gaze fell on him, though his lips pulled up into a reassuring smile.

The girl calmed and went back to eating.  _Huh. Look at that._  If there had been before, there was no longer any doubt in Chouza's mind that this girl was involved in whatever had Shikaku in a tizzy.

"So, Mayu-chan," Inoichi said a few minutes later. "You wouldn't have anything to do with the rumor going around that Shikaku was seen leaving his office around lunchtime covered in glitter with a small child in tow, would you?"

Mayu froze with a fork halfway to her mouth. "Um..."

Shikamaru, who up until then had been half asleep at the table, turned interested eyes towards her. "You pranked dad?" he asked, sounding halfway between disbelieving and impressed.

"Prank is...such a strong word for it?" Mayu seemed to ask and turned her eyes to Shikaku, who had slouched down into a pout.

Yoshino's eyes were wide and she covered her mouth to hide a giggle that escaped. Inoichi smirked, though his eyes remained sharp.

"Ah, well, I think we've all mostly finished here. Shikamaru, Mayu, you two do the dishes. I need to talk to Inoichi, Chouza, and Yoshino in my office for a few minutes." With that Shikaku abruptly stood and strode towards his office, leaving the other adults blinking in shock at his back. Naras weren't really known for their abruptness or their striding around.

When they were all settled in Shikaku's office with the door and blinds closed and a privacy seal activated, Yoshino finally spoke the question Chouza had been thinking all night. "Shikaku, what in the world is going on? And don't try to tell me it's something to do with getting caught in a prank set up by Mayu."

She was seated in the only chair in the room, hands in her lap, staring steadily up at her husband, who was leaning against the desk next to her with his hands in his pockets. Inoichi had taken up the spot in front of the door, face serious and arms crossed over his chest, and Chouza was standing between them in front of a bookshelf lining the wall, where he could easily see everyone's face. It was a cramped space for all of them, but not the worst place they'd had a clandestine meeting.

Shikaku ran a hand down his face. "No, the prank was a cover. Mayu snuck into my office and gave me some news that I didn't react well to. I needed something to explain my sudden unleashing of killing intent without drawing too much attention to Mayu."

Yoshino sucked in a breath. "You used killing intent on a child? Shikaku, how could you?"

He winced and rubbed the back of his neck. "It wasn't my finest moment, but I had to impress the importance of what she was claiming onto her, and quickly. If what she was saying was some sort of trick or a way to try and gain attention...well, I needed her to retract her statement immediately."

"Shikaku, what did that girl tell you that has you so worked up?" Chouza finally asked. "Did someone harm her?"

The room seemed to shrink and darken as three jounin level ninja began leaking killing intent into the air. It was true that none of them knew her well, but she was a civilian child of their village and therefore under their protection.

"No," Shikaku cut a hand through the air in a signal to calm down. "At least, not yet. Though, she's brought proof that we were too late to help others like her." He slumped, looking like the day had aged him ten years, and Chouza realized that whatever Shikaku was about to tell them was bad - really bad.

"Just tell us," Inoichi said in a low voice as Yoshino reached over and squeezed his arm in support.

"Right," Shikaku said and straightened his back, twisting around to grab an innocuous manilla folder resting on the desk behind him. "This morning, Mayu-chan came into my office and revealed some interesting facts about what's been happening in the village whilst no one was looking."

000

Mayu finished drying the last of the dishes in trepidation, watching the boy next to her from the corners of her eyes. At first glance, with his spiky ponytail, slouched posture, and brown eyes, Shikamaru seemed to be a tiny replica of Shikaku. A closer look, however, revealed that he had gotten his facial structure from his mother.

He was leaning against the counter looking half asleep and Mayu wondered if he'd been up all night or something. From the moment Shikaku had dragged her through the door and told his wife and son that she'd be staying with them for a few days, she'd barely gotten more than a greeting out of Shikamaru.

He'd spent the time that Yoshino was fussing over her this afternoon napping on the couch. Mayu was pretty sure he hadn't even shifted position while she was being bathed, having her hair trimmed and styled, then stuffed with snacks and dressed in the nicest clothes she'd ever worn, even if they were just Shikamaru's hand-me-downs.

The silence was strange after the stress of the morning and an afternoon filled with Yoshino's chatter. Mayu got the impression that she wouldn't have minded having a daughter around the house. Or maybe just someone with more energy than a sleeping slug.

"Do you want to play Shogi?"

Mayu was shocked out of her contemplation and barely managed to snatch the plate she had dropped out of surprise before it hit the counter.

"Nice catch," Shikamaru said.

Mayu sighed and set the dry plate on top of the pile of other clean plates on the counter - they were too short to put them away in the cupboards, and Shikamaru had explained that he usually left them neatly stacked for his parents to put away later.

"So, do you?" he prodded.

"I've...never played," Mayu said truthfully. In her other life, before she had been reborn into a world so different as to barely be recognizable, she had played chess often with her father and uncle and even the occasional game of Go. But never Shogi.

Shikamaru just shrugged his shoulders. "I can teach you if you want." He sounded like he didn't care whether she answered yes or no.

 _So invested,_  she thought and her lips tipped up into a small smile despite her inner voice's sarcasm. "Okay."

Mayu followed behind the boy, wondering how he kept his balance while being slouched over so far. Secretly, she thought that he wouldn't make much of an opponent once she got the rules down. The Nara may be known for their intelligence, but Mayu had a short lifetime of memories being raised by arguably the smartest men in the country under her belt.

Of course, her brain and body weren't those of a young adult's - there  _was_  something to be said for biology - so it shouldn't be too lopsided. She figured it had something to do with hormones and paths being forged in her growing brain, but emotionally she was still pretty much a child, despite her genius, powers of deduction and fairly good grasp of grammar.

The last was still a work in progress. After all, she'd only had a few years to work on learning both the written and spoken language of this world. Mayu sank to her knees on the cushion in front of the short table where there was already a Shogi board set up. He seemed to plop down across from her like a puppet with its strings cut, as though he couldn't spare the energy to lower himself slowly.

Mayu giggled at his theatrics before she could stop herself. She couldn't help it - he was  _adorable_.

Instead of getting annoyed, his lips quirked up a bit at the edges and Mayu realized he had done it on purpose to put her at ease. In response, she beamed her brightest smile at him. He blinked and then tentatively smiled back at her before focusing on the game.

"I'll run through the rules once and then explain them again as needed while playing. The first game will just be a practice run."

Mayu nodded and listened closely as he described the different pieces, her interest quickly caught by the new challenge. To her surprise, he was articulate and seemed to genuinely be trying to teach her. She nodded along with him, sure that she would be able to remember what he had told her. Mayu had retained her eidetic memory from her original life, something she was very thankful for.

After asking her a few questions to test how well she had learned the rules, Shikamaru gave a small nod and they began to play. Mayu didn't have much of a strategy for the first game, instead focusing mostly on getting a feel for the rules and flow. She lost quickly, but Shikamaru seemed to think she had done well on her first try.

The next game Mayu tried out a few tactics that had come to mind while playing the first time and lasted much longer. She still lost, but by the end of it, she felt confident that she would be able to hold her own during the third game. Shikamaru also looked vaguely impressed with her efforts so far, which she took as a compliment. He was obviously a very proficient Shogi player, despite his young age.

Shikamaru watched her first few moves with lazy eyes, one of his knees drawn up and supporting his bent elbow and his chin resting on his fist. By their tenth move, he had straightened up and was studying the board with interest before deciding on his next move.

Half an hour and six moves later each, he was sitting cross-legged, leaning over the board, elbows on the table and fingertips of his hands touching to create a circle that rested just under his lips as he thought.

Mayu's eyes darted between the board and his face, waiting to see what he'd do. She had been wrong about an easy victory - Shikamaru was  _good_. Genius levels of good, really. Mayu doubted she could have done as well by his age in her first life, where she was considered smarter than any other child - and most adults - that she came across.

Finally, he picked up a piece and moved it forward and to the right. Mayu bit her lip and narrowed her eyes, trying to discover exactly why he had made that particular decision. After a few minutes of thought, she made her countermove and they continued in that fashion for a few minutes before the clearing of a throat and the rustle of fabric drew her attention to the door leading into the hallway, where the adults were watching their game with varying degrees of amusement.

"Shikamaru," Yoshino scolded, "did you force poor Mayu to play Shogi with you this whole time? It's late - you should be in bed by now!"

Shikamaru sighed and slumped over, mumbling something under his breath that Mayu couldn't quite make out.

"What was that?" Yoshino snapped, hands on her hips.

Behind her, Shikaku slapped a palm to his forehead while Chouza and Inoichi snickered as though they were teenagers instead of fully grown shinobi. Shikamaru froze, obviously not realizing that she could hear him, before he opened his mouth to answer. Mayu cut him off before he could further annoy her.

"It's okay, Yoshino-sama, I like games and Shikamaru offered to teach me. I must have lost track of time, I was having so much fun. I'm very sorry for keeping him up past his bedtime." Mayu widened her eyes and let her lower lip tremble a bit, knowing from practice on the teachers at the public school all civilians attended just how effective it was.

Yoshino dropped her hands from her hips and hurried to fuss over Mayu. "Oh, no, dear, don't worry about that! Of course, it's okay that Shika-kun stayed up a little late to entertain you. You go ahead and finish this game and then you two can go get ready for bed."

Mayu glanced over at Shikamaru and saw that his jaw had dropped open in shock at this blatant display of manipulation and she barely kept herself from shooting him a smug look.

Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza had wandered over while Yoshino was talking to look at the board. "Ah, no reason to put it off," Shikaku drawled, "Shikamaru will win within the next three moves."

"What?" Mayu exclaimed, leaning over the board. "He will not!"

It was Shikamaru's turn to look smug as he leaned back and crossed his arms while her eyes darted around the board, trying to predict the moves and countermoves that each of them could make in the next few turns. "I mean if I...and then he...no, that wouldn't work. But! If I...well, no, because then he could just...what if..." her voice trailed off as she stared at the board and a picture of his strategy came together.

"You...you won three moves ago!" Mayu accused. His smug expression faded as she continued to gape at him, turning to discomfort. He lifted one hand to rub the back of his neck.

"You..." Mayu started, then stopped again. She was vaguely aware that the four adults were watching her reaction closely, but was too wrapped up in how soundly she'd been trounced in a game of wits. "You..."

Shikamaru held his hands up as if he were getting ready to placate her and opened his mouth to say something, but once again she cut him off.

"You're amazing!" she exclaimed, a happy laugh escaping her.

Five set of eyes stared at her in shock, but she couldn't be bothered to care. Finally,  _finally_ , she had found someone in this world that she could relate to, even if it was just for one game. Someone who could outsmart her that wasn't over twenty-five and therefore only saw a smart little kid in front of them.

"I...am?" Shikamaru finally said, looking confused.

"Yes! You're a genuine genius! Let's play again!" Mayu couldn't stop the huge smile she beamed at him if she had wanted to and after a moment he returned it.

At that, Yoshino was shaken from her bewildered staring. "Oh no, you don't! It's time for you two to get ready for bed. Up you get, Shikamaru will show you where the bathroom and extra toothbrushes are. I've laid some sleepwear out for you on the guest bed. Say goodnight to Inoichi and Chouza before you go upstairs."

Both children grumbled a bit as they stood, but didn't outright argue. Shikamaru gave a small, lazy bow to each of the men. "Bye Chouzi-ojisan, bye Inoichi-ojisan. I'll see you at barbeque night."

The two men for their parts looked amused as his less than enthusiastic goodbye but murmured their goodnights back.

Mayu bowed with a little more energy, "Goodbye Akamichi-sama and Yamanaka-sama. It was nice to meet you."

She heard a chuckle and then a large hand was ruffling her hair gently. She looked up through her bangs and saw that the hand belonged to Chouza. "So polite. I'm sure I'll be seeing you later, Mayu-chan. Take care."

Recognizing a dismissal when they heard one, Mayu followed Shikamaru up the stairs and down a long hallway past three closed doors to the bathroom. Shikamaru dragged a stool to the front of the sink and stood on it so that he could reach the cabinet behind the mirror, where he grabbed a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush still in its package.

"Thank you," Mayu whispered, taking it from him and turning it in her hands until she found the tab to pull that would open the packaging.

He grunted in response as he grabbed a blue toothbrush from a small holder on the counter and ran it under the water. He shuffled to the edge of the stool to make room for her and she gave him a small smile before joining him. They brushed their teeth in companionable silence.

When they were done he motioned that he would wait outside while she used the bathroom. At her nod he slunk out, closing the door behind him. Moving quickly from habit (there were a lot of kids to every bathroom at the orphanage, so you learned to finish up fast), Mayu used the toilet and then moved back to the sink to wash her face and hands.

After she was dried off using the hand towel hanging on a hook on the wall, she opened the door to an empty hallway. Hesitantly she took a few steps but hadn't gone far when a door to the right opened to reveal Shikamaru, now in sleep pants and a t-shirt.

"Your room is the door right across the hall," he said pointing to the door directly across from the one he was standing in. He covered a yawn with one hand before continuing. "Do you need anything else before bed?"

"Um. No, thank you," she replied and gave him a small smile. He smiled back before shuffling his way into the bathroom and closing the door.

For a moment Mayu stood in the hallway, listening to the murmuring of voices downstairs as Inoichi and Chouza exited the house and the sound of Shikamaru moving around in the bathroom. On second thought she realized that was a little creepy, so she turned her attention to the door Shikamaru had pointed at and walked over to it, turning the handle and pushing it forward to reveal a modestly sized room on the other side. It was decorated in blues and creams and had a bed, dresser, nightstand, and a small desk and chair tucked into the corner.

Mayu stepped inside and softly shut the door behind her, shutting out most of the noise from the rest of the house. She took a few steps across the room to the bed and reached out to run her hands across the fabric, breath hitching at the softness of the material against her hands.

How long had it been since she slept in soft sheets?  _A lifetime ago_ , she thought with a huff of laughter.  _Well, best not get used to it. You'll be back to the orphanage in short order,_ she told herself, refusing to wallow in self-pity over it.

After all, she only had to put up with it for another couple of years until she graduated from the Academy. Maybe she would even be in the same class as Shikamaru. The thought made her smile a bit.

Grabbing the shirt and pants laid out on the bed that were almost identical to the ones that Shikamaru was wearing, she quickly but carefully pulled off the borrowed yukata, laying it gently over the back of the chair before pulling on the shirt and shorts. She was pulling the covers back on bed, determinedly not thinking about how cool the high-quality sheets felt against her hands when there was a light knock on the door.

She straightened before calling out permission to enter. Unsurprisingly it was Shikaku standing in the doorway, a serious look on his face.

"Can I come in?"

Mayu bit her lip and nodded. Shikaku shut the door behind himself and walked over to the bed before sitting on the edge of it. She hesitated for a moment before sitting down as well, leaving about a foot of space between them.

The silence stretched for a moment before she broke it. "Did...did they believe I was telling the truth?"

Shikaku looked at her from the corner of his eyes before nodding, once. "They did."

Mayu looked down at the sheets and started to absently tug at a loose thread.

"Oh. Okay. So what are you going to do?" She hated how small her voice sounded, but couldn't help it. She was scared.

A large hand covered her own before she could unravel the thread any more than she already had. Mayu stilled and kept her eyes pointed downward.

"Mayu," Shikaku's voice said gently. "Look at me."

She bit her lip before raising her head a fraction and looking up at him through her now-trimmed bangs - courtesy of Yoshino. He sighed, then turned his body to angle more towards her and brought his other hand under her chin, tipping her face up with the pads of his fingers.

"Mayu," he said, eyes boring down into hers. "I promised I wouldn't let him get you and I meant it. Between Yoshino, Inoichi, Chouza, and myself, I think we've come up with a plan that will provide irrefutable proof that Shimura Danzo is a traitor."

It was difficult to doubt the conviction in his eyes, but still - "Won't you get in trouble, though? For not going to the Hokage directly?"

This morning she wouldn't have cared about the consequences to him after, but that was before he brought her into his home, with a promise to protect her and introduced her to his child and wife.

Mayu had expected that he would take the file if he even believed her and she'd either be shoved into some depressing safe house or left to her own devices. While the unanimous opinion throughout Konoha seemed to be that Nara Shikaku was a good if lazy and sometimes terrifying man, she couldn't help but doubt that someone who killed and lied for a living could retain that much humanity. Considering her plans for her future career, she was relieved to see that she had been wrong.

"Ah, well, no, because I _will_ be going to the Hokage." He held up his hand to stop her protest from forming. "We all agreed that we shouldn't give out details, but I'm going to request a small team of people I trust to investigate some strange reports from around the village. Hiruzen-sama and I have known each other a long time and he trusts me. If I ask him for a week or two before giving details and for an S-ranked classification, he'll probably give me the time."

"But...won't Danzo be suspicious about an S-ranked in-village mission that no one will give him the details for? And on top of that...one of his potential recruits from the orphanage went missing the day after he received my file..." Mayu chewed on her lower lip, wondering how she had missed the implications of her flight until that moment. Stupid, letting her own fears lead her decisions.

"Hey, now, don't make that face. What do you think I was doing all day while you were here getting pampered by my wife?" Shikaku said, releasing her chin so he could put his hands in his pockets. He stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles, resuming his customary slouch, all the intensity of the last few minutes draining out of him.

"Cleaning glitter out of your office." Mayu quipped, only to receive a small scuff on the back of her head.

"Oi, that's what Shouta's for. No, I was out doing some misinformation distribution." She cocked her head to the side and looked up at him thoughtfully.

When he saw she was interested, his lips quirked up and he continued. "I'm sorry to say that a girl of your description was seen entering the Flower District, looking for an apprenticeship in one of the luxury houses."

Mayu's jaw dropped. "You - you spread a rumor that I left the orphanage to become a  _prostitute?"_  Her voice raised to almost a screech on the last few words. Shikaku's face morphed into panic and his eyes darted to the door as he raised both hands, palms out, towards her.

"Keep it down, keep it down! Do you want Yoshino to hear you?"

Mayu took one look at his terrified face and felt laughter bubbling in her chest. She slapped both hands over her mouth, but it did nothing to stop her mirth.

She finally gave up, laid her hands down next to her on the bed for support and possibly for the first time since she realized her place in this new world, let herself laugh without reserve.

"The big scary clan head, everybody," she gasped out between gales of childish laughter. "All you need to defeat him is to tattle to his wife."

"Yes, yes, laugh it up," Shikaku said, though she could tell from his expression that he was actually pleased to have made her laugh, whether he meant to or not.

When she had calmed down, she wiped tears from the corners of her eyes as she caught her breath before turning her attention back to him. His lips were still pulled up in a half smile and he was now leaning back and resting his weight on his palms with his feet still stretched before him.

After a moment, she matched his position and tilted her face up to look at his. "I guess it's a better explanation than 'she ran away to the circus,' but I'll be super mad if people think I spent my childhood learning how to...to..." she blushed and didn't finish her sentence.

"Maa, Mayu-chan, don't worry about it. I'll tell everyone you were at the hospital with pneumonia when it's all over. As for tipping Shimura-sama off that our investigation may be about him, well...that's hard to avoid."

"But if he knows then he'll hide all of the evidence before you can find it!" Mayu said, alarmed.

"Mmm, and I won't be able to prevent that. What I  _will_ be able to control, though, in which evidence he hides." Mayu cut off the protest she'd been forming and opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally settling on a reply.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for awhile now I've noticed that our supply manifests have been off. Nothing too big, just some armor here, or some kunai there and they could always be written off as a bad shipment or as a box or two getting lost in transit. I suspected that someone on the inside was stealing, but I couldn't figure out what exactly they needed it for - either they were reselling, or using it to arm someone. I couldn't find any evidence of them ending up on the black market. But, now that I know Danzo is supplying his own personal army..."

Mayu's eyes widened in realization and her lips formed a little 'o.' Shikaku nodded.

"I see you've figured it out. I'm going to make him think that I'm investigating the stolen items by dropping a few hints here and there, while in actuality my team will be connecting him to the kidnappings and locating the children. So while he scrambles to cover up his involvement in something less important, I'll be shining a light on another dirty little activity."

"Wow," Mayu said, impressed. "That's really smart. You're amazing, Shikaku-san!"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and looked away. "Ah, well. I've just been playing these games for awhile. If it weren't for you being so clever, I still wouldn't know where those supplies were going."

Mayu rolled her eyes and on impulse climbed up to her knees on the bed and turned to face him so that their eyes were on the same level.

"Thank you for believing me, Shikaku-san. I may have figured out some things by being nosy, but I know that you're going to be the one that traps him so that nobody will doubt what a jerk he really is. I've only known you for a day, but I already believe in you."

Shikaku looked taken aback for a moment before his features softened. "Mayu-chan, I hope this is okay, but I'm going to hug you now."

She squeaked when he sat up and pulled her to his chest.

"Shikaku-san! Stop treating me like a baby!" she protested, but he just squeezed her harder.

"How lucky I am that such a cute little Mayu-chibi came into my office today!" he exclaimed, ignoring her halfhearted struggles.

"You-you're supposed to be a serious clan head!" Her voice came out a little muffled since her face was smashed into his shoulder. "And I'm not a chibi! I'm the detective that cracked the case for you!"

He laughed and brought one hand up to ruffle her hair before pulling back. "Ah, it's true, you are a very good detective. Maybe I'll start calling you Detective Chibi-chan."

She scowled at him and brought her hands up to fix her hair, though she was sure he saw straight through her. Despite his teasing, he was a good hugger, and hugs were something she hadn't gotten a lot of in this life.

He stood up and she ducked his hand when he went for another swipe across her hair before he tucked both in his pockets and slouched towards the door.

"Get into bed and covered up and I'll turn off the light for you," he said over his shoulder after pausing with his hand resting on the doorknob. Mayu stopped fussing with her hair and obediently clambered under the covers, scooting down the soft mattress until her head was resting on the pillow and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

"Oh, and Mayu?" She stopped what she was doing to look over at him, but he was facing away from her now, hand still on the doorknob. "Don't worry about the situation anymore, okay? I'll take care of it and until then, you'll be safe here. Nobody would get past my clan." he paused to think for a moment. "And even if they did, they'd never make it past Yoshino."

Mayu giggled as he gave a dramatic shudder and then he was slipping out the door, shutting off the light as he went.

000

Mayu lay in the dirt beneath the old, creaky porch of the orphanage and watched Nono-san as she stood in the dim light of the overgrown courtyard. Somewhere towards the back of the grounds, a swing creaked lightly in the wind, but other than that there was no noise.

Mayu made sure to take slow, even breaths. While she was pretty sure the old seals scattered around the orphanage, put there during the Second Shinobi World War by Uzumaki Mito herself to protect the children from enemy spies, covered any sound or scent she would create, she wasn't 100% positive they extended to her spot under the porch.

After ten minutes or so two figures appeared before Nono-san in a swirl of wind and leaves. Mayu studied the man she knew to be Shimura Danzo, body tensed for flight as she waited for a sign that he knew she was watching.

His companion stood behind his shoulder to his right and Mayu couldn't tell whether the black-clad figure was male or female, due in part to the cloak covering any possible curves and the white blank mask over his or her face. Either way, it was extremely intimidating.

"Nono-chan," Danzo said. "I trust you have some possible recruits for me?"

Nono bowed her head. "I do, Danzo-sama. In fact, you can see one of them for yourself - she's over there, under the porch."

Mayu's breath hitched, fear spreading through her limbs.  _Stupid!_  She thought to herself.  _You should have known you couldn't escape the notice of an ex-ANBU..._

Between one second and the next, the masked figure disappeared from Danzo's side and appeared before her, kneeling so that the white face was looking directly at her from the space between the scuffed dirt and the old peeling boards of the porch.

 _Run!_  Mayu's mind screamed at her, but her body wouldn't obey. She raised one heavy hand in front of her as though to ward off the wraith and screamed when something grabbed her wrist and dragged her out into the open air.

Too afraid to fight and knowing that she could never outrun the people in front of her, she collapsed to her knees, shaking.

"Surely such a small, cowardly thing wouldn't do well in my army," she heard Danzo say, though his voice sounded like it was coming through water. "It would probably be best to dispose of her now."

_No! I don't want to die!_

"Oh I don't know," a new voice that filled her with cold dread and pulled at something like a memory in the edge of her mind spoke up from directly above her. The masked figure - it was speaking. "First, I think we should have a little  _fun_."

At those words, Mayu's shaking grew more pronounced. She knew this person, she had heard him these words before. The memory was trying to push its way to the surface and reflexively she fought against it.

She knew, to the core of her being, that this was not something she wanted to remember. Still, her body seemed to move without her permission and slowly, slowly, her eyes began to travel up the body before her.

Past black-clad legs, past a billowing cloak and finally, to the glowing white mask. The hand attached to the body slowly raised itself towards the mask. Mayu wanted to protest, to scream at this person, this thing that she feared so much, to stop, but she was frozen, stuck in place, as the mask was lifted.

A bland, boring face topped with short brown hair appeared. At first glance, the man seemed normal - nothing to fear. Until Mayu looked into his cold, manic gaze. He crouched down in front her, mouth pulled into a grotesque parody of a grin.

"Now, Ms. Holmes. Should we begin?"

A knife flashed towards her and Mayu opened her mouth and started to scream when the worst pain she'd ever felt hit her. As the world began to fade around her, a name formed in her mind, the letters clear and sharp.  _Moriarty_.

Mayu jolted awake, disoriented, taking in deep, panting breaths. Her cheeks were wet with tears and shivers wracked her body as she looked frantically around a room dimly lit by moonlight filtering in through a window. It took only a moment to remember where she was and Mayu began to calm.

The Nara house. She was in the Nara house, with Shikaku sleeping just down the hall. Nothing could hurt her here. She was safe. Danzo didn't have her. That horrible man - the memory of the man who had called her by a name she hadn't heard in this lifetime - didn't have her. She was at the Nara house. She was safe. Shikaku was just down the hall...

Mayu continued to gulp in air, repeating to herself over and over again that she was safe. After a few minutes, her shaking subsided, though the bone-deep fear wouldn't release her, leaving her feeling cold. The name Moriarty kept rising to the surface of her thoughts, making it impossible to shake off the reaction to the nightmare.

Finally, unable to stand the sight of the ceiling any longer and the feeling of being cut off from the world, Mayu threw aside her covers and stumbled to the door. She quietly creaked it open and slipped into the hall, where she sank down onto the floor to lean back against the wall.

Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her shins and rested her forehead against her legs. The change in location seemed to release most of the hold the dream had held over her and her fear subsided to manageable levels. Her brain kicked back into its usual overdrive and Mayu was able to step back and look at what she had dreamt with a modicum of logic.

Obviously, her mind had taken a memory - what she had seen while spying on Nono-san and Danzo - and had changed it in reaction to the fear she'd been experiencing for the past day and a half. Because Mayu knew, from observing just one conversation between himself and somebody he deemed as just another tool in his arsenal, just what sort of twisted man Danzo really was. After all, she'd been taught the art of deduction by the best.

She had been so close to becoming just another faceless missing child of Konoha, taken and forced to do god-knows-what by a megalomaniac with no compunctions when it came to the depths he would sink in his grasping plays for power. If she hadn't looked into the disappearances herself, Mayu wouldn't have had a warning, wouldn't have seen it coming.

Well, she'd just have to accept how close she came to losing her freedom, life, and worse, her mind, and resolve to always be aware of her surroundings, to not let the unexplained pass her by without investigation. That should take care of any further nightmares featuring Danzo, with time.

What that didn't help with was...the other thing. She knew, to the core of her, that the specter of Moriarty was not something her subconscious had conjured to fill in the gaps of her unresolved fears.

He had felt like one of the memories of her past life, which had a certain haze to them that her more recent memories did not. They were dimmer and seemed to be coming to her through a thin barrier, as though she were seeing them through a lens, or from underwater.

Mayu had a feeling that Moriarty was part of the one aspect of her past life she'd never been able to remember before. Her death.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a rustle across from her. When her eyes focused she saw it was Shikamaru, standing in his now-open doorway, obviously having been pulled from a deep sleep. His hair was out of its ponytail and lay in a messy nest around his face. He was rubbing one eye with a fist and yawning.

"I -" Mayu started, but her voice came out in a croak. She cleared her throat and tried again, this time with more success. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Did I wake you?"

Shikamaru just shrugged, lowering his hand to his side and studied her hunched form before speaking. "Nightmare?" He asked and it was her turn to shrug in reply.

"Troublesome," he muttered. Mayu wilted, feeling guilty about waking him up when she was a guest in his house.

"Was it about whatever has dad so worked up?" He asked in a bored voice.

Mayu started and gave him a wary look before deciding there was probably no use trying to pretend there was nothing going on. After all, she was crashing in his house while Shikaku was out toppling important political figures from their thrones.

She gave a small nod and played with the edge of her borrowed shirt. "Yeah, but...I'm not really supposed to talk about it."

Shikamaru didn't say anything to that. He just stood for a moment more, sharp eyes taking her in before he came to a decision. With a huff, he turned and walked down the hall towards the stairs. Baffled, she watched as he disappeared from view.

Unsure whether she should follow, she sat frozen on the floor. Mayu knew she should go back into the room, but for some reason, the thought sent shivers down her back.  _I wonder how long I have until it could be considered morning time_ , she thought to herself. She was pretty sure it was around one or two am, so probably a while.

With a sigh, she curled back up, deciding that it didn't matter how weird Shikamaru ended up thinking she was, she would just stay there until daybreak. 

"Here. Drink this, it'll help." Mayu was startled again from her thoughts by a glass of water being pushed into her face by an uncomfortable looking Shikamaru.

"Ah...thank you," She said, taking the glass from him and bringing it to her lips.

At the first touch of water on her tongue, her thirst hit her like a freight train and she ended up drinking most of it in one go.

Shikamaru's lips quirked up on one side in what Mayu was beginning to recognize as the smile Naras give when you've somehow amused them. She gave him a tentative smile back before setting the glass down next to her and resuming her previous position.

After a few minutes, it must have become apparent that she didn't plan on moving because Shikamaru sighed and sat down next to her. "The nightmare...can you tell me anything about it?"

Mayu turned her head fully to face him, laying her cheek on her upraised knees. Her eyes took in his features. Today was the first time she had met a child whose intellect came close to meeting her own.

She had been distracted throughout the day and could admit she hadn't been paying as much attention as she should have outside of looking at the Nara family and deducing  _safe_. Something that she could admit was completely indefensible in her current position - she should be gathering all of the information on the people around her, allies and enemies alike if she wanted to survive the next month.

Deduction didn't come as naturally to her in her past life as it had to her father and uncle. It was something that had been drilled into her until she did it automatically. Here, she was still a child, with a child's emotions and distractibility and she had a feeling it would be a few years yet before she could once again walk into a room and know what everyone had for breakfast, their romantic status and if they had recently committed unsanctioned murder.

She focused all her deductive ability on him now.  _Genius level intelligence, though he's not conceited about it - the result of growing up in a clan known for producing geniuses. His lethargy isn't an act, he most likely won't reach his potential until something big motivates him. Physical stillness and frequent naps help him deal with a brain that is always processing much faster than those around him. He is kind, though not easily motivated into acts of kindness since that would involve putting forth more effort than he's willing to. Steady and loyal - he will grow into a pillar for his clan...trustworthy. Trustworthy._

"There's a man that wants to hurt me. I'm not...he reminds me of. Someone else," Mayu finally answered after a few moments.

She didn't elaborate and he didn't ask her to. They sat in comfortable silence for awhile until Shikamaru broke it with a yawn.

"We should go back to bed," he said, standing up and stretching.

She hummed in response but didn't move. The terror from her dream had faded, but she didn't want to go back into the room. Out in the hallway, even if everybody was still asleep, she didn't feel so alone. Mayu couldn't remember ever spending the night without the sounds of other children in the orphanage lulling her to sleep. While she had been alone for six years, she wasn't on her own. Now, she found the silence stifling

He stared at her for a moment before sighing, mumbling something under his breath and then disappearing into the guest room she'd been sleeping in.

"Um," she said, but barely had time to wonder what he was doing before he was standing in front of her holding the pillow from her bed in his hand.

Shikamaru then held out his other hand and moaned impatiently when she just stared at it.

"Come  _on,_  I'm tired and want to sleep and won't be able to if I know that you're just sitting out here staring at a wall."

She hesitantly placed her palm in his and let him pull her to her feet. Still holding her hand, he led her into his bedroom and to his bed, setting her pillow down next to his. He then crawled under the covers, scooting over and pointedly holding the covers up so she could follow.

Mayu only paused for a moment before crawling in after him. To her surprise, he rolled over so that his front was pressed to her side and put his skinny arm over stomach as he burrowed into his pillow. Then, as far as she could tell, he promptly fell back asleep. She stared at the boy in shock for a few moments. Well, that was a skill she wouldn't mind having. She held her body stiffly for several minutes, unused to physical touch, before finally relaxing and following Shikamaru into slumber.

000

Mayu glared down at the plate in front of her and tried to ignore the smirk on Shikaku's face. She had awoken this morning in a tangle of blankets and gangly limbs, with Yoshino cooing in the doorway with a camera while Shikaku chuckled in the hall behind her.

Shikamaru was unaffected by the gushing Yoshino was still doing about how 'cute' they were and how much her girlfriends were going to love the adorable pictures she'd taken of the two of them drooling all over each other and the blankets.

Shikamaru seemed completely unconcerned about potential embarrassment and was, in fact, asleep at the breakfast table, with his head propped into his hand. Mayu took a bite of her admittedly delicious breakfast and decided to just be thankful they hadn't asked why she ended up in Shikamaru's room instead of her own. Though considering they were ninja, they probably already knew.

Eventually, Shikaku stood, ruffling both of the children's hair in turn, before moving over to kiss Yoshino goodbye.

"I'll probably be late tonight," he said casually.

Mayu bit her lip but didn't comment. There was tension below his calm exterior and she could tell that he was at least somewhat concerned about how his meeting with the Hokage would go.

"You two stay around the house and the property today - don't wander," Shikaku said as he left the kitchen.

"Ah," Shikamaru replied, not seeing at at all curious about why his father wouldn't want him wandering around the village. Either he was really, incredibly lazy, or he'd taken it seriously when Mayu said she was in danger during their whispered conversation last night.

"Shikamaru, why don't you show Mayu the backyard and show her how to do your morning stretches. I'll be out after I clean up the kitchen," Yoshino said with a small smile.

"What a drag. I thought I'd get to skip since we have a guest."

The soft smile dropped off Yoshino's face and she pointed a spoon at him. "Shikamaru! Get your lazy butt out there, or I'll make the rest of your day so miserable you'll be  _dreaming_  of stretches!" He cringed down in his seat, pout on his face, and didn't argue.

"Mayu, you don't mind, do you dear?" Yoshino asked, again falling back into her sweet mother persona.

"I - no?" Mayu asked, feeling a little terrified of the quick transformation.

"Now look what you've done, making our guest uncomfortable," Yoshino scolded at Shikamaru, who responded by grabbing Mayu by the hand and pulling her out of the kitchen and into the dawn light as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Mayu glanced back and saw Yoshino smirking in victory.

"Your mom is so scary," she said in admiration once they were safely down the porch steps and in the backyard.

"You say that like it's a good thing," he mumbled, still slouched into a pout.

Mayu grinned at him. "It's good to be able to scare the people around you. I could learn from her."

She studied her new surroundings, noting that the yard was a fairly large patch of soft, green grass, lined on the sides by raised gardens and tall trees. Currently, the gardens held a mix of flowers that bloomed in the early fall and various squash and some late tomatoes.

On the far side of the yard, up against a simple fence made up of posts driven into the ground, with two rows of longboards running parallel to the ground, was a small run-down shed. Beyond the fence was a large meadow which sloped up onto a hill, where a large, fenced in forest began. There weren't any other houses in sight. It seemed the head of the clan lived right at the edge of the Nara Compound, which was on the very outskirts of Konoha itself.

Shikamaru sighed and mumbled something about all women being terrifying, then plopped down on the grass.

"Here, sit down and I'll show you our stretches."

He talked her through a series of movements that reminded her of the beginner's yoga classes that Uncle Sherlock had forced her to go to when he needed to gather information on the owner of the studio, who of course turned out to be an arsonist. They had been working on it for about 10 minutes when Yoshino came out and joined them, offering suggestions and readjusting their stances where needed.

After about 45 minutes she called a halt and had them sit down with crossed legs.

"Mayu-chan, have you ever meditated?" she asked.

"Yes - I read a book on it at the library once when I started trying to access my chakra."

"Oh?" Yoshino gave her a sharp look. "And did you succeed?"

"Ah, I can feel it and direct it a bit," Mayu said with a shrug.

"That's good! Much better than Shikamaru's done so far," she said with a glare at him.

Mayu glanced at him nervously, afraid he'd be annoyed with her for inadvertently directing his mother's wrath, but he looked unperturbed by his mother's comment. Her lips twitched and she shrugged.

"I have a lot of free time at the orphanage," she said.

Yoshino looked at her with sad eyes but didn't comment. Instead, she began to talk them through breathing for meditation and how to 'feel' for their chakra and begin to move it around. They worked on this for about an hour and during that time the sun brightened and the world came to life around them. Mayu breathed deeply and used the last half hour of meditation - during which she was pretty positive Shikamaru was sleeping - to drop into her mindscape.

Or, well, her mind cave as she liked to call it. Sherlock had called it his mind palace when he helped her build her first one, Before. Here, it was called a mindscape by those shinobi who specialized in jutsu of the mind.

She had also seen it referred to as a mind temple in a scroll written by monks. The mind temple used a similar technique to Sherlock's to create a fortress that protected and organized their memories and psyche, but they added an extra layer by weaving chakra into the exercise.

It was esoteric and time-consuming (it took years and years to create a solid chakra manifestation layer in the mindscape) and required a strong mind, high intelligence, and infinite patience. Mayu had already planned on recreating her mind cave and the extra effort needed to protect herself from what she considered to be one of the biggest threats of this world - techniques that affected her  _mind -_ seemed a small price to pay.

She had only been working on it for about a month - before that, her attention was more on learning as much as she could about the world around her. Learning to read and write, discovering the history and political climate of the world she lived in...those had all taken time. It wasn't until the first time she'd seen a shinobi racing across the rooftops that she had actually felt a real motivation to become an active participant in this world. After all, who wouldn't want to train to be a  _superhero_?

Her mindscape was mostly a dark space with jumbled memories and thoughts moving in and out of her vision. Mayu frowned and concentrated on the dream she'd had last night. It had lost a bit of its potency here, where she knew she had the control. It began to play in front of her, as if in a hologram, and she walked slowly around it, studying it from every angle.

Then, she began picking it apart, pulling that which was  _memory_  from that which was  _fear_. When she got to the end, however, she ran into a problem. She knew the voice and face of the black cloaked figure were based on a memory that had yet to fully surface.

This wasn't a surprise, as she hadn't just woken to all of her past memories intact. They had come to her throughout the first five years of her new life, integrating slowly so as not to break her. The circumstances of her death were the only thing Mayu had never been able to remember.

Mayu replayed the voice over and over, studied the nondescript face of who she knew to be Moriarty, trying to prompt more of the memory to the surface. While she felt a faint stirring somewhere in the depths of her, she couldn't retrieve it.  _Yet_. Until she pulled the repressed information forward and dealt with it properly, it would be a weakness of the mind, as proven last night.

Frustrated, Mayu moved on, concentrating hard on a folder labeled 'investigations' appeared before her. She pressed a hand to it and it opened into more folders - not unlike what you'd see on the desktop of an OS in her other world - and selected the one labeled  _Shimura Danzo_  and began to transfer the new information she'd gathered. She shuddered as ' _target: Nomaka Mayu_ ' was added and integrated.

She felt only relief when the memories associated with ' _allies: Shikaku Nara, Yoshino Nara, Akamichi Chouza, Yamanaka Inoichi_ ' were added. To say she had been surprised at Shikaku's willingness to believe in and then help a six-year-old orphan would be an understatement. It had been a last resort, really, born from the fear that had consumed her in a way that only children really felt.

After what felt like hours, but was only about half an hour in real time, Mayu was pulled from her space by a touch on her shoulder. She blinked open her eyes to see Shikamaru crouched in front of her and Yoshino was nowhere to be found.

"We're done," he said. "Usually after this, I go cloud watching while mom is distracted. Wanna come?"

Mayu blinked at him. Cloud watching, seriously? That sounded horribly dull. But, well, it wasn't like she had anything else to do. Still...

"Can I bring a book?" she asked.

Shikamaru shrugged before standing and slouching towards the house. Mayu's lip twitched and she stood to follow him inside and through the kitchen to a hallway, where they turned right. Mayu hadn't been in this part of the house yet and looked around with interest.

They passed a closed door on the left -  _Shikaku's office, then -_  and finally entered a large, sunny room that contained three large armchairs by a fireplace in the corner and beautiful shelves carved from cherry wood lining the walls. The shelves were filled with books and Mayu gasped in surprise. She hadn't seen a personal library this big since...well...Before.

She crossed the plush blue carpet and quickly made her way to the first shelf on the far right, intending to do a quick sweep to get a feel for how the books were organized before taking a closer look. Shikamaru seemed to sense that this could take awhile, because he plopped into one of the chairs and curled up into it, his little body fitting easily into the space.

He mumbled something that could have been 'wake me when you're ready,' and went silent. Mayu giggled and turned back to her task, slowly walking along the rows of books. When she got to the end, she hummed in thought. The books were organized by subject first and then by title within each subject.

There were six main sections: chakra control, basic jutsu and shinobi skills, strategy, science (with a focus on medical science), history and fiction. Mayu tapped her fingers on her leg in thought before moving back to the chakra control section.

She had already read the library's copy of  _The_   _Beginner's Guide to Chakra_ , so skipped that over. Finally, she pulled down  _Learning Practical Applications of Chakra_  and did a quick scan of the table of contents before deciding to bring it along.

Biting her lip, Mayu looked over at Shikamaru, only to find him fast asleep. She rolled her eyes and decided he wouldn't be annoyed if she picked out one more book. After a few more minutes of perusal, she pulled out  _Poisons and their Antidotes: Volume 1: Fire Country_.

Mayu moved over to Shikamaru and shook his shoulder. He grumbled and pushed his face into the chair. She huffed and poked the side of his head.

"Shikamaru-kun, don't you want to go cloud watching?"

One eye opened and swiveled to look at her for a moment. Finally, he uncurled himself and stretched before standing. He motioned towards her books and she knew he was asking what she'd grabbed.

Brightening, she held them up for him. He hummed and took the book on poisons from her.

"You should start with this one," he said, moving back to the shelf to replace it and pull out a new one to hand to her.

Mayu read the title, head tilted to the side.  _The Science of Poisons_ by Nara Shino.

"Why..." she started to ask.

"It's a better starting point," Shikamaru said, waving his hand in the air. "More of a 'how and why they work' than a list of poisons."

"Thanks," she said, a little surprised that he had actually read it, but at the same time not. After all, he was extremely intelligent and sleeping had to get boring eventually.

They made their way back outside and over the fence separating the backyard from the field. Mayu followed Shikamaru across the length of the meadow and up the side of the hill, where he stopped about ten feet from the tree line and lay down on the grass, staring up at the sky above them.

After a moment of hesitation, she sat down next to him and impatiently opened the book on poisons. The portion of the library open to the general public didn't have anything at all on poisons, at least not specifically.

After an hour or so Shikamaru broke their comfortable silence. "How old are you?"

Mayu glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and saw that he was still looking up at the clouds, completely relaxed and seemingly not caring whether or not she answered.

"I turned six a few months ago," she offered.

He grunted. "I turn seven next month," and heaved a huge dramatic sigh that Mayu couldn't help but giggle at.

"What's so wrong with turning seven?"

He turned his head to look at her and looked so aggrieved that she let out another laugh. The satisfied expression that crossed his face for a moment made her realize that he was  _trying_  to get that reaction from her and couldn't help the bit of warmth that infused her at that.

It had been a long time since anyone cared about whether she smiled or not, yet the Naras seemed determined to see her do it. It wasn't like Mayu  _needed_  that in her day-to-day life - independence had never been a problem for her - but it was lonely to always be on her own, all the same.

"Mom says I have to start attending the Academy when I'm eight and graduate by twelve," Shikamaru answered and Mayu brightened.

"Really? I'll be taking the entrance exams for next year, too! Maybe we'll end up in the same class."

Shikamaru gave his little half smile and a grunt of acknowledgment before turning his attention back to the sky, but Mayu could see that he was genuinely pleased. Mayu stared at him openly for a moment, then shrugged and when back to her book.

They spent the rest of the morning in comfortable silence, Mayu reading and Shikamaru content to stare at the clouds until Yoshino called for them to come in for lunch. After they ate Shikamaru led her back into the sitting room and the Shogi board there.

They played a few games and Shikamaru won the first three, to Mayu's delight. She made him explain each strategy before they moved on and his self-satisfied grin reminded her so much of her uncle when she showed him admiration that her chest went tight.

That night Shikaku didn't make it home for dinner and Mayu could feel the tension building in her back and shoulders. She looked across the table at Yoshino, who was teasing Shikamaru about the pleased expression he'd been wearing since their Shogi games. He rolled his eyes and huffed, but one side of his mouth was quirked up in his little half smile and she could easily read the love and fondness they felt for each other.

Mayu felt something in her relax at their interaction. Shikaku had something to come back to, while all Danzo had was his schemes and his megalomaniacal tendencies to keep him going. She shivered as she remembered the one time she'd seen him, wrapped in the shadows of the overgrown courtyard of the orphanage, so confident in his right to snatch children from their lives. That kind of strength was brittle no matter how intelligent or how ruthless someone was, especially in the face of a strength born from the will to protect others.

She knew this, had seen it play out in her old life. Her father was never more dangerous than when Sherlock or herself were threatened or hurt, no matter what he claimed about the futileness of sentimentality. Whoever this Moriarty was, she had no doubt he had died horribly once Mycroft and Sherlock discovered what he did.

She tried not to dwell on their reactions past that - her death must have hurt them badly, she knew. No one but Mayu, or, well, Diana Holmes, had offered them unreserved affection.

After helping Shikamaru clean up the kitchen, the three of them retired to the small library. Mayu continued reading the books she had chosen that morning, this time with a notebook Yoshino had given her so she could take notes. She already had some experiments with local plant life in mind...she wondered if Shikamaru would mind taking her for a walk in the woods tomorrow...

Shikamaru, apparently all napped out for the day, was laying on the plush rug with a book on traps that Mayu itched to read in front of him, while Yoshino was sharpening some kunai in the chair across from her own. It was...nice. Homey.

Finally, at Yoshino's urging, Mayu and Shikamaru went upstairs to get ready for bed. When she hesitated outside the door to her guest room, Shikamaru tugged on her hand impatiently. "Maa, Mayu-chan, your pillow's already in my room."

Relieved and annoyed with herself for her weakness, she followed him into the room and once again he cuddled up to her side.  _He's so adorable,_  she thought, amused that the next in line to hold the spot of fearsome and apathetic Nara heir was a snuggler.

Shikamaru fell asleep immediately and Mayu was relaxing into a doze when the door creaked open. In the moonlit room, she could make out the outline of Shikaku, who ghosted silently to the bed and let out a chuckle at the site of his son glommed onto her. Mayu grinned and gave a little ' _what can you do?'_ shrug.

Shikaku shook his head and sat down with a rustle of fabric on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, squirt. How are you doing?" He asked in a low voice.

"I'm okay. You look tired, though...but..." she flicked her eyes across his face, his shoulders, the way his hands were clasped between his knees, "...you have good news."

He raised an eyebrow before giving an affirmative grunt. "The Hokage gave me the team I asked for without asking for too many details."

"And this team...you trust them not to..."  _betray you to Danzo?_  She didn't say out loud, but he understood anyway.

"Yes. I've known them for years. They're fully apprised of the situation and on board. Angry, too - they want this taken care of and those responsible brought under control."

Mayu breathed out. "Okay. Okay, and you have a plan? Not just to bring down the...organization, or conspiracy, or whatever, but to protect the orphans?"

"Aa, don't worry Mayu-chan, this is a team of the best. We'll get them, I promise."

"Just be careful," Mayu said, remembering the feeling of  _home_ the Nara household gave her. The last thing she'd want is for their bubble of happiness to be torn apart. "When I saw him, that night...he wasn't bothering with pretending. He's a fanatic. He's dangerous and clever. You're clever, too, but you're a good man, so you probably can't imagine the things that he's - that he's..."

A large hand on her head stopped the words. "Don't worry, Mayu-chan. We'll be careful and we'll live. I promise - he won't take anyone from their families again." He said the last bit with a vicious sort of ferocity that made her pause.

"So you...you figured it out then," she whispered. "That those missing clan kids -"

"Yes," he bit out and she felt his eyes on her, though she diverted her gaze. "But I didn't realize you had. Why didn't you say anything?"

Mayu shrugged. "I wasn't." she blew her breath out in frustration. "It was already a long shot that you'd believe me, you know? It would have been easier to believe that it was just poor civilian families and orphans. The other - I didn't think it would be as easy to accept."

There was silence as he seemed to absorb that.

"Sorry," she finally whispered and he sighed.

"I can't blame you. After all, it must have seemed like we didn't care much after a six-year-old was able to put together the information in less than six months that full grown shinobi missed. It's no wonder you didn't trust us."  _Didn't trust me,_  he left unsaid.

"But I do now," she blurted in response to what he didn't say. "You're good and kind and you love your family. You. You're good," she finished lamely.

And she knew she was right - had known it when he hugged a terrified orphan he'd only known for half an hour and then taken her home with him to keep her safe. He hadn't flinched away from the problem, despite the sheer enormity of it. He was taking on a close friend and advisor of the Hokage, the leader of a militaristic society, in the name of those others would see as the weakest links in the village.

His breath hitched at her declaration and he froze. Then he was pushing her bangs back from her forehead and leaning down to place a kiss there.

"I'm honored that you think so," he whispered, before clearing his throat and standing. "Better get some sleep, Mayu-chan. Yoshino doesn't believe in sleeping in," he finished dryly and she giggled as he ghosted out of the room, closing the door behind him gently.

She waited a minute before elbowing Shikamaru. "You still going to fake sleep?" she asked and he grumbled at her. She had known he was awake and figured Shikaku probably knew it too and just trusted his son to be discreet.

"Your dad...really is amazing," Mayu whispered. "You're very lucky."

"Aa," Shikamaru said, then, "I'm glad he's helping you. You don't deserve to be so scared."

Mayu's breath hitched and in her head, she heard that high laughter and  _Now, Ms. Holmes, should we begin?_  Without thought, she turned and buried her face in his small shoulder. He tightened his arms and patted her back.

"Don't worry, Mayu-chan, mom and I will protect you while dad kills whoever made you sad."

She let out a surprised laugh and relaxed into the comfort. It was going to be hard to go back to the orphanage when this was all over, but for now, Mayu would enjoy the feeling of  _home_  while it lasted.

The next few days she fell into an easy pattern with the Naras. In the mornings, Mayu dragged Shikamaru out of bed and down to breakfast and then they did stretches and meditation with Yoshino. Then, they would go to the small hill, where Shikamaru would sprawl out on the grass and stare up at the sky while Mayu read.

Sometimes, she'd join him for a while, resting her head on his stomach or shoulder. A few times she even fell into a nap - she was sleeping more at the Nara's than she probably had in the past month at the orphanage, but it was easy to relax here, where it was quiet, and she didn't have to worry about watching her back or uncovering conspiracies.

Mostly, she would read, determined to make use of the Nara library while she had access to it. She wondered, slightly wistfully, if she would be welcome to come and visit Shikamaru after Danzo was taken care of and she was back to living at the orphanage. She had read the book on poisons Shikamaru had suggested she start with and moved on to the other more advanced texts.

The afternoons were taken up by Shogi and Go, which Shikamaru taught her on her second day there. Shikaku had only made it home for dinner once out of three nights and he hadn't had anything but vague updates for Mayu, but he had a satisfied glint in his eyes, so she assumed the investigation was moving forward at an acceptable rate.

He was also carrying a low-grade, continuous fury that burned under the surface of his unconcerned exterior that made her almost feel sorry for the beat down that was surely coming Danzo's way once the trap closed around him. Almost.

Mayu and Shikamaru continued to share a bed and she didn't have any more nightmares. She was no closer to unearthing the rest of the memories playing at the edges of her consciousness, but the fear was beginning to have less of a hold on her mind, as she forced herself to study it in her mindscape each morning. 

 _It can't rule you if you out-logic it,_  Sherlock used to scoff at her when she was a child (the first time) and woke terrified from nightmares. She had to admit, stepping back and studying and then organizing the thoughts and memories that upset her usually sucked most of the power out of them.

It was on her fourth evening at the Nara residence that Mayu had her first Shogi victory over Shikamaru. The boy looked shocked and actually sputtered when he realized she had played him into a corner. Mayu whooped and jumped to her feet with her arms in her air.

"Take that genius-boy!" she crowed, wiggling and laughing at his annoyed expression.

Of course, he had then redeemed himself by winning twice more in a row, but Mayu took the defeats cheerfully enough. Shikaku was home that evening, looking distracted and he chuckled at their competition.

"I haven't seen anyone outside myself beat Shikamaru in awhile. Good job, Mayu-chan," the man said easily.

The next morning, the clan head wasn't there for breakfast and Mayu went through her meal and morning stretches and meditation impatiently. Shikamaru noticed her distraction, but other than a raised eyebrow didn't comment on it. When they finally climbed over the fence and crossed into the field, she pulled him along impatiently by his hand.

"Shikamaru-kun - will you take me into the forest? I want to find some plants for some  _experiments_ ," she breathed out the last word with near-reverence.

His response was to moan. "Aw, Mayu-chan, why can't we just do what we always do? You're too excited for so early in the morning," he said in a grumpy voice he'd never used on her before.

She dropped his hand and slowed to a walk, turning her face from him in sudden embarrassment when she realized he was annoyed with her. Usually, she couldn't care one way or another if someone was unhappy with her, but this was  _Shikamaru_ , this was the first real friend she had made in this world. His responding to her tendency to get overly enthusiastic in the face of a project with irritation made something in her chest tighten.

"Ah, sorry, Shikamaru-kun," she said to the ground to her right. "Of course we can cloud watch. Maybe I can go to the woods this afternoon while you read."

Silence, and she felt his gaze on her, then an explosive sigh and he was grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the forest, muttering about how she was a "Troublesome girl who shouldn't give in so easy."

She looked over at him and saw he was looking back, this time with his fond half smile in place. She immediately felt lighter and knew that she was smiling brightly back at him.

"Okay, let's go!"

They spent the next few hours tromping through the woods, looking to a book titled  _The Guide to Creating Fire Country Poisons_  for reference while searching for a few specific plants.

They hid the plants in the mostly-empty shed in the back yard after Shikamaru insisted his mother wouldn't be happy with Mayu's project and would probably toss all their hard work before going in for lunch.

"Did you enjoy your walk in the woods?" Yoshino asked cheerfully as she set sandwiches in front of them.

"Yes!" Mayu said. "There are so many interesting trees and plants - and it feels like there's no one around for  _miles_!"

Yoshino laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Well, you should drag Shikamaru out there more often. That lazy bones needs more exercise," and somehow she managed to say the last sentence threateningly, making Shikamaru sink down in his seat.

"Did you see the deer yet?" Yoshino asked in a happy voice and Mayu was pretty sure that the woman was going to give somebody whiplash with her moods swings one day.

After lunch Yoshino left to go to the market and Shikamaru laid down on the couch and fell into a light doze. Mayu returned to the shed for the plants and brought them into the kitchen.

Mayu opened the book to a page titled  _Shinkiki Contact Paralysis Poison_. She had chosen this one specifically because it wasn't lethal and the effects wore off within twenty minutes. Useful.

She pulled out a saucepan and a few other implements and spent the next hour carefully following already-memorized directions. She had just bottled up the solution after straining it into three small glass vials she had pulled from a box under the sink and pocketed them when she heard Shikamaru stirring. She was at the sink when he finally shuffled in, hands in his pockets.

"What were you doing?" He asked, eyeing the pans she was washing with rubber gloves.

Mayu grinned at him cheerfully and responded with a simple, "Experimenting!" He sighed, but didn't push. Probably something he'd regret later.

000

Shikaku wasn't home for dinner and Mayu caught Shikamaru sending concerned looks at his empty chair throughout the night. She bit her lip, feeling guilty for her part in causing Shikamaru's worry. 

 _Don't be stupid, this is nobody's fault but Danzo's,_  she scolded herself. Misplaced guilt was annoying, both to feel and to witness in others.

That night she waited for Shikamaru to fall asleep before carefully extracting herself from his hold and slipping across the hall to the guest room where she'd stashed her new poison to grab a vial along with her notebook. She then ghosted as quietly as possible down the hall to the kitchen, where she switched on the light.

Mayu held her breath while she waited to see if anyone would come down. When nobody did, she held the clear glass container up to the light, studying the light green solution for imperfections which the author of the book had warned meant it hadn't turned out correctly. When all she saw was a clear liquid, she gave a small squeal of excitement before settling cross legged on the floor, back against the fridge and facing the clock.

It had been a long time since she'd been able to create something like this. She did what she could at the orphanage with squirreled away materials, but most of her time the past six months had been consumed with her investigation into the kidnapped orphans.

Opening to a page in the notebook that already had careful notes on the creation of the poison, she added a quick description of the color and viscosity, then drew out a quick table. In the far top right corner, she wrote 'Test 1: One Drop. Location: Foot.' Setting the notebook and pen to her side, Mayu stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth in concentration as she carefully pulled the cork from the top of the vial and set it by the notebook.

 _Okay, it should take 20-30 seconds to kick in - probably closer to 20 seconds because of my size._ With one eye on the clock and excitement in her veins, she carefully tipped the vial until a small drop was balancing on the lip.

She took a deep inhale and gave the glass a tiny flick and a single drop fell onto her foot. Noting the exact position of all three hands on the clock, she quickly set down the vial and leaned against the fridge.

 _Five seconds - can feel a slight burning sensation at contact point,_  she mentally noted, then  _seven seconds - lower extremities losing feeling._   _12 seconds, torso also going numb -_

Her attention was pulled from her thoughts when movement registered to her right. With a gasp, she moved her head - more slowly than she would have normally - to see a tired-looking Shikaku had just entered the kitchen. 

 _Oh crap,_  she thought as his face morphed from confusion to shock to horror.  _I should have made sure he had already come home and gone to bed..._  

But then the paralysis hit and she was slumping over and couldn't respond to his gasped "Mayu, what is it? What's wrong?" as he ran to her side.

And, oh, paralysis was uncomfortable. She could breath, and blink, but her limbs and head wouldn't respond when she asked them to move.

"Mayu!" She felt a bit guilty about the frantic look on Shikaku's face, she did, but she also felt annoyed because her experiment was  _ruined_.

He had completely distracted her from her observations. She would have scowled if she was capable of anything except slack-jawed drooling.

He dropped to her side and grabbed her, cradling her in his arms.

She heard footsteps clattering down the stairs and closed her eyes in horror. From her position pulled against Shikaku's chest Mayu had a perfect view as Yoshino burst into the kitchen, kunai in hand, crouched low and eyes darting around the room looking for an attacker. When her gaze settled on them, she gasped in horror.

"Mayu! Oh my god!" She ran to their side and Mayu could only watch as her foot hit the still-open vial and sent it skittering towards Shikaku's knee, tipping and soaking the fabric of his pants.

 _Oh shit,_  she thought, unable to warn Shikaku, and then just to make this all even  _better,_  Shikamaru skidded into the kitchen, also holding a kunai, and, okay, that was actually pretty cute. Or it was until he took in Mayu's limp body and his panicking parents, and his face crumpled.

"Yoshino, check the perimeter to see if the perpetrators are still around," Shikaku barked, "Shikamaru, go get...go...get..." and then Shikaku was toppling over, bringing Mayu with him. Luckily, her fall was padded by his chest and arm, and Yoshino was able to dive and catch him before he hit the floor.

"Shikaku!" She gasped, even as she was falling into a defensive posture over their fallen bodies.

"Shikamaru, get over here!" she said. "I don't sense any...any..." another thump of a body, and oh god, she must have stepped in the puddle...

"Mom!" Shikamaru's voice called, anguished. Unable to see anything, her face mashed into Shikaku's flak jacket, she could only listen as Shikamaru ran over to check their pulses.

"Mom, dad, what should I -" a shuddering breath and then, "right, okay, think, Shikamaru. Think."

A rustle of fabric and she imagined him hunched over, fingers and thumbs creating a circle in his 'thinking' pose, something she'd seen him do every time they played Shogi once she actually started challenging him.

A moment later, she heard the sound of her notebook being picked up and the rustle of pages as he looked through it.  _Oh crap,_  she had time to think, before a quiet and furious, "You  _stupid_  girl."

More noises - cupboards opening and closing, a drawer, footsteps over to their dog pile and then the rasp of the towel against the linoleum. Then her body was being shifted and she could see again and she caught a glimpse of an angry Shikamaru. Grunts as Shikaku and Yoshino were moved.

"Dad, mom," Shikamaru said, "You've been hit with a mild paralytic. It should wear off in 15 to 20 minutes, but since it was made by an  _idiotic amateur_ , I'm going to go get Inoichi-ojisan just in case. I won't get anyone else since we're trying to keep Mayu a secret."

She listened as he left, the front door slamming, and lay in misery, unable to do anything beyond blink and listen to the reassuring sound of Shikaku and Yoshino breathing. Mayu wondered if they'd kick her out, and a lump formed in her throat when she imagined losing the warmth that the Naras had shown her. They had been so nice to her and she had  _poisoned them_.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door slamming open and footsteps running into the kitchen.

Inoichi's pinched face appeared above them, then "let me see the book with the poison description."

The sound of pages turning and muttering. By this point, Mayu was able to twitch her feet and she felt Shikaku shifting minutely.  _Right, he was probably able to burn some of it away with chakra...that was 15 minutes? He also came into contact with a lot more than I did..._

Inoichi must have noticed the small movements, because he let out a breath of relief. A few more minutes and Shikaku was sitting up with a groan.

"Dad!" Shikamaru said in obvious relief and blurred into his arms. "You're okay!" Shikaku groaned and flopped his arms around Shikamaru.

"You should be fine, unless the girl completely screwed up the recipe," Inoichi said.

Mayu slowly sat up and huffed in offense at the doubt of her skills, all she could handle at the moment, then regretted it when three faces turned to her - one angry, one bemused and the other amused. The last was Inoichi, who started to chuckle.

"Well, Mayu-chan, you've done something nobody else has been able to accomplish in decades. You took out the fearsome Nara clan heads," he let out a chortle and Yoshino finally sat up, looking frustrated.

Inoichi was studying her notebook, reading her notes and made a strange choking noise. "You - this was an experiment? Test one: location: foot? How in the world did you end up getting it all over your hosts?"

Mayu glared at him. "I didn't 'get it all over them,' they just. They were supposed to be asleep! But then Shikaku-san came in and he thought I was hurt so he ran over then Yoshino-san came and she knocked over the vial..." she was talking fast by the end, almost at a wail and Inoichi seemed to be unable to hold it in anymore. He started laughing and didn't stop, even when tears were in his eyes.

"Oh god, wait until I tell Chouza! Shikaku, feared by Iwa nin everywhere, taken out by a six year old with a vial of low-level poison!" He was doubled over now, letting out gales of laughter.

Mayu stared at him in horror, unable to believe how wrong everything had gone. She was distracted by a feminine laugh to her left and whipped her head over to see Yoshino with her hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking.

"You - your face Shikaku! You just, you fell over like the great lump you are," she gasped out, having to wipe tears from her eyes.

Mayu gaped and blurted, "Is this an unintended side effect of the poison?" then cringed.

For a moment, there was silence and then Inoichi and Yoshino both dissolved into now-hysterical laughter. Mayu thought her brain would just stop when Shikaku joined them. Soon, all three of the adults were either lying down or slumped over the table, unable to hold themselves up.

Shikamaru and Mayu shared a long suffering look, though Mayu's was tinged in relief. If they were laughing, they couldn't be too mad, could they? Finally, they calmed. Mayu had moved away from them to lean back against the fridge, waiting for their attention to inevitably turn back to her.

To her surprise, Shikamaru had come to sit next to her, shoulders brushing. She remembered how angry he sounded when he had found the notebook, but he seemed to have gotten over it now that he knew his parents were okay. Her heart constricted when she remembered his scared voice and she looked down at her hands in shame.

Finally, Shikaku wiped his eyes and turned to face her, sitting cross legged. He held out a hand and motioned to Inoichi, who must have understood, because he handed Shikaku the notebook. He spent a few moments looking through the last few pages of her notes, Yoshino looking over his shoulder while Mayu fidgeted in silence.

Finally, unable to take her guilt, she sat up to her knees, drawing the attention of everyone in the room and bent at her waist in the lowest bow she could manage. Her body was still fighting off the poison and she wavered and would have fallen over on her side if Shikaku hadn't grabbed her shoulder.

"I'm sorry!" She said. "I didn't mean - I mean I thought I'd be alone." Frustrated tears filled her eyes. Frustration with her own stupidity, mostly.

Shikaku gently pushed her upright with two hand on her shoulders. "Mayu-chan, look at me." She bit her lip and raised her eyes to meet his stern brown gaze.

"I'm not mad about what happened," he said, voice gentling when he saw her tear filled eyes. "Do you know what I am disappointed about?"

Mayu shifted and darted her eyes to Yoshino, but found no help there. "Um. For playing with poisons in the house?"

She winced when it came out as a question and knew she'd answered wrong when he sighed and gently used one hand under her chin to pull her gaze back to him.

"No, Mayu-chan," he said. "I'm upset because you endangered yourself by  _testing_  a  _poison_  on your own person, alone, in the middle of the night. Do you know how awful it was to walk into the kitchen and see you slump over? I thought you were -" He broke off and cleared his throat and Mayu's eyes widened.

"I - but - you were worried about me?" Mayu said, voice small and confused. "I mean...I know that you promised to protect me, but, I don't think anything that happens due to my stupidity really counts as your fault..."

Yoshino drew in a breath and then Shikaku was being pushed to the side by Yoshino with a "humph" of air and Mayu was being hugged.

"You idiot child! Of course, we were worried and it has nothing to do with promises my lazy husband made," she whispered fiercely.

Mayu's eyes widened in shock. "Oh," she said.

Shikaku had recovered his balance. "That's right, Mayu-chan. So next time, maybe you can do your experiments on mice, hmm?"

She hummed in response, neutral, and Shikaku's eyes narrowed at her. Before he could say anything, though, a large hand patted her head and she twisted in Yoshino's embrace to see Inoichi crouched next to her. He was grinning and seemed perfectly comfortable in the middle of the Nara's kitchen, hair pulled into a hasty, messy ponytail, wearing a thin t-shirt and sweats.

"I guess Shikaku wasn't joking when he called you a genius, huh? That's impressive, making your own poison at your age and doing it well. But, Shikaku would be difficult to live with if you accidentally killed yourself in an experiment, so be more careful with yourself, okay?"

"O-okay," she replied, wide-eyed, something warm growing in her chest, only expanding when a grumbling Shikamaru plastered himself to her side and Shikaku's hand landed on her shoulder. 

 _Oh,_  she thought as she hid her face in Yoshino's shoulder.  _I had forgotten what this felt like._  

She pointedly didn't think about the inevitable cold that would replace this feeling when this was all over and she returned to the orphanage. For now, she allowed herself to enjoy it.

000

The next five days passed without incident. Yoshino had insisted on being involved in any further work Mayu did with poisons and she found the safety measures and lack of testing dull, so moved her attention instead to chakra control exercises.

She was laying on the soft grass on the cloud watching hill with her head pillowed on Shikamaru's stomach, tiny hand held in the air above her as she focused on keeping a leaf stuck to it, when Yoshino appeared in front of them, face grim and lined with worry.

Mayu lost focus, barely noticing as the leaf drifted to the ground, and sat up in alarm.

"Something's happened," she forced out, ignoring the beating of her heart as Shikamaru sat up as well.

Yoshino nodded, once. "Shikaku's been injured. He's at the hospital -"

She didn't have to continue, both children had jumped to their feet and were already racing down the hill, Yoshino between them. Through panicked thoughts racing through her brain -  _Please don't let him die, not because of me, please -_ she was aware of two other grim-faced ninjas joining them as they raced past the house on their way to the hospital.

Part of the team that had been investigating with Shikaku, probably. Mayu barely paid any attention to their surroundings despite the fact that she hadn't left the Nara's property for eleven days. It took fifteen minutes to reach the hospital, and they burst through the doors, out of breath, and followed Yoshino to the reception desk.

Shikamaru grabbed her hand and she glanced over to see him looking grim-faced. She squeezed his sweaty palm in hers and couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever forgive her if Shikaku died because of something she pulled him into. Yoshino got directions to Shikaku's room and they followed her hurried footsteps down a hallway, up some stairs, and past other rooms until stopping in front of one labeled 213.

Mayu let Yoshino and Shikamaru enter first, hesitant to see what was on the other side.  _Ridiculous,_  a voice that sounded a lot like her father at his most huffy said,  _like avoiding it will make it different._

Right. She squared her little shoulders and stepped through the door. The room was full of people, but her gaze went straight to the man sitting up in the hospital bed. Pushing fear aside, she scurried to the bed, hands fluttering as she catalogued the clues in front of her, barely noticing that she was speaking out loud.

" _Bandages covering right side plus smell of aloe - most likely burns, no more than second degree. Ankle wrapped and propped up, sprain or a small fracture. Slight concussion, likely culprit a single blow to the right of the skull. Awake, but heaviness in limbs suggests exhaustion - too much use of chakra, or..."_

"Mayu-chan, Mayu-chan!" A familiar hand on her head and she was jolted from her frantic mumblings. Her vision seemed to snap back into place as she met a pair of warm brown eyes and her fervor receded.

"I'm fine, Mayu. Just overdid it, and got on the wrong side of a fireball. No permanent damage, I promise."

She slumped in relief and nodded, finally taking in the rest of the room. She blushed a little when she realized conversation had stopped in the face of her mini-breakdown and she was being studied by four shinobi other than the Nara.

She only recognized two of them - Inoichi and Chouza, who were both looking a little worse for wear but mostly unharmed. A man wearing a bandana was leaning against the wall, senbon hanging from the side of his mouth, looking bored. A blonde kunoichi with red eyes stood next to him, one arm in a sling and a nasty cut across her cheek. Both wore all black and their bodies were still twitching from what was probably an adrenaline high from a good fight.

"Mayu-chan, these are the shinobi I told you about that were helping with the investigation. Shiranui Genma and Kurama Hayu."

They both nodded their heads and she swallowed and forced a bow. "Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter, Kurama-san, Shiranui-san."

"Call me Hayu, kid," The blonde said and offered her a strained smile.

"You said...they  _were_  helping you, Shikaku-san?" Mayu said, turning back to him and trying to tamp down on her hope.

Yoshino sat on the hospital bed by his hip and she saw that Shikamaru was seated between his father and the wall, cuddled under his arm.

"Ah," Shikaku said in agreement and gave her his half smile. "We got the evidence we needed to move on him last night. I can't go into detail here, but the threat's been neutralized." He scowled, "not that this means we don't have a ton of work ahead of us...the man left a major mess behind. The paperwork alone will be a drag..." he cut off with an oomph as she launched herself at him. When he winced in pain, she quickly took a step back, wringing her hands and bowed as low as she could.

"Thank you, Shikaku-sama. You - you saved me. You really..."

"Hey, don't give all your thanks to him!" The man in the bandana protested. "We did most of the hard work while he sat in his office, complaining about missing his wife's dinners..."

Mayu straightened and laughed a little. "You're right, thank you very much for your hard work, everyone."

She wanted to ask for the details, wanted to know what Shikaku meant by 'neutralized,' though by his satisfied expression she had a pretty good idea, but Yoshino and Shikamaru were talking quietly with him now and everyone who wasn't a Nara was slipping out of the room.

 _Oh,_  her brain clicked with sudden realization.  _That should include me. After all, I'm not a Nara._  She swallowed against the lump in her throat as she watched the three heads bent together - two with their brown hair pulled back in spiky ponytails and one left down into long tresses.

Slowly so as not to distract them, she backed out of the room, slipped out the door and shut it quietly. Her appearance in the hall pulled the attention of Chouza and Inoichi, who were having a low conversation a few feet away.

Mayu didn't know what her face was doing, but some of what she was feeling must have showed, because Chouza's features twisted into something sympathetic.

"Oh, kid..." he started, reaching towards her, but Mayu twisted away, something like desperation hitting her. She didn't  _want_  his pity, didn't want it from anyone, and she knew that she wasn't capable of keeping her feelings to herself right now.

Mayu thought about what Shikaku's face would do when he realized how much she just wanted to  _stay_ , and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't put that on him, not when he had already done so much for her.

More selfishly, she couldn't stomach the thought of what it would feel like when he told her it was time to go back to the orphanage. She wouldn't blame him, wouldn't be upset with him, but it still wasn't something she wanted to hear said out loud.

Inoichi let out a noise of dissent as she turned on her heel and took off down the hall. She heard Chouza telling him to let her be as she burst through the doors to the stairwell, almost knocking over a tired looking nurse as she rushed by her. Mayu didn't apologize - didn't think she could get the words out - as she hit the stairs, clattering down them without grace, only her grip on the railing keeping her from losing her footing.

Then she was out of the stairwell, weaving through the crowd in the lobby before she tumbled out of the front doors and let her feet take her towards the Nara compound. She was breathing heavily by the time she reached the house she'd spent the last few weeks in and she stopped on the porch to catch her breath, ignoring that her intakes of air sounded suspiciously like sobs.

 _Cut it out!_  She berated herself.  _You have nothing to cry about. They're fond of you - you know they are - they'll let you visit. Shikamaru will want to play shogi and Yoshino likes to braid your hair..._  somehow her pep talk did the opposite of making her feel better and she had to grit her teeth against tears.

 _Right, rip off the bandaid,_  she thought desperately and rushed up the stairs, stumbling a bit in her haste, and to the guest room, where she started frantically taking off her borrowed clothes. She folded them carefully and placed them on the bed, then pulled out the clothes she'd been wearing when Shikaku had gently steered her through the door on that first evening.

The material felt rough against her skin after wearing clothes soft from years of use and good craftsmanship, but she ignored that. When she was dressed, she looked down at the blue shirt and white half pants and gave a choked laugh.

She looked like an orphan, but what was worse, was that she  _felt_  like one, something that had never really bothered her before. She moved to the desk and grabbed the books she had been reading and her notebook, leaving the room and slowly walking back down the stairs.

Mayu knew she should put the books in the library, but couldn't get herself to walk into that room, so instead, she set them carefully on the kitchen table.

She hesitated, then pulled a piece of paper out of the notebook and penned a quick note thanking the Naras for their generosity, and that she hoped to see them again soon. She also wished Shikaku a quick recovery and let him know that she would be at the orphanage if he needed a statement from her.

 _There,_  she thought,  _that note shouldn't tip them off that I'm anything other than fine._  

Then, ignoring the ache in her chest, Mayu left the house, shutting the door behind her.

000

"What do you mean you can't find her?" Shikaku asked, fear making his gut clench. "She was here thirty minutes ago!" Yoshino looked furious and Shikamaru's eyes were wide in his face.

"She seemed...upset about something," Inoichi said, uncomfortable. "We thought she needed a minute to calm down - we didn't think she'd leave the building."

"Upset? What would she have to be..."

"The case is over," Chouza said quietly, "You don't need to protect her anymore."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Yoshino asked, confused, but the meaning was clear to Shikaku, who sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. That girl was so  _troublesome_.

"Right," he said and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Chouza, Inoichi, I need you to get me home before she disappears."

Shikamaru gasped. "Disappears? But I thought she wasn't in danger anymore!" he said, scrambling off the bed as well.

"She's not," Yoshino said, having caught on to the implications. "She...oh, she must be..." her face became determined and she nodded, helping Shikaku balance on his one foot.

"Shikamaru and I will go ahead, try to catch her. If she makes it back to the orphanage, we'll have to go through mountains of paperwork before we can get her back."

"The orphanage? Why would she want to go back there?" Shikamaru asked, but followed his mother's long strides to the door.

"She doesn't," his mother said, walking quickly but not running - nobody wanted to piss off a medic that might one day be setting your bones, after all - "but she wants us to  _ask_  her to go back to the orphanage even less."

"Oh..." Shikamaru said, frowning in thought. "But, she has to know we - "

Yoshino sighed as they entered the lobby and shook her head. "That girl...she's always been alone. Being wanted isn't something she's used to and she isn't used to  _wanting_  to be wanted, either." Shikamaru took a moment to parse through the convoluted sentence and its meaning.

"But, we do want her. Right, mom? You and dad too?" He asked carefully. They were on the street now and Yoshino turned and gave him a fierce grin.

"Damn right we do," she said, "now climb on my back, we'll take the roofs."

Shikamaru burst through the door of their house a few minutes later.

"Mayu-chan!" he called, running up the stairs. "Mayu-chan, are you here?" he flung open the guest room door and paused.

They were too late. There were no books on the desk and on the bed, folded neatly, were the clothes she had been wearing that day. He picked them up and slowly made his way downstairs to the kitchen, where his mom was sitting at the table with her face in her hands.

"Mom?" He asked, moving to the table, where he sat the clothes down and picked up the piece of paper next to her elbow. The politely worded missive thanking them for their hospitality made him want to throw the neatly stacked books she'd left across the room.

A moment later, he heard his father and his teammates come through the front door. He didn't turn towards them as they entered the kitchen. He knew that his father would understand what happened when he saw his wife, head in hands with a rare slump to her shoulders and Shikamaru, body hunched over the most  _ridiculous goodbye note in the history of goodbye notes._

Silence settled for a few minutes before Shikaku let out an explosive sigh and sat heavily down into a chair.

"Dammit," he growled. "Inoichi, Chouza, I don't suppose you can help me hobble over to the administration building? I've got something I need to take care of."

000

It had taken half the day to convince the mistress of the orphanage (and, wow, that was fast, Nano-san was probably languishing in a cell in T&I) that Mayu had been convalescing at the hospital with a bad case of pneumonia and not, in fact, taking up an apprenticeship in a brothel.

The woman, overwhelmed with her new duties, eventually gave in and waved Mayu off, who then had to go in search for her things, which had been boxed up and placed in the attic.  _Really, were they all idiots?_  she asked herself. Like she would actually skip off to live somewhere else without her meager belongings.

After settling back in and picking at dinner in the dining hall, ignoring the excited whispers of the orphans around her as they discussed their new mistress, Mayu found herself laying on her bed in the dark, somehow feeling lonely despite the three other occupied beds in the room. If anyone asked, she would never admit that she cried herself to sleep.

The next day found Mayu sitting in a nook in the back yard, half hidden from the other children playing in the cool sunshine of early fall. She had automatically done the stretches Yoshino had taught her, then an hour of meditation, ignoring the hollow ache it caused to do so without a sleepy, smiling Shikamaru next to her. It was a useful practice and it wouldn't make sense to stop doing it just because she had to fight tears the whole time.

Mayu fingered her notebook idly and wished she could go to the library, but the orphanage was currently on lockdown, probably due to the investigation and she had found it impossible to sneak by the ANBU ringing the perimeter when she had tried.  _What a drag,_  she thought, smiling a little.

The rest of the day did, indeed, drag by and she had to swallow back her disappointment when she didn't get any visitors. She knew it was ridiculous - Yoshino and Shikamaru were probably busy trying to keep Shikaku from working too hard with his injuries and everyone would be busy cleaning up the mess that the investigation had unearthed.

She couldn't help but regret leaving without learning the details, but once she was sure she would get through it without bursting into tears, Mayu planned on sneaking back into Shikaku's office for a meeting. 

 _Right, I have no intention of just disappearing. Unless they tell me to go away, I'll keep visiting,_  the thought cheered her up enough that she didn't cry that night, though she didn't sleep all that well either.

She was laying in an unoccupied patch of brown grass, staring up at the clear blue sky and wishing for clouds, when a familiar voice reached her ears. Heart jumping, she sat up and looked around, spotting the Naras - all three of them - on the back porch talking to the mistress of the orphanage, whose name she didn't bother to remember.

The woman looked agitated, gesturing to a stack of papers in her hand and Shikaku and Yoshino seemed annoyed, making her wonder what they were discussing. Her thoughts ground to a halt, though, when the youngest Nara's eyes met hers. He had been scanning the yard, obviously looking for her. When he finally spotted her, his eyes narrowed, and a scowl crossed his features. Then he was leaving his mother's side and stomping down the sagging steps of the porch, ignoring the other children's curious stares and whispers as he headed right towards her.

Mayu stayed frozen in her spot, mind frantically racing. Why was he so upset? Had her leaving without saying goodbye made him mad? She winced as she realized, yeah, probably, it had. Then she was out of time, because he was standing above her, hands on his hips in a pose eerily reminiscent of Yoshino when Shikamaru or Shikaku had done something to particularly piss her off.

"Uh - hi, Shikamaru-kun," she said timidly.

He glared at her for a few moments before his shoulders slumped and he sighed, falling to his knees to embrace her.

"Stupid girl, what'd you run off for?" he said with a sniff.

Mayu blinked back tears. "I - sorry," she whispered and he just held her tighter.

"We got your stupid letter," he said, sitting back and giving her a  _look_.

"Ehe, yeah..." she rubbed the back of her neck and looked away for a moment. "I just - "

"Didn't want to have to say goodbye? Yeah, we figured that out squirt," A gruff voice said as a shadow blocked out the sun.

Mayu looked up to see that Shikaku and Yoshino had abandoned the irate woman on the porch and were standing over her, Shikaku with a scowl on his face that matched the one Shikamaru was sporting, and Yoshino with a beaming smile.

"You're pretty dumb for a genius, you know," she said cheerfully and it was Mayu's turn to look annoyed.

"I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye, but I don't know how that makes me  _stupid,_ " she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not like I wouldn't have been leaving anyway."

She refused to give into the urge to look like a kicked puppy as she said that, instead of looking off to the side. A fist bopping the top of her head made her yelp and she rubbed at the sore spot and gaped at Shikamaru, who had never so much as hinted at violence towards her before.

"That's why you're an idiot!" he yelled, tears in his eyes. "Did you know, I had to sleep all alone for  _two nights straight?_  I was cold," he huffed, slumping into the Nara Sulk.

Mayu's mouth opened and closed a few times, but she didn't have a response. Something that felt horribly like hope was blooming in her chest and she struggled to tamp it down. Because if she was wrong...but. But. The paperwork in the mistress's hands. Shikamaru saying she was an idiot for leaving in the first place.

Her thoughts were probably clear to Shikaku, because he reached down, grabbed her arm and pulled her up into a hug. She squeaked as her legs left the ground and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck as he squeezed her.

"That's right, squirt. If you want it, you've got a place with us," he said gruffly. "I'm sorry it took so long, but once you showed up at the orphanage, it took  _so much paperwork_  to get them to let us even close to you, you have no idea," he sounded so put out at the last that she had to giggle through her shock.

"The clan won't let us outright adopt you because of succession issues," Yoshino said, in a tone that clearly said  _they are all idiots and they will regret this later,_  "but you're legally our ward until you're of age. I mean, if you want to be."

The last was said with such hesitance that it knocked Mayu out of her daze. She squirmed a bit until Shikaku set her down and she stepped back until she could study all of their faces. Mayu pushed back her own fears and doubts and made sure she only saw the people in front of her.

Her breath caught at what she saw, because...because  _they wanted her_. It wasn't pity or duty, it was  _fondness_  and  _hope_ that she read in their expressions, in the way they angled their bodies towards her _._

"Okay," she whispered, letting the smile she was feeling all the way to her toes take over her face. "Let's go home."


	2. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayu meets a few more Nara, and the aftermath of Danzo's death has some unexpected repercussions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Ensui isn't actually Shikaku's brother in canon, but I do what I want, so.

The first month after officially moving in with the Naras was the opposite of relaxing.

Shikaku was still out of the house most of the first week despite his injuries, so she didn't get a chance to catch up with him until the third afternoon. He brought Inoichi with him, who had on a serious expression and a chuunin at his heels.

"Mayu-chan, can you come to the kitchen please?" Shikaku said.

She looked up from the game she was playing with Shikamaru and swallowed when she caught sight of her guardian's (and how great was that to say?) face.

"Okay," she said and stood to follow the three men already heading into the other room. Shikamaru moved to follow, but Yoshino quickly appeared by his side.

"Ah, Shika-kun, you're going to come help your poor, overworked mom do some shopping," she said cheerfully, completely ignoring the horrified expression on her son's face.

"But, mom, can't I stay here with -"

"No," she said in her  _I am not screwing around_ voice and he snapped his mouth shut, though he gave Mayu a concerned look.

"Don't worry, Shikamaru-kun," she said, "I'll be fine. Shikaku-san will be there with me," she said, trying to inject confidence into her voice.

While it was true she would have liked Shikamaru to be there with her for what was sure to be a long and exhausting conversation, she knew it was safer if he didn't have a lot of details.

He nodded, but still looked reluctant as Yoshino ushered him out the door. Mayu bit her lip as she stepped into the kitchen. Inoichi and an average looking brunette chunin were sitting on one side of the table, with Shikaku on the other side, a chair pulled out for her to sit directly across from Inoichi.

"Come on, Mayu-chan, come sit down next to me," he said and gave her that reassuring half smile.

Her shoulders relaxed and she walked quickly to the chair, climbing into it and sitting down across from the still-serious Yamanaka.

"Hello, Mayu. I'd like to introduce you to my colleague from T&I, Watana Chiko-san. He'll be here as a witness today."

Mayu greeted him politely before Inoichi continued. "We're here to get your statement on the disappearance of your former dorm mate, Hakun, and the events following."

Mayu stiffened and said through numb lips, "Former?"

Shikaku put his arm around her and glared at Inoichi. "He means former as in you don't live with him anymore. Hakun is...well, he's not fine, but he's alive."

She let out a breath and Inoichi shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Ah, right. Excuse me, I didn't mean to upset you."

She blinked because - that was a lie. He clearly  _had_ meant to upset her. Inoichi was head of T&I - there was no way that he would have a slip up in an interrogation. He was trying to throw her off balance, probably so that she'd be rattled enough to give something away she otherwise wouldn't.

Maybe because she'd failed to mention the suspected kidnapped clan children when she had first approached Shikaku? She held back a sigh. This was going to be very trying.

"It's okay, Inoichi-san," Mayu said, allowing her eyes to widen and her voice to go soft. 

 _Nothing to see here, I'm just an innocent little six-year-old that got caught up in a crazy old man's schemes._ Inoichi twitched and Shikaku sighed next to her. She fought to hold back a giggle, instead of keeping her expression wide-eyed and guileless.

Watana was looking at her with an expression that clearly said _This is the supposed child genius that cracked the biggest conspiracy Konoha has ever seen?_

The next hour and a half she went through her story twice and spent time answering the same questions over and over. Shikaku's presence next to her kept her from losing her temper until Watana kept pressing the point of where she'd gotten the records from the original folder she'd given Shikaku.

"Listen, kid, it's obvious someone fed you the information. You need to tell us who put you up to this," he said bluntly.

Mayu stiffened and glared at him. She had figured out halfway through that he thought she was just a sacrificial lamb that some secret genius had offered on a platter in case this all went to hell. Really, it wasn't a terrible thought, except after a few hours of investigation - which she was sure they had done - it should be obvious that there was no one else.

It's not like they had never run into child geniuses before, but of course, those were generally  _clan_  children, not nameless orphans.

"I  _told_  you, I broke into the records section of the administrative building. It wasn't even hard," she said with a sniff. "You obviously need to work on your security."

Shikaku slumped and Inoichi pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. Watana seemed to have had enough because he slammed his hand down on the table.

"Listen, you little brat, this situation is much more important than your  _pathetic attempt_  to make yourself into some sort of genius. You already got what you wanted - the Nara took you in so that they could claim the little genius orphan for their research labs.

“Now  _tell us the name_. I'm sure Nara-sama won't send you back to the orphanage, though he might choose to place you with one of the lesser families..."

Shikaku stood so fast his chair screeched across the floor and grabbed the collar of the man, yanking him across the table so he could put his face close to the other man's. The shadows in the room were writhing and growing and a bead of sweat appeared on Watana's head.

"Don't. Talk to her. Again." He threw the man back so hard he hit the chair, which fell apart under the force, sending him and the broken pieces skidding across the room.

"We're done here," Shikaku growled at his friend. "As her guardian, I'm revoking T&I's access unless ordered otherwise by the Hokage."

"Sorry, Shikaku. Some people higher up insisted I bring Watana-san with me. He  _will_ get an official reprimand on his file." 

_Higher up? Just who was showing interest in her?_

Shikaku's face clearly said Watana would be getting more than an official reprimand and the other man twitched from where he was sitting on the floor.

"Ah, Shikaku-san, don't be mad," Mayu said in her sweetest voice as she grabbed onto his tense arm.

He switched his attention from the terrified man on the floor to the small girl smiling up at him. "He's just sad because he knows he'll only ever be a paperwork ninja and it's too much for him that a six-year-old orphan is smarter than him."

Shikaku stared at her for a moment, ignoring the sigh from Inoichi and the angry spluttering from Watana and finally chuckled before tweaking her nose.

"Well, Mayu-chan, if you insist, I guess I won't ruin his life." Watana made a pained noise when he realized what Shikaku had likely been planning for him.

She smiled up at him. "Can you take me to meet the deer, Shikaku-san? Please? Shikamaru said they only come out for you."

"Ah, sure." He swung her up onto his back. "Later, Inoichi," he said, moving to the back door and completely ignoring the third man in the room in the process.

Mayu clung to his back and dropped the smile from her face as soon as they were over the fence and out of earshot, burying her face in Shikaku's shoulder. He didn't say anything, just continued walking until they were in the trees. Then he crouched down and she slid down off his back, keeping her eyes firmly on the ground.

"Mayu-chan, I hope you know," he started in a serious voice, "that man was full of shit."

Her head whipped up and her jaw dropped at his blunt words. "You - Shikaku-san! Yoshino-san would be so mad if she heard you talking that way."

He gave her a smirk. "Guess you'd better not tell her, then," he said and she smiled tentatively back.

He sighed and moved to sit on the forest floor, gesturing to her to do the same. "I mean it, Mayu-chan. You don't have to worry about Yoshino or me giving you away or changing our minds. I promise."

Mayu breathed out and nodded. "Okay, I believe you," she said, because he had already kept one promise to her, she believed he would keep this one.

She fiddled with the edge of the blue long sleeved t-shirt she was wearing, biting her lip in thought. Shikaku seemed to sense that she was working up the courage for her next question because he stayed silent. "The other thing he said, about why you took me in - "

Shikaku's hand covered hers, stopping her fidgeting. "No. We decided to make you our ward - and we would have preferred to adopt you, but the clan elders can be...difficult - because you just. You fit. With us, I mean."

She glanced up and saw that his eyes were boring into her, as though willing her to understand. "Part of that is probably your intelligence, yes, but not because we want to use you for the future benefit of the clan." He actually rolled his eyes as he said that last part and her lips quirked up. "But it's also because you're funny, and you let Yoshino fuss over you, and you make terrible decisions -"

"Hey!" she protested, but he just talked over her.

"- when you get excited about something. You're the only kid I've ever seen get along so well with Shikamaru, even more so than his best friend Chouji, who's happy to just eat while Shika-kun sleeps."

Shikaku shrugged. "You slid right in like there'd always been a space there just waiting for you. None of us wanted to wake up and not have you there, I guess."

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from her and - was that a  _blush_? Mayu cleared her throat.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I'm not...I don't remember my family. They died when I was so young, and since I could really understand where I was, I knew that I'd be alone. So. Thank you for saving me from that."

Mayu squeaked when Shikaku grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap for a hug. His voice was tight when he said, "It's me who should be thanking you, Mayu-chan. Yoshino and I wanted more kids, you know. But there were complications with Shikamaru's birth and..." he trailed off with a shrug. "We thought we wouldn't have more, so we're very happy to have found you."

She relaxed into his hold and they sat like that until they were interrupted by the sound of a foot scuffing the dirt. She looked up to see three does standing about ten feet away, heads tilted in curiosity.

"Ah, there you are. Come here, then, I have someone I want you to meet." He stood easily, even with the extra weight of Mayu and settled her on his hip. He held out a hand and waited for them to come to him patiently.

Eventually, they wandered over and Shikaku introduced her in such a formal voice that she found herself laughing, all worries that the Naras didn't want her forgotten as she gently touched the soft nose of one of the does.

After a few minutes the deer wandered back into the trees and Shikaku, still holding her, walked back out of the forest to Shikamaru's cloud watching hill. He promptly collapsed backward, somehow turning it into a roll that ended with both of them splayed on their backs looking up.

"Can you tell me what happened with Danzo now?" Mayu asked in a quiet voice.

He hummed thoughtfully, then said, "A lot of it is classified and we're still uncovering things, but yes. I can tell you some."

Shikaku took a deep breath and let it out. "I can't tell you the details of how, but we found the training facility where the children were being kept. He was...brainwashing them, turning them into a personal army." Mayu clenched her fists but didn't comment.

"We also found a few underground bases that brought to light some of his other activities. It was...bad. So bad even the Hokage couldn't defend it. When we went to detain him, he and some of his agents fought us. Danzo died - a suicide jutsu. No one was killed," he assured her when she sucked in a shocked breath. "But a few of us got a little singed."

"I'm glad he's dead," she said fiercely. He sighed and pulled her close to him.

"We're still trying to find all of his agents. They're broken, mostly. The ones that were taken within the past year should be easy to help, but the rest are tricky. Also, with some of them being clan children, well, there's no keeping this quiet, at least not from the clan heads. It's going to be messy," he finished grimly.

"Were there any Nara?" She asked in a small voice.

"No. Danzo wouldn't dare draw our attention like that. He would never have gotten away with it for as long as he did, otherwise." Mayu felt how tense he was and moved her hand to grab the one attached to the arm her head was resting on.

"Yamanaka and Akimichi weren't as lucky, were they?" she whispered. He shuddered and squeezed her her hand.

"No. Inoichi and Chouza...well, they're very grateful to you for helping them recover their lost clan members Mayu-chan. I don't think I'll even have to bother getting back at whoever made Inoichi bring along the dim minion," he said in a satisfied voice. "Inoichi can be very vengeful."

Mayu giggled. "Shikaku-san?" she said after a while.

"Hmm?"

"I want to go to the Academy when Shikamaru-kun does." She said in a firm voice.

He stopped breathing for a moment. "Oh?" he asked mildly.

"Yes. I had already planned on it, but now..." he waited patiently again for her to finish her thoughts. "Now, I'm going to go and I'm going to join the Military Police Force. Then, I'm going to make sure that something like this doesn't get passed by again," she said in a hard voice. "They need a good investigator and that's going to be me. I'll be the best detective they've ever had!"

"The MPF doesn't usually accept non-Uchihas," he said in a neutral voice.

"Well, they'll take me," Mayu said with confidence. "They'll haveto after I prove how good I am."

"Well Mayu-chan, if that's what you want, then I have no doubt that's what will happen," he said and ruffled her hair.

She could tell that he wasn't just humoring her. Shikaku believed that she could do it and that was pretty amazing.

000

While Shikaku became a rare sight in the Nara household in the days following, two new faces appeared. Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino came tumbling into the house one afternoon right after lunch. The small, pretty blonde-haired girl had barely entered the library where both Mayu and Shikamaru were reading before she was talking.

"Shikamaru-kun! Daddy said I couldn't visit for  _three weeks_ because you were sick. I know you must have been faking it, though. You just didn't want to have to go to the park with us!" She stood with her feet apart, one hand on her hip and the other pointed at Shikamaru, who had slid down into his chair and seemed to be hiding behind his book.

"But now you're better, so you  _have_  to come with us and - hey, who are you?" the girl asked, stopping her tirade when she spotted Mayu.

Mayu blinked a few times at the girl in shock and Shikamaru sighed and set his book to the side.

"Ugh, Ino, calm down. I didn't fake sick to get out of going to the park with you, even if it is a bother. This is Mayu, she's living with us now. Mayu, this is Ino and Chouji."

Mayu had known Ino for all of two minutes and could already tell that this wouldn't be enough explanation for the energetic girl. "Eh? What do you mean she lives here now!"

Chouji just smiled sweetly and walked over to her. "It's nice to meet you Mayu -" he was cut off as Ino shoved him out of the way and bent at the waist to look closely at Mayu.

"You're not a Nara!" she said. "So why are you living here?"

Mayu drew back as far as the chair would allow her before answering. "Shikaku-san and Yoshino-san were kind enough to take me in as a ward until I come of age," she explained.

Ino blinked and opened her mouth to undoubtedly ask why Mayu would need to be taken in but was cut off by Shikamaru, whose voice was uncharacteristically cutting.

"Leave her alone, Ino-chan. Ugh, girls never know when to -"

"Finish that sentence and regret it forever," Mayu snapped, leaning around Ino to glare at him.

Shikamaru snapped his jaw shut - he'd learned pretty quickly that Mayu wasn't a fan of some of his more disparaging comments about the fairer sex. She wasn't sure where it came from, but if it was Shikaku, she was going to have words with him.

Ino burst into laughter. "Oh man, Shika-kun, she told you!"

She held her hand out Mayu. "It's nice to meet you, Mayu-chan! Do you want to come to the park with us?" she asked in a bright voice.

"Ah...no thank you Ino-chan, I want to finish this book today but thank you very much for your invitation." Shikamaru gave her a pleading glance, but there was no way Mayu was going to jump on that grenade.

Ino seemed like an okay kid, but she was loud and overbearing and Mayu would be absolutely miserable going to the park with them. Mayu hardened her heart against his pouts and continued to read as he was dragged out of the house, waving goodbye to Chouji as they went.

Yoshino seemed disappointed when she discovered Mayu hadn't gone with the others, but Shikaku just looked amused when she brought it up that night at dinner, the first one he'd attended in a week.

"Ino a little rambunctious for you?" He asked.

Mayu shrugged. "Aa, a bit."

"If  _she_  doesn't have to hang out with the harpy, then why do I?" Shikamaru whined, resulting in an impassioned scolding from Yoshino.

That night he gave Mayu the cold shoulder instead of playing shogi with her and she felt so awful about the whole thing that the next time Ino barged in she reluctantly agreed to join the trio. It was, of course, a disaster. Mayu wasn't really susceptible to bossiness - generally, if she didn't want to do something, she didn't do it (unless it was Yoshino asking). So when Ino started making edicts about which games they would play at the park, Mayu politely refused, saying she would prefer to read under a tree. Ino didn't take it well and she  _really_  didn't take Mayu's continued silent refusal well.

Mayu didn't exactly want to cause trouble with Shikamaru's friends, but she really,  _really_  didn't want to climb into the dark, disgusting plastic tunnels in the playground and pretend to be a dragon guarding the beautiful princess Ino against the evil sorcerer Shikamaru while her knight errant Chouji tried to get past both of them.

By the end of the 'discussion', Mayu's right eye had a twitch, but she hadn't lost her temper with the other girl and also hadn't been pulled into the game. Ino seemed to have given up on Mayu and instead turned all of her six-year-old wrathful fury on Shikamaru, who looked so miserable that Mayu finally snapped.

Deducing that Ino had a deep-seated fear of rejection that made her act like an insane harpy (she thought Shikamaru's insult last night had been fitting) that made everybody around her miserable ended with Ino in tears and running home, Chouji looking stricken, and Shikamaru giving her a disappointed look that had Mayu turning on her heel and leaving without a word. Yoshino found her two hours later up in a tree, determinedly reading her book and  _not_  thinking about Shikamaru being upset with her.

The woman sighed and put her hands on her hips.

"Mayu-chan, there you are. Shikamaru has been worried sick!" She scolded, which somehow made Mayu feel even more wretched.

"I...I'm okay up here," she said in a small voice.

Yoshino sighed and then walked straight up the tree to kneel on the branch next to her.

"Oh! Tree walking! I read about that in  _Practical Applications of Chakra_. It seems hard. Can you teach me?" she asked, leaning towards Yoshino in excitement.

Yoshino laughed. "Sure, I can show you some good exercises tomorrow to get you started. But only if you come home with me now."

Mayu slumped against the tree with a 'humph.' Yoshino settled down on the branch.

"That bad, huh?" she said gently and Mayu just shrugged and started tracing the kanji on the spine of her book with one stubby finger.

"Ino's a tough girl to get along with if you're not inclined to let her lead you around," Yoshino said in a mild voice.

"It's not that. I mean, yeah that's annoying, but I didn't really get that mad over it. I just said no." 

"Oh? Then why did you get upset and leave?" Yoshino asked.

"I wasn't  _upset,"_ Mayu denied vehemently.

"Then why do I have a son at home in the throes of a dramatic break down for making you run away from home?"

"I - what?" Mayu asked, honestly confused. "I'm not running away from home, I just wanted to be alone for awhile!"

"Oh?"

Mayu sighed and looked down.

"I didn't mean to upset him. He looked at me like I was...like he'd never seen me before."

"Ah, yes, I heard about what you said to Ino." Yoshino's lips twitched. "Possibly telling her nobody could like an out of control harpy with low self-esteem might have been an overreaction."

"She was being mean to Shikamaru!" Mayu exclaimed. "I could have done much worse, you know."

Yoshino sighed. "I'm sure you could have. But, Mayu-chan, there are other ways of dealing with these things."

Mayu shrugged. "Yeah, but...I've never been good at just...being around other people. Shikamaru is my first friend, the only one I've ever really wanted. Most everyone else either bores me or annoys me. Even the adults...I just don't fit in."

A hum and then, "Well, I don't think it's good to isolate yourself, but maybe you can find some friends of your own that don't punch so many of your buttons, huh?"

Mayu frowned, knowing that she didn't exactly  _want_  friends. She was fine with just having Shikamaru, Yoshino, and Shikaku. Mayu knew that they had other people in their lives and couldn't devote all their time to her and that was fine. She preferred to spend a lot of time on her own, anyway, she thought to herself a bit petulantly.

Yoshino sighed, then smiled. "Well, it's just something to work on. Shikamaru may have been upset with you for making Ino cry, but I know he's over it. Why don't you come home and help me make dinner, okay?"

Mayu let Yoshino scoop her up and whooped in delight when the woman dropped straight from the branch, landing neatly and barely jarring Mayu when they hit the ground. She followed Yoshino back into the house through the back door and barely looked at Shikamaru when he jumped up from the kitchen table.

"Mayu! You're okay!" he said, rushing over to her.

"Yeah," she agreed and stepped around him to put the book on the table.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Shikamaru huffed out a breath and stormed out of the kitchen. Yoshino didn't comment and Mayu silently helped her through the dinner preparations. Shikaku made it home right as they were finishing, obviously exhausted, and they all sat down to eat.

Shikamaru and Mayu didn't speak throughout the meal, both ignoring Yoshino's worried looks and Shikaku's confused ones. After a few pointed questions about their day, he gave up when all he got was one-word answers.

Mayu kept glancing at a silent Shikamaru as they washed the dishes and couldn't help but compare it to the first night they met, where they were doing the same chore together as strangers. The thought was a depressing one and she escaped to her room claiming a headache as soon as she could. She got ready for bed alone and crawled under the unfamiliar sheets. Knowing she probably wouldn't sleep, Mayu switched on the lamp by her bed and settled in to read the book on traps that had drawn her attention a few weeks ago.

An hour later, she heard the sounds of the rest of the household getting ready for bed. Mayu knew that she was overreacting, but she couldn't get the look Shikamaru had given her when Ino ran home crying out of her head. Every look he had ever given her before had been tinged with fondness (okay, other than the time she accidentally poisoned his whole family) and if  _this_  was the feeling she could expect from forming bonds with people who weren't Holmeses then she was seriously reconsidering.

Once the rest of the house had settled, she switched off the light and lay in darkness, not even attempting to sleep, but not feeling like reading either.  _You're an idiot,_  she thought after a long time lying there, staring at the ceiling. Mayu had just sat up to march into Shikamaru's room and demand he scoot over when her door creaked open.

A small figure slipped into the room and closed the door behind him and then padded over to her bed. She couldn't help the small quirk of her lip when she saw that the shadow was holding a pillow.

"Scoot over," Shikamaru said in an annoyed voice. "I don't care if you're mad at me, I can't sleep alone anymore."

Mayu wished that it wasn't a new moon, because she knew that she was missing out on his pouty face. She obediently moved over and lifted the covers. He spent a few minutes getting settled next to her, but instead of rolling over to cuddle he lay stiff beside her. Mayu bit her lip, unsure of what to do to cross the distance between them.

Finally, annoyed with her indecision and his silence, she snapped, "Ino was being a complete nightmare to me before I upset her, but you didn't say one word to her! And I was defending you! And then you looked at me like  _I_  had done something wrong. I guess  _Ino_  can spend ten minutes torturing me, but I better watch out if I want to say anything back!"

With a huff she turned to face the wall, ignoring the tears that had popped into her eyes. Shikamaru was silent for a moment, before letting out an explosive sigh. "Stupid girl," he said, but it sounded fond.

"Ino is Ino - yeah she's annoying and bossy but she wasn't  _trying_  to hurt anyone's feelings." He left the  _and you were_  unspoken, but they both heard it.

Mayu considered his words for a moment, squirming around in bed until she was facing the shadow of his profile. He turned his face towards her and she could barely see the glint of his eyes in the darkness.

"Okay, that's fair," she said. "But - she was making you unhappy. And I -"

Shikamaru turned fully on his side. "Okay, next time I'll speak up for myself so you don't have to."

Mayu scowled. "Fine, but I'm not apologizing to her. I don't know why you even hang out with her."

His shoulders moved in a shrug, rustling the blankets. "She's the daughter of the head of a clan we're closely allied to. She's also my future teammate - it'd be troublesome if we hated each other."

Mayu frowned. "Future teammate?"

"Ah. Our parents - my dad, Inoichi-ojisan, and Chouza-ojisan - are part of a famous team. They use their combined bloodlines and secret techniques as capture and interrogation tactics. They're also a good support team on the battlefront. They call themselves the Ino-Shika-Cho formation." He said the last in a long-suffering voice and Mayu laughed. "They worked so well that I'm sure the village will want to continue the trend. Ino and Chouji will be my genin team."

"Genin team?" Mayu asked. "I didn't know genin were on teams."

She had general knowledge of the levels of ninja, of course - genin, chunin, then jounin, with only a few elites making it to the last, but didn't know much of the process shinobi went through to actually gain those ranks.

"Mm, when you graduate from the academy, you're put into teams of three. These teams are each assigned a jounin instructor that teaches them and helps them move towards specialties, that kind of thing."

"So then you and I don't have a chance of being on a team, I guess," Mayu said in a small voice.

Which, it was ridiculous to be disappointed about the setup of teams she'd only just found out about, but, if she had to put up with being on a team she would have liked it to include Shikamaru.

"No, sorry," he sighed. "I wish it wasn't so set in stone...but legacy is important to a shinobi village, so."

Mayu hummed. "I guess I should try not to make your relationship with Ino difficult then, huh?" she said in a small voice.

He chuckled. "Ino's already difficult. You don't have to go along with her because of me. But, she's my friend, so please don't make her cry anymore."

Mayu glared, though she knew he couldn't tell.

" _Fine_ ," she muttered, then gave in and scooted against him, shoving her face into his shoulder. He relaxed against her and five minutes later was fast asleep.

000

Two days later, Yoshino stopped them after meditation before they could head out to their usual spot on the hill.

"Your lazy days are over!" she crowed with too much enthusiasm, causing a look of horror to fall across Shikamaru's face. "You will both be attending the academy next fall, which means we need to get you ready for ninja life. Your mornings and half your afternoons are now mine. We'll start with conditioning! I want three laps around the field."

Shikamaru's protests went unheard as they were pushed towards the field. Mayu eyed it with trepidation - it was large and three laps seemed like a  _lot._ Yoshino finally snapped at their reluctance and her creative threats spurred them into a half-hearted run. Unfortunately, the woman must have decided they weren't to be trusted, because she joined them, heckling and pushing whenever they started to slow down.

Mayu and Shikamaru were both sweaty messes by the end, but Yoshino didn't let up on them. Instead, she had them do sit-ups and pushups before she gave them a break. After that, she led them through some cooldown stretches and allowed them to get a drink of water.

"Okay! I promised cute little Mayu-chan that I'd show her some chakra control exercises that would help her eventually learn tree walking. I think that Shikamaru would benefit from this too."

She was standing with her hands on her hips and ignored the groaning of her son with an ease that spoke of years of practice.

"Now remember," she said in a serious voice that got even Shikamaru to pay attention, "tree walking is a genin level exercise and you aren't to try it until I give the okay. Your chakra systems are still developing and it could permanently harm them if you push too hard. Understood?"

They both nodded their agreement and Yoshino pointed at Mayu. "And no experimenting on chakra exercises without an adult around. I mean it Mayu-chan."

"You make one mistake," Mayu grumbled, but quickly stopped when Shikamaru and Yoshino gave her scarily identical unimpressed faces.

"Okay, okay, I promise. No genin level chakra experiments while I'm still just a little pre-academy wannabe."

"That promise...leaves a lot of wiggle room," Shikamaru said suspiciously. Mayu just gave him her sweetest smile.

"Okay! So, you two, find some leaves!"

The next few weeks fell into a pattern - in the mornings, Yoshino would run them into the ground, literally and figuratively, every morning. They both picked up chakra control exercises quickly. Mayu could stick four leaves to her body at once - one on each limb - and Shikamaru could do that plus one on his forehead.

After lunch, they suffered through calligraphy lessons two days a week and started to learn the basics of kunai throwing on the other days. When Yoshino was done with them, they went up to cloud watch or explore the woods close to the house. Some afternoons Chouji would join them and Mayu found she didn't mind his company. He was quiet and kind if you didn't count the crinkle of chip bags that followed him wherever he went. Ino showed up about twice a week to drag the two boys to the park with her. While she and Mayu didn't fight, they also didn't speak much which made it generally uncomfortable for everyone if Mayu tagged along. So she usually chose to go to the public library instead.

It was a month after her argument with Shikamaru that she came across a book on basic puppetry by a Suna nin. As she studied diagrams of weaponized puppets that were controlled by threads of chakra, she became immediately enamored with the concept.

In her memories of Before mechanical engineering had been a bit of a hobby of hers (yes, she knew how ridiculous that sounded, but she had been a Holmes, okay? They were by definition ridiculous) and she had always loved creating little gadgets for her father to give his agents or her uncle to...do whatever it is Sherlock did with them. That night, she asked Shikaku about it.

"Puppetry, hmm? That's more of a Suna specialty. Don't really find a lot of puppeteers here," he said, thoughtfully rubbing one finger across the patch of whiskers on his chin.

Mayu deflated, disappointed, but he just reached over and put his hand on her head.

"Maa, Mayu-chan, don't look like that. I'm sure I can find some more books on it."

Two days later, he staggered into her room, where she was contemplating a recipe for a poison that knocked the victim unconscious within ten seconds of breathing it in, under the weight of a pile of books and scrolls and set them heavily on her desk. He gave the poison recipe a suspicious look but didn't say anything.

She blinked in surprise before picking up a scroll that had rolled across the desk towards her. She opened it and scanned the text for a moment before her eyes widened.

"This is...this is an instructional scroll! On chakra threads! And -" she scrambled to look at the spines of the books. " _The History of Puppeteering in Wind Country, Puppets in Motion..._ " She turned to look at a smug Shikaku, eyes wide.

"You...you found all of this? For me?" she whispered and his face softened.

"Well, technically Shouta-san did, that man is a god when it comes to anything paperwork or book related, but yeah, it's yours -  _oomph."_

Mayu threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" 

He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. "You're welcome, Mayu-chan. Come on, we'd better go downstairs and eat now."

Mayu barely slept that night, staying up to study the scrolls that Shikaku had brought her by lamplight while Shikamaru snored away in the bed behind her. Some of the scrolls had actual blueprints and instructions for creating puppets.

The next day Mayu showed Yoshino the scroll on chakra threads, remembering her promise not to try anything out without asking her first. The woman looked it over, humming thoughtfully.

"Can you do chakra threads?" Mayu asked from where she was sitting cross-legged next to Shikamaru, who was concentrating on adding a sixth leaf to his exercise.

"Yes," Yoshino said, "I'm a trained medic, it's one of the tests we're given to prove our chakra control."

"Can you teach me?" Mayu asked, leaning forward.

"I can, but it's not a quick process," Yoshino warned. "You've got to have extremely good control - especially if you're going to be creating multiple strings that need to act independently of each other."

"That's okay," Mayu said, bouncing in place. "I don't mind!"

Yoshino put her hands on her hips and gave her a severe look. "It will take years to get to this point, Mayu-chan and a lot of hard work  _and_  a lot of my time. Are you sure you want to commit to this?"

Mayu nodded. "Yes! I'm sure. Please, Yoshino-san!"

Even if she decided not to go into puppeteering, she figured it'd be a useful skill.

"Alright. You and I will spend an extra hour together every other day then," the woman said decisively.

Shikamaru faltered and his leaves drifted to the ground as he stared at them. "But - what about our cloud watching?"

Mayu rolled her eyes. "I'll still find time to cloud watch, I promise," she reassured him, but he was already slumped over, dejected.

Mayu made sure to spend extra time with him that afternoon instead of going straight for her books, which seemed to appease him.

A week later, Yoshino brought up the subject of Shikamaru's upcoming birthday. "It's in ten days, Shika-kun. What do you want to do?"

He requested a day off from training for himself and Mayu, which Yoshino huffed at but eventually agreed to. Mayu listened with half an ear as they planned a party at an Akimichi barbeque restaurant, thoughts racing.

That night, she stayed up sketching out and discarding plans, muttering to herself as she looked through scrolls and books. She was a disaster during their workout the next morning but was too distracted with her thoughts to be bothered by Yoshino's scolding. Mayu took a small nap after lunch and calligraphy, head on Shikamaru's stomach as they lay in their cloud watching spot until Ino came to drag Shikamaru to the park.

When Yoshino left to do the shopping, Mayu ran upstairs to grab the lists and blueprints she'd made the night before, then hurried out of the house and down the path that led into the rest of Konoha. With a teeny, tiny, distraction involving a troupe of visiting entertainers being led to the wrong level for visitation paperwork, Mayu was able to slip past taffeta and sequin covered bodies and a flustered Shouta into Shikaku's office.

She shut the door behind her, Shouta's enraged shout of " _No, miss, I do not accept bribes!"_ following her and froze when she turned and saw that Shikaku wasn't alone in the room. A man in standard jounin uniform with only one gray eye showing between his facemask and a hitai-ate pulled down over the other eye was leaning against the window, arms crossed over his chest.

"Ah, Shikaku, I didn't know we were recruiting so young still," he drawled.

Mayu fumbled the messy stack of paper in her hands as Shikaku put his hand over his face. Mayu recognized him. The hair and mask were a dead giveaway. This was the famous Kakashi no Sharingan that she'd come across in her research while trying to figure out who to go to with the information she'd uncovered on Danzo. "Mayu-chan, you're making my subordinates look bad. I suppose whatever has Shouta so worked up is your doing?" Shikaku pulled her attention back to him.

Mayu widened her eyes and willed herself to look innocent.

"Of course not, Shikaku-san! I think that some pretty dancers just got confused about what level to go to for visitor visas."

"Uh-huh," he said, eyeing her doubtfully and ignoring the snickers coming from the window. "You know, Mayu-chan, as my ward, Shouta would just give you access if you asked for it."

Mayu shrugged. "Well, he looked busy, so I didn't want to bother him."

"Your ward? So this is the one, hmm?" Hatake Kakashi said thoughtfully and something in his voice said  _I thought she'd be more impressive_.

Mayu shifted uncomfortably at his sudden interest and narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Mayu-chan, is there a reason you're here?" Shikaku said in a long-suffering voice.

She brightened and scurried over to his desk. "Yes! I have an idea for Shikamaru's birthday present but need some help finding supplies. I still have all of my allowances that you and Yoshino gave me, but..."

Hatake made a sound that she was pretty sure translated to  _You snuck into the jounin commander's office and interrupted our meeting to talk about a birthday present?_  She ignored him as Shikaku motioned her to show him her plans and hummed after he bent his head over the paper.

"This is good Mayu-chan, but it's kind of a big project to finish in ten days."

Mayu jumped when she felt something brush her back and when she craned her neck she saw that Hatake was now bending over the plans as well.

"I can do it," she said firmly. "I'll just work on it in the afternoons and at night, too."

"Uh huh. And you don't think that Yoshino will have something to say about that?"

Mayu shrugged. "I'm good at sneaking around."

Shikaku groaned. "You can't say things like that in front of your old man, you'll drive me into an early grave."

Mayu froze at his words and her eyes darted to his face. His attention was still on the hastily drawn sketches in front of him, though, and he didn't notice her shock.  _My old man? Does that mean he thinks of me as his..._

"And where were you planning on working on this, exactly?" he continued, breaking into her thoughts.

"Ah...the shed in the backyard?" she said sheepishly. Hatake chuckled and straightened.

"Well, I can see you'll be busy for awhile, Shikaku-sama. I'll report in when I finish the mission. Later!" With a finger wave, he disappeared into a puff of smoke. Shikaku grumbled a bit about annoying jounin before sighing.

"Okay, well, I'm not too busy, so I'll come help you with this for a few hours. Shouta!" he shouted and a moment later his harried-looking assistant burst into the room.

"Shikaku, you better have finished that paperwork or I'll -" he cut off when he spotted Mayu, lips moving without forming words before he pointed at her. "You! Where did you come from?!"

000

An hour later, weighed down with bags full of gears, wire, strips of wood and various tools, Shikaku and Mayu stood in front of a large warehouse with the sound of hammering and the thumps of something large being moved filtering out into the air. They were on the edge of the Nara compound, in a section that Shikaku had told her was where all their research transpired.

He'd had to drag her past the medical labs after pointing them out, reminding her that she was on a bit of schedule and he had to go back to work and could she focus? Shikaku knocked on the door with his foot and a few moments later it was opened by a tall man with broad shoulders. His hair was a dirty blonde pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck and his eyes were the same brown as Shikaku's and held the same clear intelligence.

"Akinobu-san, can we come in?"

The man's eyes flicked down to Mayu. "There's dangerous equipment in here, Shikaku-sama. Are you sure you should bring a kid in here?"

"Aa, don't worry about it, Mayu-chan is smart. She's actually why I'm here."

Akinobu shrugged and stepped back. Mayu took in the large, open space and her heart leapt with excitement. The space was a woodworking shop, with shelves and work counters lining the walls she could see. The shelves seemed to hold various tools that were vaguely familiar to her and the middle of the floor contained large machines. She could see what seemed to be a planer, a large saw, and a sander. Three or four people were moving around the room with projects in various states of completeness.

She followed Shikamaru and Akinobu along the edges of the cement floor until they came to an unoccupied workbench. Shikaku motioned for her to put the bags she was carrying onto it and he moved to do the same.

"Akinobu-san, this is my ward, Nomaka Mayu. Mayu-chan, this is my cousin, Nara Akinobu. He owns this shop, along with a furniture store in Konoha's merchant district."

Her eyes widened and she bowed politely. "It's nice to meet you Nara-san. I didn't know there were woodworkers in the Nara compound - this is amazing!"

"Call me Akinobu, there's too many Naras around, we'll get confused. As far as woodworking - well, the wood in the Nara forest is considered high quality, so it was only natural for a line of our clan to go into something like this," he said matter of factly.

"That's right, Mayu-chan. Akinobu-san's family is responsible for providing the clan with a good chunk of its income. He's built quite a name for himself in the business," Shikaku said and she could hear the pride in his voice.

Akinobu's lips quirked up in the same half smile Shikaku and Shikamaru sported when they were pleased, but he just said, "Enough flattery, Shikaku-sama, I don't have time for you to butter me up. Just come out with why you're here."

"Ah, well, actually, I was hoping you could do me a favor. Mayu-chan has a project she'd like to complete two Tuesdays from now and needs a safe space to do it. Can you let her set up here in the afternoons?"

"You just got the kid and you're already foisting her onto others?" Akinobu said, voice flat.

Mayu bristled and would have said something disparaging - probably about his obvious alcohol problem, but Shikaku squeezed her shoulder so she settled instead for a fierce glare. Akinobu blinked in surprise, then chuckled.

"So that's how it is. Well, tell me about this project of yours and I'll see what I can do."

Mayu narrowed her eyes at him, wondering what she had missed that had suddenly changed his mind. His interest didn't seem feigned, so she handed the plans over. He studied them for a minute, eyebrows rising higher and higher.

"Where'd you really get these, kid? No way you did it yourself."

 _Wow, this guy is awful,_ she thought as she snatched them out of his hands.

"Shikaku-san, this is wasting time. I'll just do this on my own in the shed."

He stopped her from grabbing her things and leaving in a dramatic huff by casually hooking his fingers in her collar.

"Mayu-chan, you're so sweet at home, why do you get so cranky with everyone else," he scolded.

She deflated at his tone, which while mild held a warning in it.

"Sorry, cousin, but she  _did_  do this - last night while the rest of the house was sleeping, actually," and he sounded so smug on her behalf that it negated the sting of his disapproval from a moment before.

Akinobu hummed in thought before he seemed to come to a decision. "Okay, I'll help the kid out - but in exchange, I get to keep these plans and put them into production."

"No!" Mayu said, clutching the papers to her chest. "This is just for Shikamaru, I don't want a bunch of idiot children running around with  _his_  present."

She put her nose in the air; she knew she sounded like a brat, but she couldn't help it - this was something that she'd created for  _her_  special person. Shikaku had offered her his home and his protection, but it had been Shikamaru that grabbed her loneliness with both hands and ripped it away and filled her instead with companionship.

Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose between finger and thumb and mumbled something unintelligible, but Akinobu surprised her by throwing his head back and filling the space with rich laughter.

"Oh, Shikaku-sama, is this the adorable little ward you were telling me so much about last week over drinks? I'm almost relieved, from your description I expected her to carry a glow and the blessing of a god."

Mayu blushed a deep red and when she glanced over she saw that her guardian also seemed to have a slight tint to his cheeks. Had Shikaku been bragging about her? 

"I wasn't that bad," he said with a huff. 

He did! He bragged about her to his friends. A warm feeling infused her chest as she stared up at him, knowing that her adoration for him was probably shining from her eyes and the beaming smile she couldn't quite keep down. Ugh, she always had been terrible at keeping her emotions hidden - something her father had stopped even trying to lecture out of her. Of course, it had delighted Sherlock, who used to ask if Mycroft was  _sure_  he'd gotten that paternity test right.

"Yeah, okay, I guess I see where you got the adorable part from," Akinobu said, sounding a bit ill. "Fine, if you won't let me reproduce this, then for every hour you spend in the shop on personal matters, I want you to match it working with me on my projects as an intern."

"You don't even know if I'll be any good at it yet," Mayu said suspiciously.

"Ah, well, I'll find something for you to do. You can fetch my tea, and I'm assuming you can use a broom? Yes? Well, there you go."

Mayu looked up at Shikaku, who just shrugged. Apparently, he didn't see anything sinister to the deal.

"Okay," Mayu said slowly, thinking. "But I'll have to make up the hours after Shikamaru's birthday. I'll need all my extra time to finish this."

Akinobu waved a hand in the air. "Aa, that's fine, how about we say you make up the time within the next 4 months?"

"Deal," Mayu said and they shook on it, his calloused hand completely enveloping her own small one.

Akinobu was a strict teacher, but good. Over the next few days, he gave her a crash course in shop safety and showed her how to shape wood, the best tools to use for different tasks, and on more than one occasion helped her bandage up a cut finger or remove splinters. Unless he was actively showing her how to do a task, he left her to her own devices.

Mayu stumbled home each evening shedding sawdust, but her happiness with having a new project must have shown on her face because none of the Naras tried to get her to take a break. At night, after Shikamaru was asleep, she'd sneak into her room and work on the gears and pulleys that would eventually make up the internal workings of her creation.

Shikamaru, bless him, seemed to accept that she was the type that got a little obsessed when she was focused on something and didn't get upset with her for disappearing for long hours at a time. He'd probably figured out it had something to do with his birthday, anyway. He was smart like that.

She did end up finishing the last bits in the shed until two a.m. the night before the party on a crate she had flipped over to use as a table, after all. When she was finally finished she dragged herself into the shower and then fell into bed next to Shikamaru, who woke enough to grumble and pull her towards him to act as his own personal body pillow.

The next morning Yoshino didn't wake them up until a glorious nine a.m. Mayu found herself in a dark blue, frilly dress with her hair nicely brushed and pulled back with a white ribbon soon after. She was just like everyone else in the world in that she had no defense against Yoshino once she set her mind to something. Shikamaru had given her a cheeky grin when she stomped down the stairs in her sparkly sandals. Yoshino had been suddenly appearing in front of her with new clothes for the past few months, but usually, they at least pretended to be practical. This...was not practical.

"Happy birthday, Shikamaru," she mumbled and if she sounded a bit grudging, well, at least she wasn't yelling at him about how it was his fault she was stuck in this outfit.

A memory floated to her, unbidden, of Mycroft forcing her into a frilly affair before some Christmas party where he then frog-marched her to the piano and said, in his calm-dangerous voice, " _Now play for our guests, Diana."_

She stabbed her chopsticks into her rice with vicious intent. Shikamaru leaned his shoulder against hers and said, "You look very pretty, Mayu-chan."

She darted her gaze over to him, but he seemed intent on his own breakfast suddenly. Shyly, she pushed her shoulder back against his, bad mood forgotten.

They spent the rest of the morning watching clouds in the cold now-winter air, wrapped in blankets and huddled together with a thermos of hot chocolate between them. They finally stumbled back into the house, rosy-cheeked and cheerful, for a lunch made up of Shikamaru's favorite dishes.

Afterward, they played four games of shogi - Mayu won two of the rounds. Shikamaru seemed pleased rather than upset that she was getting so good at the game and she assumed he liked the challenge. The sky was beginning to darken when Shikaku came home, bringing in a rush of cold air and carrying a few bags with cheerfully wrapped packages peeking out.

He hugged Shikamaru while wishing him a happy birthday and patted Mayu on the head with a, "Don't you look pretty Mayu-chan," smirking like he knew exactly how she felt about her party outfit.

Then there was a flurry of activity as Yoshino herded them into their coats and put earmuffs on a struggling Mayu after she came racing down the stairs from where she'd grabbed her own wrapped gift. Shikamaru tried to swipe it from her but she danced out of the way, scolding him and laughing at the same time.

And as they stepped out into the frosty air, all of them smiling for no real reason, Mayu felt something settle in her. She realized, suddenly, that this was her family. And she felt suddenly fiercely protective of this place she'd found in a world where she assumed she'd be all alone. 

 _I'll do anything to keep this,_  she thought fiercely.

The restaurant where they were having the party was warm and the smell of roasting meat and savory sauces made Mayu's stomach growl. It was full of cheerful Akimichi and Yamanaka, Chouji and Ino appearing by their side and pulling them over to a table overflowing with presents so they could add their own to it.

There were platters of barbeque out on long tables and Chouji wasted no time dragging them over to fill plates. Mayu was giggling at Shikamaru, who had gotten sauce on the tip of his nose and was now trying to avoid Ino as she attacked him with a napkin when a throat clearing above them grabbed their attention. All four of them craned their necks towards a man Mayu had never seen before. He was obviously a Nara, with his hair pulled back into a spiky ponytail, and resembled Shikaku so much that she knew they had to be closely related. He was just as tall as her guardian but broader in the shoulders. His expression lacked the warmth Mayu had come to associate with Shikaku, his face blank and his brown eyes calculating. He had painted two thick green lines under his eyes, which somehow made him look tired and terrifying all at once. 

 _This must be what Shikaku-san looks like when he's in shinobi-mode,_  she thought wonderingly.

"Uncle Ensui!" Shikamaru cried, "you're back!"

Mayu relaxed at his happy tone. This was somebody that he trusted, loved even. Nobody had mentioned that Shikaku had a brother, but that would explain how much they looked alike.

"Aa, brat, I just got done with my debrief and headed directly over. Your dad must have wanted to surprise you, huh?" he said and ruffled his nephew's hair. "Hello Ino-chan, Chouji-kun."

They chirped out their replies, just comfortable with the man as Shikamaru.

Then his sharp eyes were focused completely on her and she shifted a bit, suddenly nervous. "This must be Nomaka Mayu, my brother's ward. I leave for a couple of months and come back to a dead elder and a new niece." Mayu was disconcerted when she realized she couldn't read how he felt about that.

Shikamaru stiffened at the mention of the dead elder. Everyone knew Danzo had died, but it wasn't public knowledge that he had been a traitor. Currently, everybody under a certain security level thought it had been of natural causes. Mayu was sure he had guessed that his father's injuries and the threat to Mayu were related to the man, but he hadn't outright asked her about it.

Shikamaru's hand slipped into hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "That's right. Mayu-chan is my favorite person, so be nice Ensui-ojisan," he drawled and though he was in his customary slouch, something about his tone held a warning.

Ensui chuckled and patted his nephew's head. "Aw, Shika-kun, you sound like your dad. Don't worry, I'll be nice."

Mayu stood, stunned as Ensui waved goodbye and wandered back towards the adults. His favorite person? Her chest swelled and she leaned against him.

"You're my favorite person, too," she whispered and he smiled at her, sweet and shy before their moment was interrupted by Yoshino clapping her hands.

"Okay, okay, everybody it's time to open presents! And then we'll bring out the cake!" she declared, waving Shikamaru over to the table holding a veritable mountain of packages.

Shikamaru sat at the head of the table, grabbing the present closest to him and unwrapping it to reveal a sleeping cap, to the amusement of the adults. He rolled his eyes but thanked the 'aunt' that had given it to him politely.

He moved through the pile slowly, a small collection made up of things like practice kunai and mesh undershirts, plenty of books, and a nice new shogi board from his parents grew to his right. He raised his eyebrows at Mayu when he got to her present and she shifted uncomfortably while he slowly unwrapped the paper to reveal a wooden crate that was about 18 inches long by a foot wide.

He lifted the top and his breath caught when he saw what was inside. Shikaku, who was standing behind his chair, grunted in approval and Yoshino 'ooohed' next to him. Shikamaru studied it for a moment before looking up and meeting her eyes.

"Is this what you've been working on all week?" He asked in an awed tone.

Mayu nodded, her cheeks growing warm when the room's attention turned to her.

"Well, what is it?" Inoichi asked, impatient.

Shikamaru carefully reached in and pulled out what was inside, handling it gingerly before he set it on the table, gently wiping off a few clinging bits of crinkle cut paper that had followed it from the box. Mayu ran her eyes over the wooden doe she'd carefully pieced together over the past ten days. It stood about eight inches tall and the body and head were made of smooth wood, with barely-visible seams sanded together. She knew the deep, rich wood was almost soft to the touch from her hours of sanding. The legs and neck were a mix of delicate looking gears connected to a copper wire, with slats of wood connecting the joints.

"The tail," Akinobu said, stepping forward and actually looking somewhat eager. Mayu had thought she heard his gruff voice earlier but hadn't been sure he was there until that moment.

"Twist it a few times."

Shikamaru looked horrified. "What? No! That'll break it," and he reached a finger out to run it fondly over the back of the deer.

Akinobu sighed. "It's a crank, you're supposed to turn it," he said, annoyed.

Shikamaru looked over to Mayu, who gave a small nod. He hesitated before reaching out to grasp the small tail, which was actually carefully molded metal; she'd had to ask Akinobu to create the piece for her since it involved fire and safety hazards. He cranked it a few times before sitting back and there were gasps and an excited squeal from Ino as the deer came to life, gears turning in sync to facilitate movement. It lifted its head and took a few graceful steps across the table before lowering its long neck as though to graze, then lifting it again and taking a few more steps. Finally, it came to a stop again, the whirring of gears coming to a halt.

Shikamaru stared at it in wonder for a moment, before scrambling out of his chair to embrace Mayu.

"Mayu, it's the best present I've ever gotten," he whispered fiercely. A small smile stole across her face as she returned the embrace.

"I'm glad," she said softly, trying to ignore the thoughtful looks she was getting from the adults and Ino's excited buzzing.

Her chest had that warm feeling again and she wished that it would last forever.

000

Afterward, Mayu would wonder how she hadn't seen it coming. After all, things  _had_ ended a bit too cleanly for her with the whole Danzo situation and if she had learned anything from Before, it was that things were never that easy.

Yoshino had just released her from their extra training, which involved Mayu trying to create a blue glow of chakra in her palm. The next step, she knew, was to form it into a globe, but first, she needed to get more than the pitiful sputtering manifestation she had accomplished so far. Yoshino told her she was doing well, then informed her she was leaving to do some shopping and would be back soon.

Mayu and Shikamaru bundled up and grabbed their outdoor blanket and Mayu's books before heading to the hill.

"Smells like it might snow," Mayu said hopefully and Shikamaru wrinkled his nose.

"Mmm, maybe. Hate the cold," he said, sitting down in a pout. Mayu rolled her eyes and settled next to him.

"Of course you do," she teased.

She had just cracked open a book when someone appeared in front of her in a swirl of leaves.

"Watana-san?" Mayu asked, confused.

It was the man that had come with Inoichi to interview (interrogate) her. She hadn't seen him for three months - not since Shikaku had threatened him in their kitchen.

"You're not supposed to be here," she said slowly, taking in his tense, furtive posture and the angry satisfaction in his eyes.

"Nomaka Mayu, the council advisors have requested that I detain you for questioning," he said and reached for her arm. She scrambled back and then Shikamaru was in front of her, a scowl on his face.

"You can't detain an underage civilian without notifying her parents or guardians first. Mom will be back in a few minutes. You can wait by the front gates of the compound." Mayu blinked at the tense line of his back, surprised by how much he sounded like his father.

"Also, this is private Nara property - nobody is allowed here without permission from a member of the clan head family."

Mayu hadn't known that, though she supposed it made sense. The woods held valuable medical plants, not to mention the trees themselves.

"Stand aside," Watana said. "I'm here on orders and I won't be waylaid."

He moved to step past Shikamaru, but he just moved with him, shielding Mayu. "Oh? The council ordered you to trespass on Nara lands, which were granted to my clan by Hashirama himself, with the promise that none but our people would enter without invitation?"

Watana looked unsure for a moment, but then seemed to gather himself. Too quickly to follow, he darted around Shikamaru and grabbed her arm in a painful grip. She cried out in surprise more than pain and Shikamaru whirled, shocked, then his eyes narrowed in obvious anger.

"Let go of her." He dove at Watana.

The man batted him out of the way like it was nothing, sending his small body soaring into the air. He hit the ground and rolled a few times and Mayu tried to lunge after him but was held back by Watana.

"Shikamaru!" she cried, heart in her throat.

He wobbled to his knees, shaking his head as though to clear it, before touching his bloody lip in obvious shock.

"I..." Mayu whispered, eyes riveted on the trickle of blood and then spun in Watana's grip to pin him with a stare, rage erupting in her chest. "I am going to kill you for that."  

"Oh, I don't think you will, Mayu-chan." He tightened his grip. She refused to wince. "I wouldn't do that, Shikamaru-kun," he added.

Mayu craned her neck to see Shikamaru was now on his feet, swaying slightly and coming towards them. "I won't let you take her," he said, but he sounded more desperate now. "And if you do succeed, my father will kill you."

That got a reaction. Mayu could see the fear, shame, and fury in his eyes, and she realized that this man was desperate. Was he even really here on the behalf of the council? If not, then who?

"He can try," the man snarled, "but I doubt he'll want to start a war with the council while we're holding his ward hostage."

"Don't take her," Shikamaru said. "Please."

Watana gave a harsh laugh. "Look at that, the son of the fearsome Nara clan head, begging. Say goodbye, because -"

"Shadow Possession Complete," a voice cut into his gloating and Mayu felt Watana's whole body freeze then begin to tremble. The hand holding her arm released its hold and she stumbled away from him on shaking legs. Shikamaru grabbed her and dragged her towards the voice that had spoken.

It was Ensui and he looked furious. "You  _dare,_ " he snarled, "to lay hands on the children of a Nara?"

Then he reached down to his hip and grabbed...nothing? He raised a fist high in the air and a whimper from Watana had her turning her eyes to him.  _Oh_ , she thought to herself as she saw him mimicking Ensui's posture - but his hand wasn't empty - it was holding a kunai.

"Let's make sure you can't run away, hmm?" Ensui said with a grin, then jabbed his empty hand down in an arc ending at his thigh.

Watana screamed in anguish as he was forced to mimic the movement and the kunai embedded itself in his leg.

Mayu felt vicious satisfaction flow through her as she remembered the way Shikamaru's body had flown through the air after Watana backhanded him. Ensui flashed across the space, having dropped the jutsu, and with a quick jab knocked the whimpering man out. He didn't bother to catch him as he fell, but he did drop down to one knee, removing a roll of wire from the pouch at his thigh and quickly tying Watana up.

With the immediate danger taken care of, Mayu spun to Shikamaru, hands fluttering over his face, now swelling on one side. "Are you okay?" she whispered, eyes filling with tears at the sight of his blood. He gave a short nod and grabbed her in a hug.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No, just, a bit bruised maybe. You're the one he hit. That - that son of a bitch!" she yelled out, causing Shikamaru to jolt a bit at the sound of her swearing.

She spun around and stomped over to the unconscious man. She pulled back a foot and kicked him in the ribs as hard as she could. Which wasn't that hard, really, considering her size, but it made her feel better.

Ensui chuckled and put his hands on her shoulders. "Not that he doesn't deserve it, but you should probably save some of the beat down for your dad. He's going to flip his shit when he finds out about this." He sounded  _delighted_  at that.

"He's not my dad," Mayu mumbled and Ensui raised his eyebrows.

"Sure about that?" he asked, wry. "Because he talks about you like you're his kid."

Mayu's breath caught and she looked to the side. "Why did he try to take me?" she asked, changing the subject as Shikamaru sidled up to her and grabbed her hand.

Ensui shrugged. "I don't know. Right now, we need to get Shikamaru to the hospital - he probably has a concussion after that hit. And we need to get our prisoner to an interrogator I trust."

"Let's bring him inside," Mayu suggested, "then...we can tie him to a chair while we go to the hospital?"

Ensui shook his head. "Nah, can't leave him alone. Here, give me a sec." He bit his thumb, drawing blood, and slammed it down on the ground.

Lines flowed out from his hand across the dirt, there was a puff of smoke, and standing in front of them was a long, sleek wildcat, with a golden hide spotted and striped with brown. Its ears were large on its narrow face and the tail was short for a cat - not a bob, but it was barely as long as the cat was tall and was tipped in black.

"Ensui, you need me?" the cat asked, after looking around at the strange tableau they must have made - two terrified children, a bloody and unconscious Konoha nin and a furious Ensui.

"Yeah, Baken, could you find Yamanaka Inoichi and tell him to get his ass to Shikaku's house? Just him and we need him yesterday."

The cat nodded and then turned on its heels and raced off towards Konoha.

"Was that a summons?" Mayu asked, awed, wrapping her arm around Shikamaru to support his swaying body as Ensui hefted Watana up onto his shoulder with barely a grunt.

"Mm - the servals. My father had their contract and passed it to me."

"Wow. How will he find Inoichi-san?" Mayu asked, even as she fussed over Shikamaru's coat and mussed hair.

"They've got a good sense of smell - make good trackers." Ensui looked at her. "Aren't you going to ask why I didn't have him get Shikaku?"

Mayu snorted. "You said you needed him alive," she said simply and he chuckled.

"You are a clever girl, hmm?"

"Shika, are you very dizzy?" Mayu asked, ignoring Ensui's comment as they approached the fence.

He shook his head, but his face was pale and she could see that his eyes were dilated.

"Ensui-san, I think he needs a doctor now. Maybe you can take him and I'll stay with -"

"No," and it wasn't Ensui's sharp voice, but Shikamaru's that cut her off. "You're not staying alone with him." His lower lip went into an automatic pout, which lost some of its cuteness because that lip was  _split_  and when she found out who was behind this...well. She was going to destroy them, that was all.

"Okay, okay," she soothed, leading him into the kitchen and sitting him at the table.

She ran to the freezer and stood on tiptoes to grab an ice pack from the door. She brought it over to him and gently placed it on his cheek.

"'M glad he didn't take you, Mayu," Shikamaru said, slumping down into his chair.

Ensui had dropped his burden on the floor and was now kneeling in front of Shikamaru, looking into his eyes and gently lifting the ice pack to study the bruise forming on his face.

He hissed in sympathy. "Your mom's gonna shit bricks when she sees this, kid." 

"When I see what? And why in the world is there a bleeding, unconscious, and tied up shinobi on my floor? Ensui, I swear to god, if you've dragged my children into one of your ridiculous games -"

Ensui jumped and would have dropped the ice pack if Mayu wasn't also holding it to Shikamaru's face. He stood and spun around so fast that Mayu barely saw him move.

"Ah, Yoshino! This wasn't actually my fault, this time," he drawled, but Mayu could see he actually looked a bit terrified.

Seriously, she had to learn how Yoshino  _did_  that.

"It was mine," Mayu said and the lump that had been growing in her throat since she realized that Shikamaru had been hurt defending her became too big to talk past.

A light slap on the back of her head had her gaping up at Ensui, who scowled at her. "Don't take on things that aren't your doing, idiot. It's not your fault that the council sent some jackass to trespass on Nara lands and kidnap you."

" _What?"_  Yoshino dropped her shopping bags where she was standing at the door and rushed over. "What in the world are you talking about?" She ran a glowing green hand over Shikamaru, face lined with anger and worry.

Mayu quietly relayed what had happened, Ensui breaking in to clarify a few points. When she described the way Watana had struck Shikamaru and grabbed Mayu, the woman stood up, a kunai seeming to appear in her hand from nowhere and took a few purposeful steps towards their prisoner. Ensui stepped in front of her, hands in the air.

"While I can relate to wanting to kill him, let's allow Inoichi to interrogate him first, alright? We need to know if he was truly there on someone's orders."

"He was," Mayu said, drawing their attention. "He wasn't lying. I could tell. I'm...good at reading people," she said somewhat lamely.

Yoshino sighed and the kunai disappeared. "Well, that complicates things." She sounded so tired that Mayu winced.

Before she could say anything else, Inoichi burst into the kitchen, looking strained. "What's happened?" he said, then faltered when he took in the scene. "I..."

"Ensui, explain this to him. I'm taking Mayu and Shikamaru to the hospital. I'll send a runner to have Shikaku meet us there. That means you have about half an hour until he comes in with murder on the brain."

Yoshino leaned down and held a glowing green hand over Watana's head. He woke with a jerk and took in the people standing around him with wide eyes.

"Well, then, Watana. Looks like you and I are going to have a bit of a discussion," Ensui said, a grin forming on his face and making him look downright terrifying.

Mayu only saw the man's face lose all it's color before Yoshino was sweeping them both into her arms and leaving the house behind.

000

Somebody was going to die. Mayu could read that on Shikaku's face plain as day when he returned to Shikamaru's hospital room that evening. He did, indeed, have a concussion and would be staying there overnight. Mayu had elected to stay, as had Yoshino, and she was curled against his sleeping figure, reading one of the books on ninja puppeteering Shikaku had brought her when he slouched into the room.

Yoshino set aside the book she'd been reading, expression going alert. She was seated at the end of the bed, with her back resting against the wall. She also had a kunai resting on her thigh, ready to use.

"It's bad," she said in a flat voice after studying her husband's face.

He hesitated, eyes darting to the children curled on the bed before he tipped his head towards the door. Mayu would have protested, but she didn't want to wake Shikamaru, so she just glared at them as they slipped out the door.

She sighed and let her gaze move to the window, where she could see snow falling steadily. It had started soon after they arrived to the hospital and the peacefulness of it was a direct contrast to the tension she'd been feeling all afternoon.

The truth was, Mayu had a pretty good idea of what they'd learned from Watana and she wasn't sure how Shikaku could possibly keep her safe from it. She didn't even want him to try, truly. She ran a finger across the cover of her book, feeling a lump form in her throat. She didn't want to be taken away from the Naras, but she wanted them hurt even less.

000

"What do you mean, she's leaving?" Shikamaru demanded, stomping his foot.

It was two days after the Watana Incident and the family, including Ensui, was gathered in the library. Ensui was sitting on the floor cross-legged sorting through a pile of scrolls and Yoshino was holding a bundle of winter gear in child's size.

"It's just for a week or two," Shikaku said.

He was sitting in one of the armchairs, exhaustion in every line of his body. Mayu was pretty sure he hadn't slept in at least 24 hours. "There's a puppeteering fair in Suna that Ensui thought Mayu would enjoy. He needs to check in with some contacts there for the Hokage and decided to bring her along."

"But - it's too dangerous!" Shikamaru sputtered. "She can't just leave the village with only Uncle Ensui to protect her!"

"Gee, thanks kid," the man drawled, rolling his eyes.

"It's okay, Shika," Mayu said. "I think...they're probably doing this so I'll be safe. I bet only a few people know I'm going with Ensui, right? That's why we're leaving after dark," she said calmly.

Shikamaru glared at her. "I'm going with you," he demanded and Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose, looking pained.

"You're not," he said, out of patience. "Ensui can't carry two of you at once and the snow is too deep for them to take the roads."

"Well, then maybe she should just stay here. You're the jounin commander, so get some jounin to watch her!"

Mayu could tell that Shikamaru wasn't going to let it go and the stress that had been building for the last two days erupted. "Enough!" she snapped. "Shikamaru, I can't stay here, wondering if you'll get hurt just because I was next to you. That was... _I can't_. I'm sorry, but, if me leaving protects you, then I'm going." They glared at each other across the room before Yoshino stepped in.

"It's for the best, Shikamaru. Please, trust your father and me with this."

Mayu saw the moment he realized he was going to lose this argument no matter what he said. Without another word, he fled the room. Mayu slumped when she heard his footsteps running up the stairs, guilt eating at her.

"I'll go talk to him," Yoshino said and followed him upstairs.

Shikaku stood up and moved over to sort through the pile of clothes Yoshino had set on the table. "Here," he grunted, handing Mayu what looked like a pair of long johns and a wool shirt and pants combo to go over the top. "Use the bathroom first, then put these on."

Mayu slipped into the downstairs half-bath to do as he said and when she re-entered the room, feeling much warmer than she had a few minutes before, she saw Shikamaru had returned. He pulled her into a hug.

"Be careful," he mumbled, then slipped away, too unhappy to stick around.

Shikaku sighed, then held up a thick knitted sweater for Mayu to put on. He added a winter cloak, a long scarf, gloves, and then finished it off with a thick hat. All of the gear was made up of gray hues, probably so it blended in with a snowy environment.

Ensui had added his own winter attire and was looking on with amusement as Yoshino helped her put boots on over her socks and Shikaku fussed with her cloak.

"Okay," Shikaku said in a rough voice. "You're ready. Pull the hood up until you're out of the gates, at least. Actually, it's freezing out, so keep it up..."

Mayu put her hand on his head, deciding to use his own move against him, which was easy with him crouched down in front of her. "Don't worry, Shikaku-san. I'll be okay. You don't have to feel bad, I know you're just doing what's best for me."

As she spoke the words, she felt the truth of them and that warm feeling the Naras inspired in her increased until she was smiling a true smile at him. He made a noise in the back of his throat and pulled her in for a hug.

"Mayu-chan, you're so cute," he teased and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, now let me hug Yoshino and get out of here before I melt," she scolded because the house was seriously too warm for all this gear.

He chuckled and pulled back obediently so that Yoshino could give her a hug. "You behave for Ensui, okay?" she said, giving Mayu a watery smile. "And don't worry about anything. I expect you to come back with lots of ideas from the fair. And stay away from the poisons!"

Mayu gave a guilty start. How did Yoshino know that she planned on doing some extra exploration while she was there? The woman raised an eyebrow at her, but then Ensui was grabbing her and swinging her onto his back, and somebody was pulling up the hood over her hair and pulling her scarf up to cover the lower part of her face.

"Okay, Mayu-chan, you ready to be smuggled out?" he said cheerfully. "We have to move if we want to time this right."

"Okay," she said, feeling cheerful at the thought of mischief. And then they were out the door, moving so fast that Konoha was a blur around them. At some point, Ensui leaped onto a roof and she was unable to hold back a laugh of delight as they flew over the tiled paths, soaring over the spaces between buildings.

Finally, they descended, landing with barely a thump, and when Mayu looked around she realized they were at the front gates. She reached a hand back to make sure her blue hair was still covered by her hood and then went back to clinging to Ensui's shoulders as he sauntered towards the gate.

The village was quiet and still and she could see Ensui's breath forming in the frigid air, though she was comfortably warm in her gear. He approached the gate, stopping when a woman in a jounin uniform appeared in front of him. Without needing to be told, Ensui reached into his cloak, pulled out some paperwork and handed it over. The kunoichi looked them over, then handed the stack back.

"It all seems in order. Good luck on your mission, Ensui-san," she said.

Mayu realized that the figure seemed familiar and after a few moments was able to place her. It was the woman from the hospital - the Kurama with red eyes. Ensui thanked her and then they were out the gate and he told her to hold on as he bounded over the top of the snow and into the trees.

Again, she was overtaken by the rush of the wind whistling past her and the thrill of watching the ground, hundreds of feet below her, rush by. Mayu couldn't wait to become a trained kunoichi and be able to do this whenever she wanted. It was  _amazing._

They traveled for a long time. Eventually, Mayu dozed off and awoke sometime later to Ensui's gruff voice.

"We're going to stop in a village for breakfast," he said and she saw that they were back on the road and the sun had risen.

A bit further in the distance, she indeed saw the outline of rooftops with smoke coming from a few of the chimneys. She mumbled a sleepy agreement, yawning, and buried her face into his neck, making him chuckle.

"Not much of a morning person, are ya?" he asked, sounding surprisingly chipper for somebody who'd run all night with a six-year-old on his back.

"You must be really strong," she mumbled at him.

"Oh?" he asked.

"Uh huh. You just ran forever with me on your back. Aren't you tired?"

"Eh. I'm one of Konoha's top jounin, being in good shape is kind of a requirement," he said easily.

"Are you really?" she asked. "What kind of missions do you go on?"

"Hmmm...I do a lot of sabotage and infiltration," he answered. "I work sometimes on retrieval and assassination missions, too."

Mayu considered his words for a bit. She didn't ask if he liked it because she could tell by his tone and relaxed posture that he did. "That's pretty cool," she finally settled on.

"Shikaku said you plan on going to the Academy with Shikamaru," he said and she heard the question in it.

"It's true. I've wanted to for a while." When he remained quiet, obviously waiting for more, she shifted a bit and he supported her as she moved into a more comfortable position. "I want to join the Military Police Force," she admitted.

"Oh?" and this time he sounded surprised. "Whatever for?"

"I'm going to be an investigator," she said firmly. "I'm going to make sure Konoha is safe from the inside as well as safe from what's outside of the walls."

They had reached the village, where the roads were cleared of snow and Ensui relaxed his hold so she could climb down. He had to grab her arm as she worked feeling back into her muscles and it was a relief to stretch her legs as he led her down a few blocks to an inn, where she was hit with the smell of fresh baked bread and eggs and rice cooking. Her stomach growled loudly and Ensui chuckled as he helped her remove her outerwear and set it on the bench next to her before tackling his own.

An older woman with long gray hair pulled back into a plait cheerfully asked them what they'd like to drink. They both asked for tea, though Ensui insisted that Mayu's be caffeine free.

"How long will it take to get to Suna?" Mayu asked after she had her hands wrapped around the heat of a large mug.

"It would usually take four or five days, traveling with you on my back," he said, "though if I'm pushing it on my own and don't sleep I can make it in two and a half or three. We need to stop on the way to connect with someone, so it'll be more like six or seven days," he said. Mayu slumped in her seat. That was a long time to spend piggy-back. She was going to be  _so bored_.

He chuckled as though he could read her mind. "You're interested in puppets?" he asked and they ended up talking about puppet techniques until their breakfast was in front of them.

Ensui told her a story about an encounter he'd had with a low-level ninja who called himself 'The Puppet God,' that had her snorting rice out of her nose. When they were done eating, he shooed her off to the bathroom to freshen up and use the facilities before they left, then helped her layer up again.

"Don't worry, we'll need less of this once we get closer to the Land of Wind - it never gets too cold there during the day, though it's cooler than it would be in the summer. Not that that means much in the desert," he grumbled. "We'll have sand everywhere by the end of it."

He let her walk until they were out of the village, but soon she was on his back again, watching with interest as the world flashed by them. It was difficult to hear each other without yelling, so she decided to use the time working on her mind cave and meditating. At noon, he jumped out of the trees into a clearing and they brushed snow off of a fallen tree to drink some extremely cold water and eat a meal of protein bars.

"We'll stop at an outpost that's usually empty tonight to get some sleep," Ensui said as he stood to stretch.

She just nodded and spent a few minutes going through some of her morning stretching routine to try and combat the stiffness settling into her limbs. Then, she climbed up on Ensui's back and they were off again.

This time, she focused on gathering chakra to her palm. Ensui could see what she was doing from the corner of his eye and gave her a few suggestions that ended with her having a steady glow in the palm of her hand.

They came upon the empty outpost about an hour before sunset and Mayu groaned at the cramps in her legs.

"You can stretch them out by looking around the clearing for firewood," he said, sounding amused and unsympathetic. "But don't go out of sight."

Mayu obediently wandered around the clearing, kicking at the snow to feel for promising-sized branches. After about forty-five minutes, she had created a nice little pile outside the door. Ensui used them to start a blaze in the wood stove tucked into the corner of the small plain room. She watched in interest as he pulled three scrolls out of his pockets. He touched one and after a poof of smoke, two bedrolls appeared.

She gaped at him. "How did you  _do_ that?" She asked, awed, and he chuckled.

"These are storage scrolls," he said and motioned her over towards him. She looked down and saw what looked like layered kanji drawn onto the scroll. "It's created with sealing techniques."

She frowned and traced the lines with her finger. "I've seen mentions of it in the public library, but could never find much of anything detailing what it  _is_."

"Mmm, it wouldn't really be information available to civilians. It's considered one of the most dangerous and difficult ninja arts to use. There are only a few masters in the world. I can do simple things, like sealing scrolls, or explosive tags, but that's it."

Mayu's eyes widened. "You made this?"

"Well, like I said, it's not thatimpressive, but I suppose it's more than most people can do. Took a damn good chunk of time to learn it, too," he grumbled.

"Can you teach me?" she asked, widening her eyes in the way that always had Shikaku patting her head and agreeing to whatever she asked. Ensui gave her a wary look.

"No," he said. "I heard about the poisoning incident - hell,  _everybody's_  heard about that, thanks to Inoichi. No way am I giving you the keys to something so dangerous."

She sputtered. "That was  _one time_  and nobody died, okay? Please? Please, Ensui-san?"

He scowled and pointed at her. "That won't work on me the way it does on my brother. I tell you what - I'll lend you some beginner's stuff I keep at my apartment, but if I find out you've been messing around with it without me there, I'll tan your hide, no matter what Shikaku says."

She cheered. "Thanks, you won't regret it, Ensui-niisan." She beamed at him and he sighed.

"Niisan, huh? Cheeky little thing," he muttered but sounded more amused than annoyed.

They ate some freeze-dried stew heated up over the fire in a pan that came from the second sealing scroll for dinner. Ensui summoned Baken to keep watch so he could get some sleep, since they weren't exactly expecting trouble, and after adding some large logs to bank the fire they crawled into their bags. Ensui had grumbled when Mayu put hers right up against his but didn't actually tell her to go away, so she ignored it.

The next two days were spent much the same way, though the weather seemed to be getting steadily warmer the closer they got to Wind Country. Ensui had sealed their cloaks, leaving them in long johns, wool pants, and a long-sleeved shirt, and her with the knitted sweater over top. Mayu also kept her hat on over her braid but took off her gloves to continue practicing with her chakra. With Ensui's gruff instructions, she had created a wobbly, oblong-shaped ball that kept losing its shape whenever she was jarred by Ensui changing direction. It was getting to the point where she was pretty sure he was doing it on purpose.

At one point, Mayu asked the question that had been bothering her since they left. "Does the Hokage know that I'm with you?"

Ensui was silent for so long she thought he wasn't going to answer. "Yeah," he said finally, "but the council doesn't."

Mayu didn't like the implications of that, but it wasn't like there was much she could do about it, so she remained silent.

Towards the end of the day, they entered a large town on the edge of wind country. Mayu had gone behind a tree while Ensui waited to take off her long johns so she was only in the pants and long-sleeved shirt before crossing through the gates. It really was a lot warmer in Wind Country.

The town itself wasn't anything impressive, though there were advertisements for Casinos peppered throughout the streets. They checked into an inn and Mayu assumed that this is where Ensui would be meeting his contact. They got a room with two beds and he gruffly told her to go take a shower. She gave him a suspicious look, but he was just as unreadable as always, so she decided not to argue. Also, after three days, she did stink a little.

When she came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, he motioned towards some clothes he'd laid out on the bed, then went into the bathroom and shut the door. She stared at the dark gray, long-sleeved tunic and black leggings with suspicion, but her other clothes were nowhere to be found, so with a sigh, she wiggled into them. The tunic fell to mid-thigh, with two slits from the waist down giving her freedom of movement. The fabric was soft to the touch and she could feel Yoshino's sneaky hands all over it.

When Ensui came out of the bathroom in his standard jounin attire, drying his hair with a towel, she couldn't help but pout a bit.

"How come  _you_  get to wear your normal clothes?" she mumbled and he grinned at her.

"Because I'm old enough to kick anybody's ass who tells me otherwise," he replied, then motioned for her to come stand in front of him.

He turned her around and she felt a brush running through her hair, pulling out the tangles. With efficient movements, he pulled it back into a high pony and she felt him tying a ribbon into it. She scowled, which he ignored as he pulled his own hair up - and not into a ribbon.

She was going to complain, but caught sight of his grim expression and quieted.

"Ensui-niisan...is everything okay?"

He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I hope so, kid. Come on, you're with me."

They spent the next hour going from bar to bar, Ensui having whispered conversations with bartenders and hostesses until Mayu was cranky and hungry and just about ready to scream from all the secrecy. She  _hated_ being left in the dark.

Finally, he seemed to find what he was looking for at a small bar on the far side of town because he perked up when the barmaid responded to his questions by pointing at something across the room. He turned and must have seen what he was looking for because he looked both relieved and like he was about to walk to his execution. Mayu craned her neck around but didn't see anything too out of the ordinary.

He put his hand on her shoulder and steered her towards the back of the bar, where booths lined the wall. The bar was run down but not dirty and though quiet music played in the background and soft conversations were being had, it wasn't overwhelming. Finally, they stood in front of a booth occupied by two women and a...pig? They both looked young, one with dark hair cut into a bob wearing a dark yukata. The other was blonde and wore her hair in pigtails. She had a violet diamond tattooed on her forehead and was wearing a green haori over a kimono-style blouse that showed off some truly large breasts, with a small blue crystal resting in the cleavage. She was incredibly beautiful.

"Ah, Tsunade-sama, how nice to see you," Ensui said in a lazy drawl when both kunoichis turned their attention to him.

He gave a small bow when she raised an eyebrow at him.

"A Nara, huh. And a brat," she said in a flat voice.

Mayu huffed but decided to observe instead of reply. She recognized the name Tsunade - Tsunade of the Sannin, one of three legendarily strong ninjas. Funny how much that frantic research she had done in the library was paying off, now. If she had been available, it might have been her that Mayu turned to instead of Shikaku. She was beginning to have a bad feeling about this 'errand.' Tsunade had a half-empty bottle of sake in front of her and looked utterly bored with the proceedings.

"Ah, yes, Nara Ensui and my brother's ward, Nomaka Mayu," he introduced.

Mayu obediently bowed and said, "It's an honor to meet you, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade snorted, but her eyes had sharpened. "Ensui, huh? Isn't your brother the head of the clan?"

"He is, Tsunade-sama. He's actually why I'm here - he asked me to run something by you," he said in the most respectful voice she'd ever heard him use.

She gestured to the other woman. "This is my apprentice, Shizune." They exchanged greetings.

"May we sit, Tsunade-sama?" she looked amused and gestured for them to take a seat, but Mayu could see that under the exterior, she was nervous - very nervous.

Shizune picked up the pig and moved to the other side to sit next to Tsunade, leaving the bench across from them free for Ensui and Mayu, who slid in first so Ensui would have the quickest access to getting out of the booth in case of trouble. As Ensui traded more pleasantries, Mayu stared hard at Tsunade. There was something...strange about her. Like her skin didn't match her in some way. When it finally hit, she actually slapped her head in realization, feeling like an idiot.

"Care to share?" Tsunade said and Mayu blushed when she saw them looking at her.

"Oh, um. I just realized...you're a lot older than you look."

When Ensui groaned and Tsunade's face darkened, Mayu realized her mistake and quickly backtracked.

"Not like that! I just mean, you look like somebody who's experienced a lot and knows a lot and, well, of course, I know you were the Hokage's student years and years ago...but you look so young. Is it...is it a jutsu or something?" she asked and leaned forward in interest.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow but looked less angry than she had a moment ago.

"Okay, Shikaku warned me that you weren't great with anybody that's not his immediate family, but this is just ridiculous," Ensui grumbled and Mayu deflated. She hadn't even meant to be insulting.

"Leave the brat alone and get to why you're here already. I have some gambling houses to get to," Tsunade said and Mayu blinked at the glint in her eye. 

 _Oh my god, she's a gambling addict._  Luckily, she didn't say that one out loud.

Ensui shifted uncomfortably, then reached slowly into his bag to pull out a familiar looking folder and dread pooled in her gut.

"Actually, that 'brat' is part of the reason I'm here."

"Oh, shit," Mayu said faintly, earning a smack over the head that left her dazed from Tsunade and a warning to watch her language. Ensui sighed and put the folder in front of Mayu.

"Mayu-chan," he said gently and she looked at him suspiciously. "My annoying older brother told me that I should tell you to tell your story to Tsunade, just the way you did to him when you first met."

She gaped at him. "What? Seriously?"

He nodded and she looked over at the two kunoichi, who were now looking curious. She looked back at them thoughtfully. She had a feeling she knew at least part of the reason why they were here and it made her a little sick to think about.

"I...okay," she said. Then she took a deep breath, opened the folder, and started from the beginning.

000

"Damn," Ensui said, sitting back in his seat and looking a bit shell-shocked. "Shikaku did not do you justice when he gave me a rundown of events." he shook his head, but Mayu knew his attention was on Tsunade, who was glaring at the folder.

"He'd better be dead," she finally said, sounding so intense that Mayu scooted a little closer to Ensui.

"Danzo is, in fact, dead, but unfortunately our problems didn't end there."

Tsunade scoffed. "Well, of course, they didn't. He would have had a lot of high-level people in his pockets to have gotten away with this for so long."

"Yes," Ensui said. "They're all a bit panicked now. In fact, the general belief is that Mayu must have been working with somebody since the old idiots on the council don't believe she could have stolen those records and put it all together herself." He nudged Mayu and she realized what he wanted from her.

"I - they interrogated me for a long time about it," she said and rolled her eyes. "Shikaku-san got so mad he threw one of them hard enough to break a chair." Ensui whistled. She guessed he hadn't heard that part of the story before, either.

"I think...I think some people who were working with Danzo must be nervous," she said, voicing her theory on why she had been targeted out loud for the first time. "If there's somebody else, some shadowy puppet-master working my strings than he or she would know about their transgressions as well. They're desperate to know who this person is and going through official channels wasn't working."

She went silent and when Ensui didn't say anything, she knew she was right.

"So, a few days ago, Shikamaru and I were alone on the edge of the Nara forest and the man that Shikaku-san threw, he came and tried to take me." She clenched her fists. "He said that the council had ordered him to detain me. He hurt Shikamaru and would have taken me to a probably not-nice place if Ensui-niisan hadn't shown up. He stabbed him in the leg and knocked him out, and I kicked him," she said with fierce satisfaction.

Tsunade was gripping her sake bottle and Shizune was frowning. "And was it the council?" she asked in a dangerous voice.

Ensui hesitated, then glanced at Mayu, who shrugged. "It's okay, I already figured it was."

He nodded. "Yes, it was - a few working alone. They did it without the okay of the Hokage and broke about a dozen village laws while they were at it. The village is...a mess right now. Danzo...he'd been taking clan children, as well. Everyone is in an uproar, they all want blood. The general agreement is that Hokage-sama must have at least suspected what he was doing and not moved against him."

Tsunade snarled at him "Sensei would  _never_  -"

"If he didn't, then that's just as big of a fuck up," Ensui snapped, then ran his hand over the top of his head in frustration.

"It gets worse," he said in a quiet voice, then reached into his bag and pulled out a folder.

He handed it over to Tsunade, who opened it and began to read through the contents. After a while, her face lost all its color and she looked like she was going to be sick.

"This - this is -" Ensui nodded and looked at her with sympathy in his gaze.

"Yes. I'm sorry Tsunade-sama. A lot of this affects you...personally."

Mayu was desperately curious to see what was in the folder but had a feeling they weren't going to offer her the information. Finally, Tsunade took a deep breath and set the folder aside.

"So what do you want me to do about any of this," she said in a flat voice and Mayu leaned back at the panic that she could see in the clench of the woman's hands and the trembling of her body.

Ensui probably saw it too because he looked away. "Konoha's on the brink of a civil war. Hokage-sama's lost complete control. The large council is furious about the kidnapped children, and his advisors are basically running roughshod over him, as we can see from their decision to trespass into Nara lands and attempt to steal the clan head's ward after attacking his heir. The Uchiha have been particularly hurt by Danzo's meddling, and are on the brink of an uprising.

"My brother is ready to kill the elders himself and then take the Nara clan and walk. The Yamanaka and Akimichi are prepared to support him. Also, there's the issue of the unidentified members of a brainwashed secret army running around the village, taking orders from somebody we haven't identified yet."

Mayu stared at him, wide-eyed, by the end of his speech, feeling sick. 

 _I caused this,_  she thought to herself.  _I should have just found a way to kill Danzo myself_. Nevermind that she was a child - she knew she could probably have come up with something.

"So  _what do you want me to do about it?_ " Tsunade yelled, finally losing control of her temper and hitting the tabletop so hard that it cracked.

The bar went silent and Mayu and Ensui froze. Eventually, Tsunade leaned back and they relaxed minutely. "Shikaku respectfully requests that you return to Konoha and take the position of Godaime Hokage," he said in the tone of a man walking to his own death.

Tsunade stared at him and Mayu - all of them, really - knew what she was going to say before she spoke. "No."

Ensui slumped and looked so defeated that Mayu leaned against him in silent support. "People will die," Ensui said. "Your people."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "And what do I care for Konoha? It took everything from me." 

She was angry, but Mayu could see, beneath all of that, an aching sadness, one so large that it consumed the woman and her breath caught in her throat. She was telling the truth - Konoha really had stolen everything from her.

"Why can't your clan head take the hat? I've heard he's strong enough for it."

Ensui shook his head. "He's strong and he's smart, and maybe if the political climate was less...severe, he could take over. But right now, he doesn't have the support he needs for it. You know the reputation Nara have. You're still beloved by the people and nobody doubts your strength or conviction, even after all this time."

Tsunade looked away. "Only an idiot would want that hat. Konoha can burn for all I care."

Ensui's eyes narrowed and Mayu could see that things were about to go seriously, seriously downhill. And really, she was just getting used to Ensui, she'd rather he not become a smear on the wall. So, she put a hand on his arm.

"Ensui-niisan, do you think I could talk to Tsunade-sama alone for a second?" she asked in a soft voice. Tsunade scoffed and Ensui glared at her.

" _Please_  Ensui-niisan, trust me," Mayu said and broke out The Eyes.

Ha, he thought he was immune. After a few seconds of getting the full force of them, he ran a hand down his face. "Fine, fine. But don't kill her, or you'll have an angry Nara after you the rest of your life," Ensui warned Tsunade, then stood up and stalked over to the bar.

Shizune, after a nod from Tsunade, went to join him.

Tsunade studied her. "If you think those eyes are going to convince me to get within fifty miles of that place, brat, you've got another think coming."

"I'm not going to try to convince you to come back," Mayu said and smiled at Tsunade's disbelieving look.

"I can see how much you're hurting," Mayu continued seriously, ignoring Tsunade's wince. "And I can see that you're not lying - you really do hate Konoha, and I don't doubt that as a whole, it deserves that hatred."

Mayu shrugged. "You and I have seen the worst of Konoha. I looked Danzo in the face, I looked through all the files and talked to homeless children and. And I was in his sights. You and I both know that the people who run the village, who are supposed to protect us are more concerned with their own personal power, or too tired of fighting, to look closely at the dark corners of Konoha."

Tsunade's mouth twitched. "I can sense a but coming here," she said softly.

 "No but. I found something in Konoha I decided was worth fighting for and I'm going to," she said, determination coming over her as she thought of Shikaku and Yoshino and Shikamaru and even Ensui.

"Shikaku saved me, protected me, and gave me a family, so I'm going to do everything I can to protect them from that darkness you and I know is there. I just want you to know, that you're already in enough pain, so you don't need to feel guilty. It's Konoha's own fault you're gone, I know you're not lying about that. It must have been something terrible if someone who is known for the creation of the best medical care system in all of the nations gave up on the Will of Fire.

"Everything I found in reference to you said that you were loyal and that you're a good person. So. You've given all of yourself to Konoha, I can understand that that should be enough. This situation..." Mayu looked down at her fingers. "It came partly from my own weakness, so I should be the one to fix it. I won't let my family be killed in a civil war. Just leave it to me." 

"Kid..." Tsunade said, looking shocked. "What could one six-year-old even do?"

Mayu quirked her lips up on the side. "Hopefully, stop a civil war," she said, feeling lighter for her decision. "It was nice meeting you, Tsunade-sama."

She then grabbed the files and bounded out of her seat. Instead of heading for Ensui, though, she slipped out the door and quickly opened the file that Tsunade had been looking at. What she found there was...horrifying. Ten pages on the Uchiha alone, detailing a campaign to separate them from the village and sow dissent until they were on the verge of civil war. Danzo then planned on slaughtering them, with the help of a mysterious outside force and the clan heir himself, Uchiha Itachi.

The last bit made bile rise in her throat when she saw the plans he had for their eyes.  _He was seriously disgusting,_  she thought, quickly flipping forward and  _oh._  Danzo had been behind the experiments that got Orochimaru kicked out of the village. He had ordered them, set Orochimaru up in labs, provided orphans to experiment on...

The file was snatched out of her hand and she looked up to see Ensui, looking unimpressed and completely deflated. "This'll give you nightmares, kid," he said in a tired voice.

She almost told him that she didn't really have nightmares unless she was dealing with repressed memories from her former life, but decided that might push him over the edge.

"Tsunade bailed. Let's go."

She quietly walked beside him, noting the slumped posture - even for a Nara - and he looked so defeated that she didn't hesitate before slipping her hand into his.

"It'll be okay, Ensui-niisan," she whispered to him, knowing as she said it that it was probably a lie.

When they returned to Konoha, she would do her best to find every rat left in the council and all the proof the clan heads needed to set them up as sacrifices. Hopefully, it would be enough to avoid the civil war.

She had learned political maneuvering at the knee of her father Before, after all, how to find connections and read people and pull the strings to get the outcome you wanted. Sure, it was a little more difficult as a six-year-old, especially considering that most of the time she had the maturity to go along with her age, but those old memories had to be good for  _something_. Ensui just squeezed back after a moment, completely oblivious to the contents of her thoughts.

000

The puppeteer fair was  _amazing_. Mayu was completely enchanted by the vendors, with their colorful puppets and scrolls upon scrolls with blueprints. Ensui took her to a large amphitheater where the puppet corp was showing off their skills (though probably not all of them) in a large tournament. She watched, wide-eyed, as puppets of all different sizes and shapes responded to the slight twitches and movements of their masters, clashing on the battlefield in plumes of smoke, shooting projectiles that the shinobi had to twist and flip out of the air to avoid or pull up their puppets to shield them.

It was the first time Mayu had seen shinobi in action and watching them flip and zoom around the arena, sending gales of wind to cut through wood and metal, only made her more determined to become one of the people that kept them in check. Shinobi and kunoichi were dangerous, having that kind of power made people think they had certain rights over others.

Suna itself was hot and full of sand, but the city was beautiful anyway, with its red roofs and rounded buildings. Ensui relaxed after a day or so, carrying her on his shoulders, buying her huge amounts of spicy foods and just about every scroll or book that struck her fancy. He even got her a few old ninja puppets pulled from battlefields of the last war for her to pull apart and see the inner workings of if she promised to only do it with an adult around.

She knew he felt guilty about dragging her along to the meeting with Tsunade as a way to shame the woman into coming back to Konoha, but Mayu couldn't really hold it against him. She'd do a lot worse to save her family, too. That didn't mean she'd say no to all the presents, though.

Finally, after two days, they packed up their spoils into scrolls (Ensui had ended up making two more the night before for all the extra stuff) and headed out. Ensui had been correct about getting sand everywhere, so the day they made it out of the desert, they stopped at an inn for the night to shower and shake out their clothes, Mayu giggling at the amount of sand that Ensui found in his pockets while he made faces.

The third morning on their way back dawned cold and clear and Mayu was once again in her long johns and sweater, her hat pulled down over her ears, hair loose beneath it.

"Ensui-niisan," she said, concentrating on the not-quite a sphere flickering in her hand as he jumped from branch to branch. "If I die, will you make sure Shikaku-san doesn't do anything stupid?"

He missed the next branch and Mayu screamed as they plunged towards the ground. He put one hand on her back to keep her from falling off and flipped his body through a complicated series of movements until he could grab onto a different branch with the other, using his momentum to swing himself up and landing lightly on a branch ten feet in front of them. Mayu blinked in shock - the whole thing had taken about ten seconds.

He swung her off his back and set her on the branch next to him so he could kneel in front of her and grab her by her shoulders.

"Why would you ask that?" he asked, giving her a small shake and he looked so anguished that she tried to hug him.

He held her back and took a few deep breaths until his expression was once again unreadable.

"Mayu-chan," he said in a calmer voice, "why would you think you're going to die?"

She gave him a flat, unimpressed stare. "Um, maybe because I'm caught in the middle of a huge political explosion between a bunch of overpowered ninja?"

Ensui sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. "Mayu, I know what I said to Tsunade was scary, but you have to know, my brother, Yoshino, and I...we aren't going to let anything happen to you."

She looked away from his serious expression and wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't want you to get hurt for me."

His face softened and he opened his mouth to respond, but then he stiffened and his eyes scanning the trees around them. At some signal Mayu didn't see or hear, he grabbed her and launched them off the branch and she was vaguely aware of something whizzing right by her face, too fast to see, and thunking into the wood of the tree they'd been standing on. They landed on the cold forest floor and Ensui set her against the trunk of a tree. "Stay here, don't move unless I tell you to," he said and his eyes were cold and his body had transformed into a weapon, ready to strike. She nodded, understanding that they were under attack.

 _I thought we were going to be safe,_  she thought to herself.  _No one was supposed to know._

Five cloaked figures appeared in a semi-circle around Ensui, faces covered by plain white masks. He stood before her, body tense, facing the enemies.

 _There's too many,_  is all she had time to think before they were moving.

Two of them rushed Ensui, while the other three headed for her. She pushed her back against the tree, but didn't move and was rewarded for her obedience when shadows shot out of the ground toward her attackers, impaling one and forcing the other two back. A clash of metal on metal sounded through the clearing and then Ensui and the figures became blurs, coming together in sparks and splashes of blood, clearly visible to her eye only at the moment they came together.

Each time one of the figures tried to veer off towards her, Ensui was there pushing them back. Another went down with a kunai in their neck, but Mayu could see that Ensui was tiring and she caught streaks of red that she thought might be his own blood on him when he and his opponents paused in their fight.

One of the ANBU rushed Ensui from the side, unsheathing a tanto as he surged towards him in a spin. Ensui blocked but was pushed back a few feet. While he tried to catch his balance, another of the figures appeared behind him and before Mayu could shout out a warning, hit Ensui in the side with a vicious kick that sent him flying into a tree. Instead of pursuing, they headed for her location.

Her eyes widened and then she heard Ensui yell, "Earth Release _:_ Earth Wall!" and a huge wall of rock shot into existence between herself and the three attackers. Then Ensui was there, picking her up and darting into the trees.

She closed her eyes against the rush of air - if she thought they were moving fast before, it was nothing compared to how fast they were moving now. For a moment, she hoped they'd be able to outrun them. But they'd only been running for a moment before Ensui made a horrible wheezing sound and they were falling. He wrapped his body around hers as they hit the ground in a spray of earth and though he did his best to shield her, she was still dazed from the rough landing by the time they came to a stop. Between one blink and the next Ensui was on his feet and crouched over her.

Two black blurs came towards them and once again Ensui's shadows lashed out. One of them was lucky enough to flip out of the way - the other, however, turned directly into a spear of darkness that had been waiting for him to twist out of the way and it pushed through one of his eyes and straight through the back of his head, spraying blood and matter across the clearing.

Mayu stayed down as the third figure rushed Ensui from the right. He met the attack with a grunt and she could see the strain on his body as he held back the tanto with his kunai. She also saw, with dawning horror, that there was a kunai embedded in his side. 

 _That must be what caused him to fall,_  she thought.

He'd already lost a lot of blood and was swaying on his feet. She struggled to her knees. 

 _Where's the other?_  She thought, slightly hysterical, and then she saw it - just a glint, from the corner of her eye, but her brain, which was always so quick to catch on, knew what was coming.

She flung her body forward with a small cry, trying to cover Ensui's back with her little body, because - they weren't trying to kill her. If they were, she'd be dead - Ensui could keep them from taking her more easily than he could keep her alive. It's why nobody had used any large jutsu with the potential of collateral damage. They all wanted her alive, which handicapped them. So, if she just put herself in front of him, they should abort the movement and give him time to -

Pain exploded through her and she stared in shock at the sword sticking out of her small chest. For long, excruciating seconds everybody froze. 

 _Oh,_   _stupid girl, you didn't think about the fact that he wouldn't have time to stop._  

The cloaked body holding the grip of the tanto was stiff with surprise and, probably still shocked, it wrenched the blade from her chest as it jumped backward, instincts telling him or her to get out of striking range of their enemy. She was vaguely aware of the other doing the same. A choked noise reached her and she felt arms come around her and lower her to the ground. "Mayu, Mayu, oh fuck." She stared up into Ensui's face and saw his eyes were looking a little wet and felt guilt well in her for being the person to make Ensui, of all people, cry.

"We need to kill him and dispose of the bodies," she heard a voice say and Ensui growled.

"Just hold on a second, sweetheart, I need to take care of something, okay?" he whispered.

She would have liked to respond, but getting stabbed hurt, and shouldn't she be passing out right about now? She knew she had read some articles back in Before about people going numb when mortally wounded. Where was her nice numbness?

And then she was being lowered the rest of the way to the ground gently as if she was made of glass and she was  _cold_  and would Ensui give her her cloak if she asked? Her head was turned so she had an unobstructed view of Ensui unfurling like a great cat and stalking towards the two men. 

 _They don't have a chance,_  she realized, as she felt a dark pressure of chakra spread through the clearing.  _They're dead and they just don't know it yet._

She then watched, feeling fairly floaty, as Ensui flew at them, shadows roiling around him. Somebody's arm became detached from their body and flew to land next to her, accompanied by a scream.

"Mayu-chan! Oh my god, Mayu!"

Shizune was unexpectedly kneeling next to her with a grim face and green hands and she felt relief as the pain faded. A sound like a bomb going off sounded in the background and Mayu watched as pieces of tree sailed over their heads, adding to the scene of gore and confusion around her. Then, things were quiet and a bloody Ensui was staggering over to her, followed by a pale and shaking Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, I can't...I can't save her, I don't have enough..." Shizune was saying, but Mayu wasn't paying attention - of course, she couldn't save her, she'd been stabbed through the chest. Tsunade was staring at the blood on her, eyes dilating and darting from her wound to her face, hands shaking.

"Oh," Mayu whispered. "You've got a blood phobia. Close your eyes, Tsunade-sama, it's okay." She licked her lips and slowly moved her gaze to Ensui.

"Don't look so sad, niisan. Not your fault the council is full of jerks that sent people to attack us," she said, hoping that using his own words against him would help take that look off his face. "You remember, what we talked about before, about Shikaku...?"

"Mayu-chan, you're breaking my heart here," Ensui said, voice cracking. 

 _Poor Ensui_ , she thought to herself.  _He's hard to read, but it isn't difficult to see he's lonely too._

"Sorry," she whispered, then stopped as a painful cough wracked her body, flecking her lips with blood. "Sorry, Tsunade-sama, I said I'd take care of it..."

And then Tsunade's stubborn face was leaning over hers. "Oi, brat, don't think I'm going to let Konoha take away somebody else's happiness. I'll heal your wound, then you'll owe me for cleaning up your mess!"

Mayu's chest was being filled with cool energy and she could feel herself being pulled away from the brink of death, which was an uncomfortably familiar place.  _Ugh, please, no death flashbacks right now_ , she thought to herself.

She was fading in and out of consciousness but still caught part of a conversation.

"...she live?"

"Yes, but we need a hospital as soon as possible, I did what I could, but..."

"I'll carry her..."

"Don't be an idiot...just finished healing you..."

And then she was flying.

000

When Mayu woke up, she was warm again. And thirsty. Oh, and alive. That was a plus. She basked in her alive-ness until she felt something shift against her right arm. She forced her eyes open and was met with the sight of a white ceiling. After a moment, she realized there was a steady beeping coming from her right.

 _Hospital. That makes sense._  

Mayu looked down with a greater effort than such a slight movement should take and was filled with relief when she saw the top of a spiky head of hair laying on the bed next to her. Judging from its size, it belonged to the smallest Nara, who was fast asleep. Movement at her feet had her darting her eyes to the end of the bed, where Yoshino was furiously knitting what looked to be a yellow duck hat.

She opened her mouth to say something about how Yoshino better not be making that with the expectation that Mayu would be wearing it, but all that came out was a horrible croaking sound. Yoshino dropped her knitting in shock and let out a small shriek upon seeing Mayu awake.

Shikamaru startled so hard he fell out of the chair, but quickly scrambled to his feet and rushed over to Mayu's side.

"You're awake!" he said and she winced as she saw the circles under their eyes and their greasy hair.

Yoshino must have been used to dealing with people who had just woken from surgery because she flitted away only to reappear a moment later with water. Mayu eagerly sucked down the liquid ambrosia from the straw.

"I hope..." she whispered and both of them leaned forward with painfully earnest looks on their faces to hear her better, "that the hat isn't for me."

The cries of outrage could be heard three hallways away.

Mayu had fallen asleep almost immediately afterward - getting stabbed in the chest took a lot out of a person - and the next time she awoke Yoshino and Shikamaru were gone and Shikaku was sitting in the chair next to her, reading through what looked like an official report of some kind.

Drugged and half asleep, Mayu muttered a slurred, "Dad?"

Shikaku's whole body stiffened and his head whipped up to look at her. After an awkward moment she realized what she had said and her eyes widened. "I - I mean - I didn't mean."

Shikaku dropped his paperwork on the floor and leaned forward to press his forehead against hers, his large hands coming up to frame her face.

"You can call me that, if you want to," he whispered. "Mayu, we thought..." he took a shuddering breath. "Don't ever jump in front of a sword again." He sat back and gave her a stern look.

"Well, I didn't think the idiot would actually stab me," she huffed with as much energy as she could muster. "I guess Danzo didn't teach his little army how to swerve."

Shikaku blinked at her before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. Why were people always doing that around her?

"Are you telling me," he said in a too-calm voice, "that we've been sitting by your bedside for  _two weeks -_ "

"Two weeks?" she squeaked, but he ignored her and kept talking.  _Rude_.

"-and my brother has been living in a bottle for just as long because you decided to play chicken with a brainwashed assassin and lost?"

"Technically, I think I won," she said in a small voice and he glared at her. "Ensui-niisan...is he very upset?"

The look he gave her clearly said  _you think?_  and Mayu was going to do something about that, she was, just as soon as she could keep her eyes open for longer than three minutes.

"Mmm glad I didn't die," she mumbled. "Woulda sucked right after finding you..."

She felt a large hand on her head as she fell back into slumber. Finally, after a few more false starts, she was able to stay awake for a whole hour at a time. She'd been scolded by Shikamaru, who was now imitating a barnacle, his head on her hip where he had no chance of clipping the rather disturbing number of tubes and wires coming out of her body and his knee thrown over her legs. It was a good thing moving hurt because she obviously wasn't going anywhere until he woke up. He had said 'I told you so' in about five different ways before finally giving in to his body's insistence on a nap.

She had also been scolded by Yoshino, who was now throwing smug looks at the bright yellow duck hat sitting on Mayu's head. Nobody had moved to take it off, even when Mayu claimed cruel and unusual punishment, and she was too weak to actually reach above her head to do it herself.

Tsunade had come in to yell at Mayu about the amount of paperwork she now had in her life. She had come back to Konoha, spent five hours in surgery with Mayu, then marched straight to Sarutobi Hiruzen and threw his desk through the wall. Twenty-four hours later she was wearing the hat and set about putting the fear of god into the whole council. Three major political figures had 'stepped down' (or run for their lives, depending on who was telling the story) and Tsunade was officially the Godaime Hokage, and the Sandaime was officially retired from politics. And she one hundred percent blamed Mayu for it.

She had been tracking them down to make sure Ensui knew that Maui was planning something idiotic and instead had found her bleeding to death and Ensui slaughtering crazy brainwashed assassins. In the kerfuffle following, Tsunade had 'somehow' ended up becoming Hokage.

It was two days after she first woke up that Mayu reached the end of her patience. "Where is Ensui-niisan?" she demanded in a flat voice and the nervous looks Yoshino and Shikaku sent each other were all the answer she needed.

"Does he hate me?" she said in a small voice.

"Oh, sweetheart, of course not," Yoshino said, leaning over to cup her cheek. "He just...he feels responsible for what happened and..."

"Bullshit!" Mayu cried, then winced at the combined pain from her chest from yelling and from Yoshino whacking her on the head and chiding her for her language. "He saved me! He killed them, if it weren't for him I'd be in a cell somewhere, tortured or dead. Or both."

Shikaku sighed. "You took a sword meant for him, Mayu, It's natural that he'd feel upset."

"Well, in his defense, I think he ripped the guy's arm off afterward, so..."

Shikaku slumped and Yoshino looked strangely gleeful. "Did he  _really_..."

"Just...will you get him to come see me? Please?" Mayu asked and released The Eyes.

Shikaku slumped even more, which Mayu didn't actually think was possible until that moment. "I'll try," he muttered.

000

Ensui didn't come and the adults put their foot down when she suggested tying him up and dragging him to see her. Mayu in turn put herfoot down.

"Fine, but until he comes to see me, I'm not eating and I'm not talking!" she said and Shikamaru slapped a palm to his face. "That'll give him something  _real_ to feel guilty about."

"Mayu, be reasonable," Shikaku said, but she just put her nose in the air and looked at the wall.

Ten hours later, Tsunade burst into her room, one ponytail out of it's band, hat askew, and looking like she hadn't slept since the last time Mayu saw her.

" _Brat!_  What is this I hear about you refusing to eat or talk!"

Mayu just shrugged and played with her fingers, ignoring the glare Tsunade was sending her. "You can't just make somebody talk to you when they don't want to," she said in a surprisingly gentle voice.

Mayu hoped her look conveyed all of the  _watch me try_  she was feeling. Tsunade threatened to have her fed intravenously, but they both knew she wouldn't do something that Mayu would mostly likely struggle through. The possibility of reinjuring herself was high.

Tsunade glared. "I can just do it when you're asleep tonight. You can't stay up more than a few hours at a time with your pain medication." she said triumphantly.

Mayu decided not to mention that she didn't plan on taking her pain medication, either, but since she couldn't and break her silence, she just shrugged.

The next morning, her door opened and a harried looking Ensui was physically tossed into the room by Tsunade and Yoshino. The former marched over to the table and slammed down a covered bowl of what Mayu was hoping was her miso soup.

"Grow up, Ensui!" Yoshino yelled and Mayu was glad she hadn't been privy to the conversation that had just been ended by her guardian before she slammed out of the room.

Mayu studied Ensui and he studied her right back. He looked a bit thinner than the last time she saw him and had large shadows under his eyes, which were missing their customary green liner. His hair wasn't in it's usual neat ponytail. Instead, it was slightly lopsided with a few strands falling into his face. He looked exhausted and defeated. Obviously, he'd been drinking - something he usually avoided, if she had read him right in their travels, and not getting a lot of sleep. It was the most she'd been able to read him since they met and she hated it. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Listen, kid -" he was cut off when she burst into tears.

He stiffened and his eyes darted to the door, obviously thinking of escape. Her sobs grew louder and she clutched her chest as the jerky movements sent waves of pain through her torso.

"Shit," he muttered and cautiously moved towards the bed. "Mayu, come on, don't cry. I'm sorry I haven't been around..."

He laid a hand on her back to the side of her bandages and rubbed it soothingly in small circles. Mayu figured this was some sort of delayed reaction to her almost-death, or at least she hoped it was. She'd never cried this much in her last life. Well, maybe she had when she was six? Eventually, her sobs dissolved into hiccups and Ensui was shoving a handful of tissues at her.

"I - I'm the one who should be sorry," she said and the words resulted in a fresh bout of of tears that she wiped at angrily with her tissue. "I didn't mean to get hurt and make you feel so sad."

"You jumped in front of a sword," Ensui said in a dry voice. "How did you not mean to get hurt?"

And, yep, there was that anger she'd been expecting. "I didn't think he'd actually stab me!" she defended herself furiously for what felt like the dozenth time since she woke up.

"They were trying to keep me alive - probably so they could interrogate me about this mystery person who supposedly knows all their secrets. I thought if I shielded you, he'd pause and you'd have a moment to...recover..."

He raised an unimpressed eyebrow and she shrugged. "I know, I know, he was going too fast to stop. But it's not like I have a good grasp on ninja physics yet," she snapped.

He ran a hand down his face and slumped down in his chair.

"Kid, I don't get close to people very often, but when I do, I prefer them not to die," he said bluntly. She winced, then nodded.

"I can do that! I can try really, really hard not to die."

He stared at her and gave the long blink that usually meant a Nara was trying to work something around in their brain, before finally shaking his head. He then leaned forward and took the top off the bowl Yoshino had slammed onto the table earlier. Her stomach growled at the smell and he obediently pushed the tray so it hovered over her lap.

She picked up the spoon from next to the bowl but hesitated over the broth before looking up. "Will you...stay for awhile?" she asked in a small voice.

"Ugh, you're killing me with the cute stuff," Ensui said and slumped into the Nara pout which...huh, she didn't know Ensui did that. She'd privately been thinking of him as the 'cool Nara.'

"You could tell me a story?" Mayu said hopefully. He'd gotten into the habit of telling her little tidbits from his ninja life while they were on the road - nothing gory or sad, just funny little anecdotes, or describing a tool or jutsu he thought she'd find cool. She took a bite of the soup and closed her eyes in pleasure.

"Will you take your pain medication?" he drawled and held out a hand with three pills nestled in the palm.

"Mm! As soon as I'm done eating," she said happily. He let the pills tip out of his hand onto her tray.

"You're a brat, you know that?" he said, but obediently launched into a story about a man he'd fought in a mission to wave who could talk to and control fish.

As she fell asleep to the image of Ensui and his team being attacked by an angry school of tuna, knowing that soon Shikamaru would show up and curl against her and Shikaku and Yoshino would come in and fuss at her, Mayu's last thought was that she was incredibly thankful that she was alive, here, now, with this family.


	3. Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A training montage with breaks for Nara fluffiness and mystery solving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a trigger warning - there's some mention of non-con in the context of a case Mayu is working on - not anything explicit or that happens to our main characters. Just some 'people are crap' stuff you come across in law enforcement.

Mayu tugged Shikamaru past Shouta's desk, ignoring the sound of the assistant's screaming as he was chased down the hall by cats who had mysteriously decided he'd make a great scratching post and slipped into the Jounin Commander's office. Blatantly ignoring the three dirty and bedraggled jounin standing in front of the desk, probably giving a report, she skipped to Shikaku's side, who sighed as he eyed them.

"Hi, papa," she said, grinning and rocking back on her heels as she waited for the inevitable next question.

His face softened, as it always did, at the title. Mayu had started calling him 'dad' months ago, but had discovered the less formal semi-endearment 'papa' made him extremely happy. Also, it usually resulted in him being unable to stay annoyed with her.

Shikamaru huffed at her blatant display of manipulation as Shikaku said, "Mayu-chan. You wouldn't have anything to do with the terrified screaming in the halls?"

She widened her eyes and shook her head. "Nope! Poor Shouta seems to have gained some scary admirers, so we thought we'd just let ourselves in while he dealt with that."

Shikaku's lip twitched even as he tried to look stern. "Mayu-chan, Shikamaru-kun, I'm in the middle of a very important meeting. What do you need?"

She glanced at the three jounin, who seemed more amused than anything at the interruption, before answering.

"Well, Shikamaru and I wanted to see if you would go out to lunch with us. After all, we're starting at the Academy tomorrow, so we won't get a chance to take lunch with you very often after this." She slumped her shoulders and stared down at the floor, scuffing the wood with her sandal.

Shikaku sighed and Mayu knew she had already won.

"Fine, fine, I'll take you out to lunch," he said, ignoring the snickers coming from his subordinates. "Go wait in Shouta's office for me - I'll be done in a few minutes."

"Uh," Mayu's eyes darted around nervously. "We'll wait for you in front of the administration building. It's nice out, no need to crowd Shouta-san." She laughed, awkward.

"Uh-huh," Shikaku said and raised an eyebrow. "Well, then, off you go, I'll see you in a few minutes."

Mayu beamed at him and pulled Shikamaru out of the room, ignoring his groans about her dragging him around everywhere. She stopped at the door to peek through the crack and make sure Shouta hadn't returned before flinging it open and darting through the office and into the hallway, ignoring Shikaku's yell to close the door.

They made their way downstairs and past the missions room and emerged into the sunlight.

"You know, Shouta-san now lumps me in with you when he's complaining about what a menace you are, right?" Shikamaru grumbled. "Last week I stopped by to see dad and he screamed and dropped his lunch everywhere. It's troublesome."

They stepped into the shade of the building, out of the way of the hustle and bustle that was the main street of Konoha, and sat down cross-legged with their backs against the building. Mayu grinned and leaned against him. "Oh no, well if it's  _troublesome._ "

"I don't see why you're always picking on him anyway," he mumbled. "Don't you feel bad?"

Mayu shrugged and looked away, uncomfortable with his almost-scolding tone. "He started it. He's always picking on dad."

Shikamaru snorted and gave her a fond look. "Is that what it's about? To be fair, he has to pick on him to get him to do paperwork."

She grinned, unrepentant. "Well, then he shouldn't mind a little bit of tit for tat," she said imperiously.

He rolled his eyes and tipped his head back against the wall.

"Are you excited?" Mayu asked. "To start at the academy?"

He rolled his head to the side to give her a look that clearly said  _Are you kidding me?_ She laughed and remembered him trying to convince his parents that he didn't turn eight until a month and a half after the Academy started, so really he should begin the following year, and their unimpressed responses.

"You're excited, though," he said.

"Yes. I like learning new things - you know that."

Shikamaru wrinkled his nose but didn't comment. A few moments later Shikaku appeared before them, hands in his pockets, and motioned for them to stand with a tip of his chin. They scrambled up and moved to either side of him as he started to stroll down the road.

"You two okay with trying the new dumpling place?" he asked as he turned off the main street. They looked at each other, then shrugged.

"Nah, that sounds good," Shikamaru said.

"It's close to here," Shikaku said. "So..." he trailed off in bemusement when Mayu gasped and darted across the street, causing a merchant to pull up so quickly that the man walking behind him plowed into his back.

Mayu didn't seem to notice the commotion she'd caused as she plastered herself to a storefront window. Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers and went to follow her, offering apologies on her behalf as he went. When the angry bystanders recognized the Jounin Commander slash Nara clan head, they stopped complaining and bowed it off.

The store looked like a supply shop for medics and he rolled his eyes when he saw what had grabbed Mayu's attention. "Mayu-chan, isn't that chemistry kit for grown-ups?" He eyed the beakers, test tubes, and neatly labeled chemicals in the window.

She gave him a scathing look that he knew meant she was about to work herself up into a huff. "Like a child'sset wouldn't be completely boring." She sniffed and went back to staring longingly at a scale.

"Mayu, you're so weird," Shikamaru said, sounding so long-suffering that Shikaku chuckled.

"Come on, come on, let's go. I don't have that long before Shouta gets back from having his scratches looked at by a medic."

He gave Mayu a stern look, but she was too busy looking dejected about the set they'd left behind to notice. She was wearing a sleeveless white blouse and blue shorts and her dark hair was braided back. While she'd gained weight, she still looked waifish, which made her grey eyes look huge in her face. All in all, it was pretty adorable and he resigned himself to going back to pick up the set for her after work.

He glanced at Shikamaru, who was smirking at him, also realizing that Shikaku was helpless in the face of her sad eyes. He only knew that because Shikamaru was his son in more ways than one and tended to cave as soon as she started to look anything less than happy. He shrugged and gave him a 'what can you do?' look.

They settled into a booth and Shikaku thanked the waitress when she brought them menus.

"So what are your plans for your last day of freedom?" he asked.

"Shikamaru threatened to burn some of my books if I don't spend the day lazing with him." Mayu poked the boy in the stomach and he squirmed away from her and grumbled. Her smile said she didn't mind him hijacking her day.

"Well, starting tomorrow we'll have to spend hoursof our day being talked at and forced into work," Shikamaru replied, slumping down in his seat.

Shikaku raised an eyebrow at him and got a scowl for his trouble, which made Shikamaru look like a tiny version of Yoshino.

"Do you think Shika and I will be in the same class?" Mayu asked, worried.

Shikaku just shrugged, though he already knew the answer - being Jounin Commander did have some perks, after all, one of which was access to the Academy class roster. Mayu gave him a suspicious look that clearly said  _I know that you know and aren't telling me and you will regret this._

The waitress arrived with their drinks and they placed their orders before continuing the conversation.

"Stop worrying," Shikamaru said. "It's a total drag hanging out with you when you're worked up."

Mayu bristled in a way that Yoshino once privately told Shikaku made her look like an angry rooster. An adorable angry rooster.

"Well you don't haveto hang out with me if it's so awful," she snapped.

Shikamaru looked panicked, not because he was worried she'd make a fuss - actually, Mayu tended to go quiet when she was upset outside of a few well placed cutting remarks - but because Shikamaru genuinely couldn't stand to see her sad. 

 _They're so cute,_ he thought fondly as a sulking Mayu allowed Shikamaru to soothe her - ha - ruffled feathers. After stuffing themselves full of dumplings, Shikaku set his chopsticks down on his plate and his gaze roamed the room as he stretched his feet in front of him and leaned back, patting his stomach. "You going to the shop today, Mayu-chan?"

She spent a good chunk of time there working on her ever-mysterious 'projects' and helping Akinobu around the shop.

"No, Akinobu-sensei told me if he saw me in his shop today he'd build me into one of his pieces of furniture that are shipping out to a vendor in the Land of Iron," she said with a huff.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "What did you do?" he asked before Shikaku could.

A look that he could only label as furtive crossed her face and her shoulders hunched. "Well, about that," and yep, there were The Eyes, which usually preceded news that Shikaku didn't want to hear.

"It was an accident, papa! But, Akinobu-sensei says that you owe him a new workbench?" Mayu cringed and Shikaku groaned.

She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, how was I supposed to know the modifications I made to the varnish would cause it to explode after sitting in a pressurized container for a week?" she looked thoughtful. "I should go to the library..."

Shikaku ran a hand down his face and Shikamaru glared at Mayu and reminded her that she had promisedthey would take it easy the rest of the day. She caved, like she always did when Shikamaru got that pleading expression on his face and they began to make plans to spend the day deep in the Nara forest, where it was cooler.

Mayu was leaning in towards Shikamaru, saying something in a low voice and giggling while he titled his head towards her, slouched over but with a small, fond smile on his face. Shikaku decided that was his cue to go back to work and he motioned for the check.

The kids walked him back to the tower, Mayu complaining loudly about how hot it was most of the way, pausing only to look longingly at the chemistry set for a moment. He'd been having second thoughts about buying it for her after Mayu admitted to destroying a workbench with basic woodworking chemicals, but the look on her face had him budgeting for extra repairs for the next few months instead.

He ruffled their hair at the door to the administration building and watched for a moment as they headed back towards the Nara compound, Shikamaru with his hands in his pockets, Mayu fluttering around him, punctuating some point she was making with expansive hand movements. He allowed a small smile to cross his face before heading back towards his pile of paperwork.

 

000

 

Mayu sat in the dirt between two large roots that were raised out of the earth, back leaning against the rough bark of a tree. She was concentrating on the index finger of her right hand, which had six inches of chakra thread extending from the tip of it. Mayu had discovered in the past seven months that Yoshino hadn't been joking about how difficult chakra threads were to master.

The string responded to her will and moved in an S-shaped pattern for a moment. Slowly, she lowered her hand to the ground, concentrating on getting the tip of the thread to attach to a leaf. It connected and she raised it up off the ground to hover a few inches above the dirt. She held the position, keeping her breaths even, before again moving the string into an S-shape. She did it successfully twice, the leaf clinging to the end, before she lost concentration and it fell to the ground.

She groaned in frustration. "Ugh, why is this so hard." 

"Don't be troublesome," Shikamaru said sleepily from where he was laying on his side a few feet away, head on his outstretched arm and watching her with half-lidded eyes. "Mom already told you you're making good progress. If you had grown up in a ninja family, you'd probably be able to do that with five strings at once, easy."

Mayu shrugged. It was true - and it wasn't just chakra control that she felt frustratingly behind in. Shikamaru had learned to handle a kunai at three and Yoshino had homeschooled him, so along with reading and writing and math, he also learned dexterity exercises as games and knew a lot more about the inner workings of the military side of their village than Mayu's public education had given her.

Mayu was working hard to catch up and was doing it more quickly than most civilians could manage, but she still found it annoying. Shikamaru pointed out to her once that all her time spent in the library made her more well-rounded than him, which would work out well for her in the long run, but it was a cold comfort. She hated the thought that the clan children would all be ahead of her in any way.

Yoshino had started her on basic kata three months ago, but Shikamaru had mastered that when he was  _four_. Shikamaru seemed to know what she was thinking because he reached out and flicked her outstretched leg. "You'll catch up and surpass the rest of the class halfway through our academy years. Stop brooding."

Mayu stuck her tongue out at him but decided it was probably good advice. She shifted around onto her hands and knees, then shuffled over and gave him a hard shove until he was on his back. Shikamaru made an  _oomph_ noise but didn't complain as she took advantage of his new position and laid on her back with his stomach as a pillow. He gave a light tug on her braid in retaliation and they both went silent as they stared up into the canopy, watching the play of sunlight through the leaves.

Eventually, the day began to fade into evening and they stood and helped dust each other off so Yoshino wouldn't scold them for dragging in dirt, then trooped back into the house. After washing their hands and faces, they clattered back downstairs and Shikamaru pulled Mayu over to the shogi board when he caught her eyeing a book she'd left on an end table.

She rolled her eyes but obediently sat down. Shikamaru had beaten her twice by the time Shikaku came home, though one of the games was close enough that Mayu was pretty satisfied. She knew he was going to be a terrifying strategist for Konoha when he was older and (mostly) just felt pride every time he crushed her.

Shikaku came over and collapsed next to Mayu on the couch, groaning dramatically about how Shouta had been even more of a demon that day than usual. She laughed and let him lay his head on her lap and tweak her nose. Shikamaru gave him an interested look, then stood and joined them on the couch, collapsing on the top of his dad. Shikaku wheezed when Shikamaru stuck an elbow into his gut while he wiggled up until his head rested on his chest.

Mayu giggled when they both closed their eyes and promptly fell asleep. Yoshino came out of the kitchen, where she was preparing a celebration dinner of Mayu and Shikamaru's favorite foods, and looked so exasperated with her husband and son that Mayu's quiet giggles became outright laughter.

"Hand me that book?" Mayu asked, unable to move without disturbing them. Yoshino sighed, but picked it up and handed it over.

"Did you have fun lazing around this afternoon?" Yoshino asked and smiled when Mayu grinned and nodded.

"Good, good. You'll be busy now that you're starting the academy!" she called as she went back into the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour - wake those two oafs for me when it's time, will you?"

"Sure!" Mayu called and opened the book.

Half an hour later, Mayu was herding two sleepy Nara into the kitchen, though they both perked up at the sight of food. They sat down and tucked in, Yoshino beaming at their heartfelt praise of her cooking.

"Mayu, I went ahead and laid out an outfit for your first day of school on your bed," the woman said with a small clap.

Mayu eyed her suspiciously, hoping it wasn't another frilly dress, but knew that whatever it was she'd end up wearing it. After all, Yoshino seemed to delight in dressing Mayu and she  _did_ have good taste even if it was a bit cutesy at times. Plus, after six years of wearing orphanage castoffs, it wasn't like she had a ton of room to complain.

Shikamaru snickered at her lack of backbone and she timed putting her elbow into his ribs so that he choked on a drink he'd just taken from his water. Mayu went back to eating her meal, ignoring his spluttering next to her until Shikaku cleared his throat pointedly.

"What's up, papa?" she asked, catching on to the fact that he had something serious to say. Shikamaru also turned curious eyes to his father, taking in his unusually solemn expression.

"I want to talk to you a little bit about my expectations for you at the academy." Mayu frowned. Did he think they wouldn't do well?

"I know that you two, should you try hard, would probably do so well that you'd graduate early," he said sternly.

Shikamaru looked nervous at the words  _work hard_ and  _graduate early._

"Your mother and I have discussed it and we both agree. You're to make sure you don't graduate until you turn twelve."

Mayu tilted her head, surprised at the turn the conversation had taken.

"You're both clever enough to do well without doing toowell, so I won't accept any excuses if I start getting pestered by academy instructors to approve you skipping a grade."

"I know I'm new to this whole having a family thing," Mayu said, "but I'm pretty sure this is the opposite lecture most parents give on the first day of school."

Yoshino huffed. "Well, most parents don't have genius children who are in danger of being sent on assassination missions at the age of 10. Don't get me wrong - killing and following uncomfortable orders are just part of the life you've chosen and I know you two can develop the techniques and tools you need to get through it relatively sane. But your father and I - and many others - have noticed that when we start kids out too early in this life, too fast, it can cause permanent scars."

Mayu and Shikamaru looked at each other, then back to their parents' serious faces.

"Okay..." Shikamaru said thoughtfully. "But I'm assuming you're okay with us pushing ourselves outside of classes?"

"Oh, yes, in fact, we expect it," Yoshino said in a gleeful voice. "We just need you to be strategic about it. No child of mine will be sent off to die and kill so young."

"Starting tomorrow, your mother and I will start giving you extra training three days a week in the afternoons after school," Shikaku said. "Shikamaru, I'll be working with you on the clan techniques. I'm sorry, Mayu, but since we couldn't formally adopt you as a Nara..."

Mayu shrugged and looked down at her hands. While she was a bit disappointed, she wasn't too fussed about not being included in clan stuff. She was happy just having a family and clan politics were, well, dull and annoying.

"Actually, Mayu," Yoshino said and she peered at the woman closely, who sounded uncharacteristically unsure. "I know I haven't told you much about my family background, but I do have something special I could pass onto you. If you're interested."

Mayu blinked at her stupidly. Yoshino wanted to teach Mayu family techniques? Her heart swelled and she knew her smile was probably taking up half her face. "Yeah, okay. I'd like that."

Yoshino relaxed and returned her smile. "Well, don't be too happy! These aren't easy techniques, you know, so you'll have to work hard."

"Don't worry," Mayu said and pushed her fists into the air. "I'll work way harder than Shikamaru does on his shadow techniques. The Nara wishthey had someone as awesome as me to teach."

Shikaku hummed his agreement and Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Right. Now, when you become genin I doexpect you to excel - no holding back."

That night Shikamaru didn't fall straight asleep like he usually did.

"What is it?" Mayu said after a few minutes him brooding next to her.

"It's not right," he muttered.

"Uh...what isn't?"

He sighed and turned towards her. "That you can't learn the clan techniques," he said seriously. "Mom and dad see you as their kid, too. The only reason you're not a Nara is that the clan is worried that you'd have some claim over the head position if I died. Which is stupid, because you have to be voted in anyway. Just because my dad and Grandpa were clan heads doesn't mean it  _has_ to stay in our family line."

Mayu hummed and considered how to phrase her next words. "I see Shikaku and Yoshino as my parents now, it's true. You're still my favorite person and I love Ensui-niisan and Akinobu-sensei is  _okay_ when he's not hungover and cranky. But...I don't necessarily consider myself a part of the Nara clan, so it doesn't bother me or make me feel left out."

He was silent as he mulled over her words. "If...you're sure."

"I am," she said firmly. "I'm very excited to be learning from Yoshino. I bet whatever she teaches me will be terrifying."

He snorted. "Yeah, probably. Dad says she was one scary kunoichi before she retired. Once Inoichi watched her crush a man's throat with one hand while she healed a comrade with the other." He shuddered, having no issue believing that this wasn't an exaggeration.

"Woah," Mayu said with awe and he sighed.

"Ugh, you're not allowed to become as scary as mom. I like that you never bully me into doing things."

Mayu laughed and tugged on a hunk of his hair lightly. "Hmm, well I like that you're so lazy, so I probably won't ever do that to you."

He sighed and snuggled against her side. "Good," he said firmly. "Now go to sleep, mom is going to be so troublesome tomorrow morning." 

000 

Yoshino was, indeed, very troublesome. Starting school early in the morning just meant that they had to wake up that much earlier to do their morning stretches, run laps around the field and do other various exercises.

Surprisingly, Shikamaru didn't complain too much about this. In fact, for the last six months or so he hadn't done much complaining at all about training. Mayu didn't have to ask about the change - after she was injured (stabbed) she sometimes caught him looking at her with fierce determination. Stupid, because there was nothing a six-year-old could have done against the powers that had decided Mayu was interesting after Danzo killed himself in a blaze of glory, but she could tell he somehow felt responsible.

She'd tried to talk to him about it once, but he'd just shrugged and said it was "Troublesome, but she needed someone to help pull her out of trouble."

So, while he still spent a lot of time laying under the clouds and napping, he didn't try to get out of training, either, and put effort into it. Mayu tried not to feel guilty about it.

Yoshino had them meditate for only half an hour, then sent them inside with instructions to continue chakra control exercises 'on their own time,' though she'd be checking on their progress.

Shikamaru sighed when Mayu raced down the hall to claim the first shower, but didn't argue. She made sure to move quickly, since if they were late Yoshino would probably wake them up even earlier the next day.

When she finished showering, she pulled on a fluffy blue robe that had one day just appeared on the back of her door and made her way to her room, waving to a miserable looking Shikamaru as they passed in the hallway. Mayu had been relieved to see that the outfit Yoshino chose for her wasn't over the top. She slipped on a grey sleeveless tunic with white trimming on the hemline and at the collar, with black spandex shorts underneath. The material of the tunic was soft against her skin, fitted but not overly tight on her torso. It reached mid-thigh, but slit up the side a few inches so she'd have freedom of movement.

Mayu had to admit that Yoshino knew what she was doing - the grey looked lovely against her dark blue hair and somehow made her eyes even more soulful. She smirked into the small mirror on the back of the door as she imagined the power level of The Eyes increasing.

There was knock on the door and then Yoshino entered holding a brush and the dreaded ribbon, this time in a white that matched the trim on her shirt.

"Oh!" she said, "I knew you'd look adorable in that tunic," she said with satisfaction and motioned Mayu into her desk chair.

Mayu sat down obediently and Yoshino moved behind her and started to run the brush through her hair.

"I'm very happy, Mayu," she said in a soft voice.

"Hmm?" Mayu asked, relaxing into the soothing motions of the brush in her hair.

"I'm the last of my line, you know. I thought that the skills my grandmother passed on to me would die with me. I am very happy to have found a daughter to share them with."

Mayu was silent for a moment. "Yeah," she agreed. "Me too. I'm looking forward to it."

Yoshino set the brush aside, then began to gently work Mayu's hair into a braid. They continued in silence until it was done.

"There! Oh, look how cute. You have the prettiest hair, Mayu-chan! Poor Shikamaru will be beating the other boys off you with a stick in a few years."

"Uh," Mayu said, because what was she supposed to say to a comment like that?

She opted for saying nothing at all and instead thanked Yoshino for doing her hair and escaped to the kitchen. Shikaku was already at the table, looking just as miserable as his son did right after waking. He perked up a bit when he saw her, though, and motioned her over. She hurried to obey and didn't protest when he pulled her into his lap to hug her.

"Your mom picked well, Mayu! You look very nice," he said and kissed the top of her head. She blushed and humphed.

"It's comfortable and easy to move in," she allowed.

Yoshino came over with two plates of food and remained unmoved by The Eyes when Mayu tried to stay in Shikaku's lap.

"You can't both eat that way, Mayu! He'll drop his food all over your new outfit, the big oaf."

"Hey," he protested, but let Mayu slip over into the chair next to him.

Shikamaru came slouching into the kitchen a moment later and collapsed into a chair, Nara Pout in full effect. Yoshino set a plate in front of him, then sat down as well. After breakfast, Shikaku stood and stretched.

"Well come on, squirts, it's time to get you to class," he said, motioning lazily for them to follow him.

The four of them set off for the academy and Mayu couldn't help the butterflies that erupted in her stomach. Sure, she'd been practicing and researching shinobi arts for the last eight months, but this was the first  _true_ step towards earning her hitai-ate and then continuing on to the Military Police Force.

Yoshino and Shikaku stayed with them for the entrance ceremony, which mostly consisted of a hungover Tsunade giving an equal parts terrifying and inspiring speech about the joys of becoming a ninja. She gave Mayu, whom she was still blaming for 'the hell that her life had become,' a glare before stomping her way through the crowd, ignoring bids for her attention while Shizune apologized in her wake.

Yoshino hugged them and threatened terrible things if they didn't behave and Shikaku ruffled their hair and told them to be good before they left them on the grass waiting for class assignments.

Ino and Chouji had raced over as soon as their parents left and the former was bouncing up and down in excitement. Mayu mostly tuned them out, instead choosing to lean into Shikamaru's side while reading a book on chemistry she'd found on the Nara shelves. Most of the principles here were the same, though many elements and procedures were new. She felt a small thrill at the thought of playing with all the new compounds and minerals available to her, not to mention how the application of chakra played into it. She just needed to get her hands on some equipment and supplies.

She was broken from her thoughts by a puff of smoke and the awed noises of the students around her as the academy teachers suddenly appeared in front of the class. They introduced themselves, then began to read off class assignments. Mayu sighed with relief when she discovered she and Shikamaru were both in class 1A - there were three first-year academy student classes, with about thirty students in each.

Ino clapped in delight as a pink-haired girl named Haruno Sakura that looked incredibly awkward and shy was also placed in their class. Mayu hadn't noticed her trailing Ino at first and couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her. Ino had a strong personality and if she remained so shy then she'd be railroaded on a pretty regular basis.

Shikamaru leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Did you notice all the clan kids in our class? They must put the civilians in a different class for the first year or two since the clan kids normally enter at a higher level."

Mayu made a face and he nudged her with his shoulder. "It's probably a good thing," he clarified. "This way, the instructor can spend some time catching them up. In a few years, only half of us will still be here and we'll all be expected to be at a certain level."

They followed their instructor into a large classroom with two rows of tables on tiered platforms, with the chalkboard and teacher's desk at the lowest level. Mayu and Shikamaru exchanged looks before heading to the very back row. Mayu took the spot by the window, with Shikamaru next to her and Chouji on his right by the aisle.

Ino grumbled a bit about sitting so far back, but she and Sakura took the seats directly in front of them. Mayu studied the rest of the students, her eyes lingering on a boisterous brunette with red markings on his cheeks and...a dog on his head. Huh. She nudged Shikamaru and tilted her head in the boy's direction.

Immediately understanding, he leaned over and whispered, "That's an Inuzuka. Their clan is known for their enhanced senses. They also pair with nin-dogs. They act as their partners throughout their ninja career." Her eyes widened in interest.

"That's amazing," she said, then noticed that the boy's head was tilted towards her and he was grinning.

_Oh, enhanced senses - he probably heard us._

She gave a hesitant smile and a wave and he seemed to take that as an invitation because he bounded up the steps and came to a stop next to their table. "Hey! I'm Inuzuka Kiba and this is my partner Akamaru." He pointed to the little white dog on his head, who gave a squeaky little bark.

"Hello," Mayu said, a little amused at their enthusiasm. "I'm Nomaka Mayu, pleased to meet you. This is Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji," she pointed to them and then down to Ino, who was wrinkling her nose at Kiba, "And that's Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura."

Kiba plopped down in the chair across the aisle from Chouji and leaned forward so he could see Mayu. "Pleased to meet ya." He grinned wide and exposed two sharp fangs.

"Oh!" Mayu leaned forward to look more closely. "Your teeth look really sharp! Is that part of - "

She cut off when Shikamaru slapped a hand over her mouth and hissed in her ear. "Mayu, you aren't supposed to ask about a clan's bloodline limits, it's rude." He looked more annoyed than she thought the situation really warranted.

She huffed at him and Kiba let out a loud laugh. "Aw, don't worry about it, the Inuzuka aren't quite as uptight as the rest of the clans. I can't tell you how or why, but I can tell you they're natural."

Shikamaru grumbled but dropped his hand so she could speak. "That's so cool. The markings on your cheeks make you look very fierce, as well."

She narrowed her eyes and wondered what she'd look like with tattoos on her face. Shikamaru groaned and dropped his forehead on the table.

"Mayu, if you tattoo your face mom will  _kill you_. I don't want you to die."

Kiba had grown a little red at the praise and he scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks. Everyone in my clan gets them when we find our partner," he explained and patted Akamaru on the head.

In front of her, Ino was whispering something to Sakura and Mayu could tell by the furtive looks towards Kiba that it probably wasn't flattering. When Kiba looked at the pair and shifted uncomfortably, Mayu felt her temper flare.

"He can hear you, you know," she said to Ino, glaring.

Shikamaru tensed. Mayu and Ino mostly didn't interact, but it wasn't exactly a secret that they wished the other far, far away whenever they were in the same room. Mostly they kept their mouths shut for Shikamaru's sake...and also because Ino didn't like being on the receiving end of Mayu's cutting tongue.

Ino stiffened, glanced at Kiba, and then turned bright red when she saw his face. "Um...look Sakura-chan, I see a friend of mine. Let's go say hi!" She tugged Sakura out of her seat and dragged her to a table in the front of the class.

"Whatever she said was likely bullshit," Mayu said and Chouji choked on a chip.

Kiba's face, which had fallen, brightened and he stood to take the seat Ino had vacated, turning around so he could talk to Mayu more easily.

"What was wrong with where you were sitting," Shikamaru said and Mayu blinked at him in surprise. He was generally easy going, but currently, he was glaring at Kiba, who chose to ignore him.

"Eh, mom says that most of the other clans have a stick up their butt and so they get all upset when we don't act the same way."

Mayu nodded - she could see that. While Shikaku and Yoshino were amazing and the Nara were pretty laid back in general, she'd noticed that sometimes the clan elders got a little up in arms about the weirdest things.

A small woman with short purple hair called for their attention and Kiba turned to look at the front of the room. The morning was mostly spent going over the syllabus and listening to lectures about the importance of a shinobi force to a hidden village.

Mayu sighed, recognizing it for the propaganda that most militaries used to keep their soldiers excited about the prospect of becoming cannon fodder and let her mind wander. She began sketching out a few designs - she wanted to make a puppet now that she was getting a bit of a firsthand feel for how chakra threads would work. She wasn't very interested in humanoid puppets. Why would she be, when nature made creatures that were muchmore suited to deadliness to base her designs on.

Shikamaru laid his head down on his folded arms and was dozing lightly. She idly played with the strands of hair sticking out from his ponytail. He turned his face towards her and cracked open one eye, one corner of his mouth quirking up into a smile. She grinned back and reached forward to poke the end of his nose, which he wrinkled before turning his face back into his arms.

At lunch, she followed Shikamaru and Chouji over to a tree and sat beneath it in the shade. Kiba had hesitated before following them, giving Shikamaru a cautious look before sitting. Ino and Sakura were sitting with a group of girls they'd been giggling with after they moved seats and Mayu was incredibly relieved that they chose to sit somewhere else.

Mayu peppered Kiba with questions about his senses and he answered when he felt comfortable doing so and just shrugged and gave an apologetic smile when he couldn't. Eventually, he wandered off to play a rowdy looking game of tag with a group of first years and Mayu laid back on the grass, Shikamaru joining her while Chouji continued to eat.

"You don't like Kiba," she said, turning her head towards him.

Shikamaru continued looking up at the sky and didn't reply. She sighed then reached out and poked his face and kept poking it until he snatched her hand and looked at her.

"What does it matter? I didn't think you wantedto make friends, anyway."

She stared at his pouting, annoyed face and blinked rapidly as she realized the problem. "Shikamaru," she said slowly, "are you...jealous?"

He huffed and sat up. "No, don't be ridiculous."

Mayu rolled her eyes, then moved to her knees, judging the distance between them before launching herself at him. He let out an _oomph_ as he landed face first into the grass. After a moment he started to struggle and soon they were wrestling across the grass. He was laughing and trying to hold back a clump of dirt in Mayu's hand that she was attempting to shove into his face.

"Mayu! Cut it out!"

"Not until you stop being dumb!" she declared, pushing more of her weight towards him, grinning down into his face from where she was straddling his chest. "No way you need to worry about me liking somebody more than I like you, idiot!"

She opened her hand and the clump of dirt hit his face and crumbled across it. He sputtered and she jumped off of him and danced back towards Chouji, who was laughing at Shikamaru as he sat up and rubbed at the dirt.

The bell rang and she held up two fingers before grabbing her empty bento and rushing inside. She shoved the box into her cubby, then continued through to the practice fields where Aiko-sensei had told them to meet for physical training. All three of the first year classes were gathered in the yard, so it was fairly crowded.

Shikamaru slouched up next to where she was standing, close enough to the sensei to hear instructions, and glared at her. She giggled and used her thumb to wipe a streak of dirt off his nose. "You know." Mayu rocked back on her heels. "It's not like you don't have other people you talk to. Like Chouji and Ino."

He shrugged and looked down. "Yeah, I was being stupid, I guess," he said grudgingly.

"It's okay, sometimes I get jealous of Chouji and Ino too," she said honestly.

He frowned and looked at her, opening his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Aiko-sensei calling for their attention. They were starting with a few laps around the practice yard and Shikamaru and Mayu exchanged nods before staying firmly in the middle of the pack.

Afterward, they did some body weight exercises and then moved into learning the basic academy katas. Since they were different than the katas the Nara favored for their children, neither of them had to fake being a beginner.

They ran through a lesson on handling kunai, which Shikamaru didn't bother pretending not to know already - nobody would believe Shikaku and Yoshino hadn't taught him that much - and Mayu was still enough of a beginner that she didn't need to fake her few fumbles.

As they went through the exercises, Mayu took note of how the other children in her class were doing. Ino and Sakura seemed to be two of the top kunoichi, though they were still far behind a lot of the boys in physical fitness. Kiba finished first on the run, alongside a boy named Uchiha Sasuke, who Mayu gave some extra attention simply because of his connection to the MPF through his clan. She'd need to keep a close eye on what the clan considered important aspects of ninja training.

Sasuke also seemed pretty far ahead in his kunai handling and the sensei quickly moved him into throwing at one of the closest targets, where 3 out of 4 of his throws hit the target, though only a few hit the bullseye.

Ino, who was standing close to them, leaned over and whispered "So cool." into Sakura's ear. "He's cute, too!"

They finished up their workout with more laps and then stopped to stretch their muscles. After that, Aiko-sensei talked them through meditation and Mayu was relieved to sink into her mindscape for awhile.

Then, the day was over and Shikamaru and Mayu were waving goodbye to Ino and Chouji as they left with their mothers. Yoshino was waiting for them and gave them both a big hug. "How was your first day?" she asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Kind of a drag," he said, then winced when Yoshino slapped the back of his head. Kiba walked by with an older girl who had three hugedogs following her and a leaf hitai-ate tied around her throat.

"Bye, Mayu, see you tomorrow!" he called.

"Um, yeah!" She called back and waved.

Yoshino squealed. "Oh,  _Mayu!_ You made a friend - I knew you could do it."

Mayu slapped a hand to her forehead as a few of the kids and their parents gave them amused looks and Shikamaru mumbled, "They barely know each other, they're not  _friends_."

 

000

 

Shikaku arrived at the house carrying gifts and Mayu screamed and threw her arms around his waist when he revealed the chemistry set she'd been salivating over the day before. He blinked and rocked back, unused to such a loud reaction from her. The kit was so large she could barely hold it in her arms and Yoshino gave Shikaku an exasperated look, which he responded to with a helpless shrug.

"I'm going to do so many experiments!" Mayu ran to an unoccupied corner of the room to open the box and carefully started removing items for close inspection, muttering to herself. Shikaku sighed and held out a standard trap setting kit for Shikamaru.

"I feel like your present is a let down after that reaction, but here."

Shikamaru grinned. "Thanks, dad." He wandered over to sit next to Mayu, who looked over in interest when he began laying out ninja wire, smoke bomb tags, scent inhibitors, and other various useful items.

Mayu was pumping Shikaku for information on the Inuzuka clan at dinner when the front door opened and she perked up as she heard a familiar tread in the hallway. She slipped out of her chair and took off for the door.

"Ensui-niisan, you're back!" she called when the tall man appeared at the kitchen door.

She ran straight into him and he let out a dramatic  _oof_ before he swung her up for a hug. "Hey, kid, you'd think I've been gone for weeks, with a greeting like that." He set her down and moving to do the same with Shikamaru, who'd walked over at a much more sedate pace.

"You've been gone for three weeks and four days," she protested, following him back to the table.

Yoshino stood to give him a quick embrace, then ushered him into a chair while she went to get him a plate. Shikaku greeted him with a small smile.

"Welcome back, little brother."

Ensui quirked his lip back at him in response. "Thanks," he said to Yoshino when she placed the heaping plate in front of him. "You know how it is, you get to the place where your mark is supposed to be and find out he's already taken off for Iwa. I owe Baken so many steaks after we tracked that damn man across three different countries."

"Was he very strong, then?" Mayu asked and Ensui shrugged.

"Nah, fast and good at covering his tracks, but easy prey once I finally caught up." He gave a sharp, terrifying smile.

"Ensui-niisan, you're so cool," Mayu said.

"He's not  _that_ cool," Shikamaru mumbled sadly at his meal.

Ensui and Shikaku raised an eyebrow, looking so much alike with the motion that Mayu grinned. She then turned in her seat and pulled Shikamaru against her with an arm around his neck, making him flail.

"Don't mind Shikamaru. He's just grumpy because there was barely any napping to be done today," she said while he struggled futilely against her grip.

"Mmph nnng," he said, words unintelligible with his face smashed against her shoulder. Finally, he gave up and flopped against her.

She patted his head a few times. "There, there, Shika."

Ensui snickered. "Man, She really has my poor nephew whipped into shape."

Mayu loosened her grip enough for Shikamaru to turn his head and send a death glare his uncle's way, who seemed completely unaffected. Talk turned back to his mission, then to the Academy.

"Mayu made a friend," Yoshino said proudly and Mayu sighed. Sure, she was a little antisocial with her peer group, but she wasn't that bad. Look at Chouji - she and he had perfectly reasonable conversations about barbecue sometimes.

The room seemed to darken by Shikamaru's end of the table and Ensui pointed at him. "Oh ho! So the reason behind your bad mood is revealed!"

"Shikamaru. You shouldn't try to make Mayu feel bad about meeting people. How would you feel if she got upset every time you spent time with Ino and Chouji?"

Shikamaru shrunk into his seat, looking a strange mix of defiant, guilty, and annoyed. Mayu decided to rescue him.

"I wouldn't call him my friend," she said, drawing the attention of the adults. "He's not as annoying as most people our age and he has a nin-dog! His clan is very interesting."

"A nin-dog..." Shikaku seemed to put this together with her questions about the Inuzuka and for a moment he looked too shocked to speak.

"You're saying," he drawled, "that you find an  _Inuzuka_ to be less annoying than the rest of your peers."

Ensui inhaled a piece of rice and Yoshino looked intrigued. Mayu just raised both her eyebrows.

"Well, he doesn't carry around the same annoying insecurities as most people our age and is also very honest and seems to have a good sense of self. Also, his clan seems so fascinating."

Shikamaru snorted. "So basically, you want to experiment on him. And how could you even tell he's honest from one conversation?"

Mayu glared. " _No_ , I don't want to  _experiment on him_. Just...ask him a few questions and maybe...observe him..." she finished lamely. "Also, I can tell he's honest because what he was saying matched what he was feeling."

She shrugged. Usually, she was trying to look at two layers of a person - what she could deduce about them at that moment and what they were saying out loud. It could get very tiring.

"You'd do well in Interrogation, kid," Ensui said with approval.

By now the Naras were used to her uncanny ability to just knowthings about people, so they accepted what she said. Mayu beamed at him, the way she always did when he complimented her.

"Have you been working on those scrolls of sealing I left you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and she slumped.

"Yes," she said sullenly and he laughed.

Mayu found the sealing arts horribly, horribly dull. They were repetitive and took a very long time to learn. But she had insisted on seeing it through until she was at least at Ensui's level, which he assured her was pretty low. Because Ensui was so cool and it only made sense to learn the things he found useful.

"Good," he grunted, pushing his plate back. "I ran out of explosive tags, so I'm going to have you learn how to create those this weekend."

"Fine. Saturday?"

"Saturday," he agreed.

She sighed - that was four full days of her week already taken up by school, training with Yoshino, and now working on sealing with Ensui. That left two half days and Sunday for other projects and spending time with Shikamaru. Not that she minded the extra training, it was just...that wasn't a lot of time to split between playing with her new chemistry set and going to the shop. Likely her schedule would remain this crowded - she always spent Saturdays with Ensui when he wasn't on a mission, sometimes with Shikamaru and sometimes without.

Ensui left a little after dinner, exhausted from his long mission, after giving both Mayu and Shikamaru a stern lecture about how he expected them to outshine all those other clan kids once their dad lifted the 'no shining' rule. Mayu made sure to shower Shikamaru in affection the rest of the night and he seemed to come out of his funk.

Before they fell asleep, he latched onto her.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I shouldn't be a jerk. I want you to have other friends but..."

Mayu huffed. "It's okay. It's kind of nice, that you love me so much you don't want to share me."

He grumbled, embarrassed, and she laughed. "Like I said, sometimes I wish you weren't friends with Ino and Chouji but for the most part, I just want you to be happy. So as long as you keep loving me the best, it's okay. And, I'll keep loving youthe best, too." she said matter of factly.

He didn't say anything, just snuggled closer, and soon they were both asleep.

That night, Mayu dreamed of bleeding out on a cold cement floor. Everything had a blurry, surreal feel to it and her vision kept fading in and out. She knew that she hurt...everywhere, basically, and that the worst pain was coming from inside her mouth.

She was choking on her own blood and laughing.  _Two minutes left,_ she thought to herself analytically.

Her body grew colder and though she was in pain, she felt only relief, because it would end soon and  _that man_ couldn't go through with the promises he'd made her last time he'd been in to 'play.'

A heavy door swung open, blowing stale, freezing air across her battered body, but she barely felt it. 

 _60 seconds,_ she thought.  _Too late,_ and somebody was shaking her limp body and screaming obscenities at her. She couldn't answer, but she could laugh and so she did, long and loud, until she was cut off by the final pull of death...

Mayu sat up with a gasp, hands flying to her mouth, then over her body. All in one piece. She had been having this dream off and on since she had almost died in the forest seven months ago. It wasn't a true nightmare, but a memory. She scowled, because the truth behind her first death didn't seem in any huge hurry to reveal itself in its entirety to her and Mayu hated nothing so much as not knowing.

"Mayu," Shikamaru said. He sat up and wrapped a hand around her wrist in a loose grip. "Another nightmare?"

"Yes," she said, taking in another slow breath. He knew better than to hug her when she was still shaking off the residual fear and instead ran a hand through her sweaty hair until her shudders started to subside. Finally, she was calm enough to let him pull her back down under the sheets. He slowly wrapped an arm around her and when she didn't flinch away went into full body cuddle mode.

She clutched his shirt in her hand.  _You're alive,_ she repeated to herself over and over again until she fell asleep.  _You're alive._

 

000

 

The next day went much like the last, though this time Shikamaru didn't glare Kiba away when he plopped down in front of them. He had brought one of the kids he'd been roughhousing with yesterday, who was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and goggles, a big smile, and had the loneliest eyes Mayu had ever seen. He also seemed incredibly familiar. Oh, and he was completely obnoxious.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the Hokage! Believe it!" Shikamaru grimaced at his loud voice and Mayu flinched, though she continued to study him.

"I'm Nomaka Mayu, this is Nara Shikamaru, and next to him is Akimichi Chouji," she said, then snapped her fingers as she realized where she knew him from. The last time she'd seen him, he hadn't been bothering with the smiles.

"You used to live at the orphanage!" she said, then regretted it when he flinched and Shikamaru sighed.

"Ah...sorry, was that rude?" she mumbled, as Kiba let out a loud laugh at her expense. "It's just, I lived there too...do you remember me?"

Naruto tilted his head at her and narrowed his eyes. "Hmm...are you the little blue haired girl who used to make the other orphans cry all the time?"

Shikamaru snickered and Kiba let out an even louderlaugh. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I didn't make  _all_ of them cry. And only when they picked on me first!"

It was true - she'd been a loner and strange and for a long while, angry at her situation until she'd decided to just suck it up. So her first years at the orphanage were a little rocky.

"You still there?" Naruto asked and she shook her head.

"No, Shikamaru's parents took me in as a ward about a year ago," she said and noticed the jealousy that passed across his face for a moment before he gave her a bright smile, that, to his credit, was honest if a bit wistful.

"That's great, you know!"

She didn't ask where he'd disappeared to - no matter what Shikamaru said, she didhave a filter and it wasn't like she didn't understand the loneliness of orphan life.

Kiba stayed friendly with them and stuck close to her during kunai throwing and meditation, but spent lunch with Naruto and a few other boys who matched his rough and tumble personality a bit better. Which was fine with Mayu. She was already overwhelmed with the sheer amount of childreneverywhere.

That afternoon, Yoshino marched them straight home and told Shikamaru he was free to do whatever he wanted while she worked with Mayu. Apparently, he and Shikaku would be training after dinner, in the evenings, but Yoshino wanted daylight for her work with Mayu. Shikamaru asked if he could come with them, curious, and Yoshino shrugged.

"It's fine, just don't get in the way!"

There was a small trunk already sitting on the porch and Yoshino motioned them over when she opened it and revealed seven scrolls nestled in foam. Mayu could see there was another layer beneath, but Yoshino shook her head when she went to pull out the top shelf to reveal what was below.

"Sorry, Mayu-chan, but you can't see what's in there until you master the first four stages."

"Stages?" Mayu asked.

"Aa. Sit down, let me tell you about my grandmother."

They both obeyed and their mother took a moment to gather her thoughts before beginning.

"Before my grandmother married, her family name was Hashino - my name plays on that, actually. This clan was once well known, but not because they were a ninja clan. They were actually entertainers," she said, grinning at Shikamaru's raised eyebrows.

"They were very famous and were welcomed into any country, but affiliated with none of them. They prided themselves on their neutrality, choosing to focus on their arts instead of politics. There was a problem though, with neutrality," she said seriously. "They didn't want to hire ninja for protection on the road from any one of the villages for fear of seeming allied with one over the other. The villages were very new then and sensitive about such things."

Yoshino had fallen into the cadence of a storyteller and both Mayu and Shikamaru were sucked into her tale.

"The solution offered itself in the form of a marriage. My grandmother's grandmother fell in love with an unaffiliated nin - a taijutsu expert," she said with a grin.

"He saw the problem when their caravan was attacked by bandits after he first married my great-great-great grandmother. If he hadn't been there, it would have been a devastating attack. So, he set about creating a new style of defense just for the clan. It was the dancers and tumblers who took well to it, of course, and eventually, a whole group splintered off to focus completely on the safety of the clan. They were already chakra users - that was part of what made their performances so good - so it was an easy task to turn all of that flexibility and strength into a very effective and beautiful style of taijutsu.

"Eventually, the Hashinos became too well known for their ninja arts along with their performance arts and when my grandmother, a known prodigy of the Hashino Deadly Dance style, was fifteen a group of ninja attacked and killed most of the clan. There was never any proof one way or another that a village was behind it, but my grandmother always suspected Iwa."

"So what you want to teach me..." Mayu began, slowly, "is this Deadly Dance style?"

Yoshino nodded. "Yes - my grandmother taught me after my mother died. I was never as good as she was, so I never mastered it, but I'm good enough to teach you most of it. I think with your size and flexibility, you'll do well."

"Now," she clapped her hands. "You can see there are seven scrolls here. Each scroll details what you need to master before moving on to the next. Got it?" Mayu nodded and eagerly took the scroll from the first slot that Yoshino handed her.

And wow, that was...a lot of information. Shikamaru read over her shoulder for the next 45 minutes as she scanned it. It seemed like the first step was more a mastery of movement and flexibility. It reminded Mayu of gymnastics classes she'd been forced to take as a child Before, but much more complex. The scroll was also very clear on the use of chakra in level one. In a word: don't.

Yoshino went inside and when she reappeared she was wearing a pair of stretch shorts and a tank top, and her hair was pulled up. Mayu had already changed into something similar and felt a bit of dread pool in her stomach as she followed her mother out to the yard, Shikamaru settling under a tree in the shade.

"Okay, first we start with some stretches. These are a lot more intense than your current morning stretches, Mayu, and I expect you to switch to them instead from now on," Yoshino said, then proceeded to lead Mayu through a very painful and awkward half an hour.

They spent another half an hour tumbling around the grass, which Mayu actually enjoyed before Yoshino called a halt so she could start dinner. Mayu gladly followed Shikamaru to their cloud watching hill and collapsed next to him in a heap.

"Ugh, that was so brutal," she said, already dreading the next morning when she'd be forcing her muscles into painful stretches.

He made a sound of agreement. "I didn't know all that about my mom's family."

"Well, have you ever asked?"

"No. I guess I've always just known that I would follow the Nara way, so I didn't even think about it. But...I wouldn't mind having something from both sides of my family."

Mayu turned her head to look at him. "I'm sure mom would teach you if you asked," she said gently. "She probably just didn't think you'd want to do that on top of your clan training. Doyou want that on top of your clan training?"

He huffed, then shrugged. "I don't know. Seems like it'd be unfair since you can't sit in with me and dad...ouch!"

He pulled his arm away from her fingers, where she'd given him a pinch, and glared. 

"Idiot. Like I care about that! I like doing things with you, so it wouldn't bother me. But...I really didn't think you'd be sad to do less training."

Shikamaru looked back up at the clouds. "I don't like it, but, there's a good chance I'm going to be clan head. I didn't really think about what that responsibility entailed until...until something precious to me was almost taken." 

Mayu bit her lip. "Shikamaru...it's not your faultthat I got hurt, you know."

He shrugged. "I know that but, that time, with Watana, I wasn't able to protect you. I don't want to feel that helpless again, so, even though it's a pain, I've decided to work harder at becoming strong."

Mayu swallowed a lump in her throat. "I thought you were very brave, trying to protect me. You reminded me of your father."

He rolled over and she sighed as he full body pillowed her. After a moment, he groaned. "You're sweaty and it's gross."

 

000

 

The next few weeks flew by in a blur of school, training, cloud watching, and whenever she got a chance, studying chemistry. Soon there were sheets of paper posted all over her walls with equations, elements, reactions of certain chemicals when combined that she found interesting and rules scribbled all over them. The rest of the family began avoiding her room religiously.

She had begged and pleaded and negotiated until she convinced Ensui to check out some higher level chemistry books for her - she wasn't old enough to get into that section on her own - that she read in her room at night while Shikamaru was sleeping. The extra amount of explosive tags that Ensui had demanded from her in exchange were more than worth it, even if they took up a full Sunday to complete.

The day after she accidentally filled the house with the pungent odor of rotten eggs after a 'small miscalculation' when mixing together a few chemicals, Shikaku marched her out to the shed when he got home.

Her eyes widened when he opened the door to reveal that the space had been cleaned out and two workbenches were now lining each side. Someone had also added strips of lighting and a vent to the ceiling and she spotted a space heater tucked into the shelves built beneath the workspace.

"I hired a genin team to set this up for you. Now, stop experimenting in the house," he said with a glare.

She spent the next half hour crying into his shoulder, insisting that nobody had everdone something so nice for her before. Sometimes, it hit her all over again, that she had a family and she wasn't alone anymore.

Two weeks after starting at the academy, she finally made it into the wood shop, where a cranky and hung over Akinobu glared at her.

"I thought you'd finally decided to give me a break and start spending your time elsewhere," he muttered into a mug of tea and she grinned.

"Nope! I've just been busy with school and Yoshino has started a special training program for me too. Don't worry, I won't just stop coming, Akinobu-sensei," she said in the upbeat tone she knew drove him nuts.

"Ugh, we could only be so lucky," he muttered.

"Hey Akinobu-sensei, I want to run something by you." She pulled the round battered leather case from where it was strapped to her back.

Akinobu had given it to her since 'nobody associated with his shop would be seen mistreating schematics,' or something.

"Go away," he groaned, putting his head on the counter and making some of his employees snicker.

"You'll like it, I promise! I've created some schematics for a chair that I know you'll be interested in."

His head shot up and he narrowed his eyes at her. He'd been trying to get her to create something for him for awhile now, but she'd resisted because furniture was boring. Also, there hadn't been anything to gain from it at the time.

"I'm pretty busy these days, Akinobu-sensei, so it's hard to find time at the shop on top of needing to match the hours for your tasks." She pulled out a few rolled up papers. "So I thought, maybe I could give you a new design in exchange for hours in the shop, instead."

He narrowed his bloodshot eyes at her. "Depends on how good the design is and how many hours we're talking about."

She blew out an exasperated breath of air. Like it was actually any skin off his back when she was there. "Oh, they're very good. And unlimited."

He snorted. "Try again."

"Thirty hours a week."

"Five."

"Twenty."

"Seven hours."

"Nineteen hours."

"Fifteen hours a week and that's only if this is really as good as you say."

She knew he wouldn't go any higher. That was fine - she honestly hadn't expected him to go above ten. He must have wanted this more than she thought.

"Deal," she said and they shook on it before she handed over the schematics.

He laid them out on the table, brow furrowing at first as he looked them over before his expression became thoughtful and then interested.

"I call it The Lazy-Boy Recliner! Fits the Nara brand and everything," she said and laughed at his unamused expression.

"Very funny. Fine, this is acceptable." He spent the next hour arguing with her over materials and details.

She thought maybe she should feel guilty for stealing the intellectual property of an idea from Before, but shrugged that off as ridiculous. 

Mayu could scarcely believe it when she found that once again Shikamaru's birthday was coming up. This time, she had planned accordingly and was already finished with his present - a small, delicate fawn to go with his doe, which was displayed proudly on a shelf in his room - so there was no stress there.

His birthday fell on a school day, so they'd had the party the weekend before. Once again it was mostly a gathering of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi who were close to the family, though this time most of the clan children from their class had been invited.

Shikamaru had grumbled about politics but hadn't complained past that. He didn't seem to mind the other kids, though he didn't make a huge effort to make friends with anyone outside of Mayu and Chouji, even if he and Kiba seemed to get along okay if all the class skipping they'd been doing was any indication.

Yoshino let them sleep in on the actual day of his birthday and both parents let them off the hook for training that afternoon, as well. Shikamaru gave Mayu the sad eyes until she agreed to skip their afternoon classes and they snuck up onto the cloud watching hill, bundled in winter coats and snuggled together for warmth, just like the year before.

Yoshino gave them a half-hearted scolding when she found them up there instead of in class, but Mayu could see the fondness behind it. They ended up inside drinking hot chocolate while Shikamaru won two games of shogi. Shikaku came home early, Ensui trailing behind him, fresh off a mission and with his arm in a sling. Mayu and Yoshino fussed over him, Mayu by sprawling across Ensui's lap and asking invasive questions about his health and then answering them for him in the same breath while Yoshino scolded him for not being careful.

After dinner, they settled around the living room playing board games and Yoshino insisted that Ensui stay in their guest room.

"I thought that was Mayu-chan's room now?" he asked.

"I usually just sleep with Shika," she said unashamedly and he raised his eyebrows.

"Aren't you two getting a little old to share a bed?" He glanced at Shikaku.

Mayu opened her mouth to reply, but Yoshino distracted them with dessert and the subject was dropped. The next morning Ensui claimed the chemistry notes all over the walls gave him nightmares, shuddering dramatically.

A week later, Shikaku appeared next to Mayu and Shikamaru as they were heading to bed. "Yesterday was the last night that you guys share a bed," he said in his rarely used  _this is not negotiable_ voice.

"What! Why?" Mayu asked, ignoring the warning in his tone.

"Ensui's right, you're getting too old. You're not related, not even legally by adoption, and I don't want you two worrying about rumors down the line."

Mayu's jaw dropped and Shikamaru blushed a deep red.

"I'm seven!" she protested.

"Your dad's right," Yoshino chimed in from the doorway of her and Shikaku's bedroom. "Also, you need to learn to sleep on your own. In a few years, you'll be ninja. It's not good to have such a dependent relationship with somebody. It's okay to be close, but the two of you rely on one another too much." She said the last bit in a gentle voice.

Mayu looked from one of her parents' faces to the other, seeing they wouldn't be swayed. She exchanged a miserable look with Shikamaru, who also seemed to understand they wouldn't win this argument.

"We'll hear you if you try to switch rooms at night," Yoshino said, "so don't think that'll work."

Mayu clenched her fists at her sides and without another word strode into her room and slammed the door, throwing herself facedown on her bed. It wasn't fair, it's not like there was actually anything wrong with them sleeping in the same bed. They were children! Sure, Shikamaru was part of a clan and the son of the clan head at that. Her throat tightened. Right, couldn't have people thinking he was too close to some nameless orphan that had been taken in out of pity.

Mayu knew that wasn't how Yoshino and Shikaku felt, but it was how others saw their situation. It stung that the views of some uptight clan members were affecting how they treated her. Outside her door, she could hear Shikamaru having a whispered argument with his parents - she heard the word  _nightmares_ and covered her head with a pillow until she heard the sound of his door closing as well.

A few minutes later, her door opened and the bed dipped next to her. "I'm sorry, Mayu-chan," Shikaku said. "But this really is for your own good."

She remained stubbornly silent and he sighed. "If you have nightmares, you can come in and sleep with Yoshino and I, okay?"

H reached out to squeeze her shoulder before he left the room.

In some sort of backward revenge, Mayu stayed up reading a book on chemical reactions to chakra and was a silent, gloomy zombie the next morning while they went through her stretches and morning workout. Shikamaru kept shooting her worried glances and grabbed her hand on the walk to school. She had pointedly ignored everybody all morning, which had made Shikaku's face twist up in what looked like pain before he left and had triggered Yoshino's temper.

She took a page out of Shikamaru's book and slept through her morning classes. Another four days went by like that, with Mayu barely speaking to her parents and spending most of her time in a foul mood. She had made Ino cry when she made a snide comment about Mayu being a thundercloud and Shikamaru finally seemed to have had enough, because he stomped away in a huff after telling her to grow up. She couldn't even really blame him - he was upset, too, but she'd been making it tough for him at home. He didn't have the doubts running through his head that they might be ashamedof the little orphan girl.

Mayu was slumped against a tree by herself at lunch, picking at her food, when Kiba sat down next to her and unceremoniously plopped Akamaru in her lap. She blinked in surprise as the little dog yapped up at her.

"What...?" Shikaku had told her it was considered rude to pet somebody else's ninken without being offered first, so she'd never held him before.

"You've smelled miserable for the past four days," Kiba said with a shrug. "Akamaru always makes me feel better and he likes you, so." He turned his face away and a small blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Really? I like you too Akamaru," she said, tentatively running a hand over his soft fur.

"I can tell you don't want to talk about it, but you also seemed lonely over here, so," he shifted uncomfortably and opened his lunch.

"I know you like to play with the others during lunch," she said softly. "You don't have to..."

He waved that off. "We're friends, aren't we? My ma says friends are supposed to cheer each other up when they're sad."

She stared at him and he laughed. "What? You defended me against the Yamanaka that first day. To an Inuzuka, that's a declaration of friendship. So deal with it,."

She thought about this as she scratched Akamaru's belly and felt her mood lighten a bit.

"Hey," she said, "how do you feel about skipping class to break into a chemistry lab?"

 

000

 

Two hours later, they were deep in the Inuzuka clan forest, which was a lot more wild than the Nara forest. Here, the trees were smaller and underbrush and fallen trees made navigation trickier. They were both studying a beaker full of a blue liquid that they'd set on a stump.

"So what did you need this for?" he asked, wrinkling his nose at the smell.

Mayu grinned at him and couldn't help but appreciate that he hadn't once asked whyshe wanted to break into the Nara labs, though with his hearing and smell he'd made a great lookout while she picked locks and pilfered from the supplies.

"I read in a book that this particular mixture becomes unstable with the addition of chakra, but I couldn't find anywhere exactly what they meant by unstable, so I wanted to see for myself."

Kiba side-eyed her, then shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

"Okay, you and Akamaru go on the other side of that tree there," she indicated a large tree that was about fifteen feet behind them.

"What about you?" he asked suspiciously and she waved him off.

"I'll hide behind that log there, it's only big enough for me and my chakra thread won't extend any farther from me yet."

She made her way over to the fallen log and crouched behind it, pulling a pair of safety goggles down over her eyes from her forehead. She waited until Kiba and Akamaru were safely away before concentrating on the chakra thread. It slowly extended from her index finger across the six feet of space and she started sweating as she raised it above the open top of the beaker.

Finally, after a few misses, she touched the tip into the liquid. The stump exploded. Mayu pushed herself up from where she'd been thrown halfway across the newly created clearing, shaking her head back and forth to clear it.

"So that's what they meant by unstable," she said over the ringing in her ears.

She looked to the right at the sound of a snort and saw Kiba and Akamaru, half their bodies covered in bits of wood from where they'd been exposed looking around the tree.

"Man, that was awesome!" He frowned and looked closely at her. "I smell blood..."

He ran over to her and gingerly touched her shoulder. She winced and looked down. A piece of wood as long as her finger was embedded in the meat just below her right collarbone.

"Huh," she said, "that indicates that there was a pretty big force of expansion, though the flames themselves weren't that impressive."

She was cut off by the sound of running and howling and Kiba's expression became panicked. "Oh damn, I'm in so much trouble," he said right before two huge ninken and their Inuzuka counterparts burst into the clearing.

 

000

 

Kiba's mother was extremely intimidating. Mayu meekly sat on the exam table at the Inuzuka Clan's clinic which was apparently for dogs andpeople. An amused looking man named Haru was working on extracting the splinter from her shoulder. He had already healed her, Kiba, and Akamaru's ears, so at least the annoying ringing had stopped.

"So you decided to skip class and blow up my forest, did ya?" Inuzuka Tsume asked the two of them and Kiba winced.

His head was down and tilted a bit to the side in what Mayu was pretty sure was a show of submission.

"Sorry, Inuzuka-sama, it was my fault," Mayu said. "Kiba was trying to cheer me up and said I could use the forest to try something out. He didn't know it would explode."

She snorted. "So am I to assume you did know it would blow up?"

Mayu cringed. "Not...exactly? I wasn't sure what would happen, just that it would become unstable with the addition of chakra."

Tsume narrowed her eyes at her. "Alright, kid, I'm gonna send Kuromaru ta fetch your parents. Where can I find them?"

Mayu felt a spike of panic but had a feeling this woman would be unmoved by The Eyes.

"Um, I'm the ward of Shikaku and Yoshino Nara, but Shikaku's at work and Yoshino goes out to tea Thursday afternoons with girlfriends, I don't know where exactly..." she brightened. "But Ensui-niisan should be at the compound!"

"Ensui huh? "I've worked with him a few times. Think you could track 'im down Kuromaru?"

"I remember his scent," the huge dog said and Mayu's eyes widened in interest.

Kiba shook his head at her, well aware of her tendency to let curiosity get the better of her, and she slumped back down. Kuromaru looked amused, like he knew exactly what she'd been thinking, but just turned on his heel and ran out the door.

"So, you're the brat that poisoned Shikaku and his wife," Tsume said with a grin. "You're famous in a lot of circles, kid."

"I didn't poisonthem! I mean, I might have mixed the poison, sure, but they're the ones that ran straight into it," she said with a pout.

Kiba was staring at her like she was the best thing he'd ever seen. "You poisoned Nara Shikaku?" he said in an awed voice and Mayu groaned in exasperation, then winced as the medic finally took hold of the splinter and pulled it out.

When an out-of-breath Ensui arrived at the clinic, she was being fitted with a sling. He ran focused eyes over her. "Kuromaru said you were injured in the forest. What happened? Are you alright?" He reached a hand towards the sling as if to touch it, but stopped short.

"She's fine," Haru said. "The sling is just to make sure she doesn't aggravate the injury while it heals."

"What. Happened," Ensui said in his scary voice and Mayu leaned away from him. Tsume just snorted.

"Calm down, Nara, she's fine. She just got hit with a bit of shrapnel while she was blowing things up in my forest."

Ensui took that in before he groaned and dropped his head. "Seriously, Mayu? If you were playing with explosive tags, I'll hang you outside the Nara gates by your toes."

"I wasn't! I swear! I just wanted to see what would happen when I added a bit of chakra to a chemical compound..." she drifted off at the look on his face.

"And why," he said in a soft voice, "would you do this on Inuzuka land?"

She noticed he didn't even bother asking why she would do it in the first place, which probably said a lot about her.

"Uh...because I figured Yoshino would definitely never find out if I did it on the other side of Konoha?"

He gave her a sharp look at her use of Yoshino's name instead of the 'mom' she'd been using, but didn't comment in front of their audience.

Tsume broke into obnoxious laughter. "Oh man, I can see that. That woman is terrifying. She served as a medic for my team a few times during the war. Once I saw her kill a huge hulking brute of a man from Kumo with her bare hands when he tried to kill her patient."

Mayu gulped and looked at Ensui. "Do we haveto tell her?"

Ensui gave her an unamused look, then turned to Tsume. "My brother will reach out to you about the damage. He's used to it by now."

"Eh, don't worry about it. It was just a couple trees - she kinda did us a favor, it'll make a nice clearing for training the new pups. I'll just send him the bill for the healing and genin team I'll hire for cleanup."

Ensui looked a little ill at her description of the damage, but just nodded and motioned for Mayu to follow him. She jumped off the exam table, ignoring the pain in her shoulder at the jolt. "Thanks, Tsume-sama, Haru-san. I'll see you later, Kiba!" 

She followed Ensui out into the cold air. The walk out of the compound was silent but for the crunch of their boots on the frozen ground and brown leaves. After they'd crossed out of Inuzuka lands he turned abruptly right off the main path and into an empty training ground.

Mayu hesitated before following him. He stopped and turned towards her. His face was stern, and he looked more angry at her than he had in a long time.

"Mayu, I'm extremely disappointed in you."

She gaped at him, chest tight. "I...I really didn't know it would react so...so violently! I thought a small fire, at the  _most_ -"

Ensui waved his hand in irritation. "Not about your stupid experiment, I'll let Yoshino deal with you on that. Though I have to say, I do notenjoy being interrupted in the middle of a nap to hear you've been injured," he said sternly, then sighed. "I'm upset about the way you've been treating my brother and Yoshino."

"That's none of your business -"

"It is when my brother is so upset by it."

Mayu pursed her lips and looked down, but didn't reply. Ensui sighed and crouched down, lifting her chin so he could meet her gaze.

"You're a good girl, Mayu, which is why I'm so surprised. I know you don't like not getting your way, but this reaction is pretty extreme."

"It - it's not about getting my way," she protested and was annoyed when her lower lip started trembling.

"Then what's this about, hm?"

"They...they're ashamed of me," she said and had to wipe angry tears from her eyes.

"Bullshit."

"They don't want Shikamaru to deal with the embarrassmentof people gossiping about him and the poor little orphan that they took in out of pity." 

Ensui gaped at her. "How in the world did you get that from them telling you that you two were getting too old to share a bed?" He seemed honestly baffled.

"Because that's exactly what they said!" She crossed her uninjured arm over her chest when a small niggle of doubt made itself known in the back of her mind.

"They said that word for word, huh?" he asked, doubt dripping from every word, and she looked away.

"Well, they said they didn't want people to talk when we got older..."

Ensui sighed explosively. "First of all, they were worried about that not because they want Shikamaru to have a squeaky clean reputation, but because they probably didn't want youto have to deal with that. Women have it tougher than men that way. Besides, the biggest reason they decided to do this was that it's just not healthy for you two to be so dependent on each other." He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to argue.

"Listen, Mayu, you had a rough start of it - don't give me that look, you did, anybody with half a brain can see that - so it's no surprise you latched onto Shikamaru the way you did. And he's been crazy about you from day one - two peas in a pod, which is great. What's not great is that you two are starting not to function well without the other. And in your future careers? That's gonna be pretty painful on both of you."

Mayu was quiet while she thought over Ensui's words. They sounded so reasonable when he put it that way. She sighed and looked down at her feet, trying to see her and Shikamaru's relationship from the outside. And, okay, yeah, they did tend to follow each other around like puppies, and she'd spent months agonizing over whether they'd be in the same class and making contingency plans on how to be moved into his class if the worst happened.

"I've been kind of a jerk, huh?" she said in a small voice and Ensui grinned.

"A bit, yeah, but obviously my stupid brother didn't do a great job explaining himself if you came away thinking you were some black mark on the family's impeccable reputation," he said dryly and okay, she got it, he could stop looking so amused at her expense.

"Now come on, I'm taking you to Shikaku. He'll kill me if I wait until the end of the day and Yoshino is too terrifying when she's worried, I'm not jumping in front of that kunai."

He picked her up and set her on his hip, being careful of her injured shoulder and ignoring her protests that she could walk.

"Just let me have this, kid," he finally said, exasperated.

He made their way to the administrative building, Mayu fidgeting with nerves, Ensui lazily waving to people who greeted them and gave Mayu's less-than-stellar appearance a curious look. When they got to the office Shouta glanced up, then did a double-take when he caught sight of Mayu. Her coat was covered in splinters and her hair had come out of its braid and also housed a bird's nest worth of shredded wood. The sling and blood stain on her right shoulder completed the pitiful picture.

"What -" he started, but Ensui cut him off.

"Is my esteemed brother available?" he asked and Shouta nodded and motioned for them to go inside, obviously holding back his questions while giving Mayu a wary look.

Ensui knocked once before opening the door. Shikaku looked up from his desk and his eyes widened when they landed on his ward. He was up and across the room in a moment.

"Mayu-chan! What happened?"

Mayu looked at his worried expression and felt horrible for the way she'd been treating him the last four days. She reached for him and her eyes filled with tears. He hastily took her from Ensui.

"Mayu, what is it?" he asked, moving over to one of the chairs and motioning for Ensui to close the door. He settled her into his lap and looked up at Ensui.

Before he could speak, Mayu was talking. "I'm sorry I was a jerk. I love you, please don't be mad."

He looked baffled but pulled her into his chest and rubbed her back. "I'm not mad, Mayu-chan. I know you were just upset, it's fine. As a parent, it's part of the package."

That made her cry even harder and he sighed. "Ensui..."

Ensui looked uncomfortable and suspiciously guilty as he moved towards the door. Mayu thought he was probably regretting being so blunt with her at the sight of her tears.

"Uh, Mayu skipped class and blew up enough of the Inuzuka forest. She'll be fine in a few days and Tsume's sending you the bill," he said, then disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Shikaku blinked in shock and then sighed and resigned himself to getting no more work done that day.

 

000

 

Mayu spent the evening being either scolded by Yoshino and Shikamaru or coddled by them and had clung to Shikaku to the point where he had just sighed and lay down on the couch, letting her cuddle into his side with her injured shoulder carefully angled away from him. Shikamaru had sprawled over his dad's chest and Yoshino sat at the end of the couch reading with their feet spread over her lap.

Shikaku had locked her out of her shed for two weeks as punishment for what he called 'unauthorized exploding,' but didn't actually seem that mad. Probably because nobody realized she had stolen the chemicals instead of creating them from her own kit.

By the next day, everyone had heard about Mayu and Kiba's adventure and were equal parts awed and disbelieving. Kiba had wasted no time telling everybody in a loud voice just how big the explosion was.

He then pointed to Mayu's shoulder as proof and said, "You should have seen the stick she had pokin' into her shoulder!" He held up two fingers about six inches apart. "It was this big!"

"What," Shikamaru said flatly and she winced.

She had told the Nara family she'd her injury was a laceration from some shrapnel from a tree but hadn't gone into detail other than it'd take a week to heal.

"Uh," she said and shrunk away from his glare.

"You are not allowed out of my  _sight_."

And for the rest of the winter, he pretty much kept his word. He walked her to the woodshop and picked her up in time for dinner on the two days a week she went and had started training in the Hashino Deadly Dance Style alongside her once she was healed. Yoshino had warned him that he'd probably never make it past the third stage - he wasn't flexible enough or built for the kind of dexterity it required, but he had just shrugged. "It still seems useful," he'd insisted.

In the evenings that he trained with Shikaku in the clan techniques, she usually spent that time training with chakra threads with Yoshino. By the time spring rolled around, she could stretch one out all the way across the yard, or create two shorter ones, though she was still working on moving them independently from each other. It was slow and frustrating, but Mayu knewit'd be worth it. Yoshino herself hadn't gone past that point, but everything Mayu read on the subject indicated there was a bit of a cognitive barrier that everybody had to cross. Then things would just 'click,' and progress would be less slow. She just had to keep pushing through it.

Her sealing training continued on an irregular basis with Ensui, who was only home about two Saturdays every month, and she still found it painfully boring. Mayu spent Sundays lazing around with Shikamaru and catching up on reading and had taken to slipping out her window at night to work in her little shed slash chemistry lab.

She knew that Shikaku and Yoshino knew she was doing it, but they never said anything, other than pointed comments about not blowing anything up. Mayu didn't have to be told twice - every time she walked by an Inuzuka they started snickering and it was getting pretty annoying.

Mayu's eighth birthday came and went - she had insisted on a small dinner with the family, as she wasn't a fan of gatherings.

"They're dull," she said when Ensui asked about it, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

At Yoshino's insistence, she invited Akinobu and Kiba and sighed but also agreed to Chouji and Ino. Not that she minded Chouji, but leaving Ino out would have been an insult to her clan, or something. What kind of self-respecting adult worried about children's birthday parties? When she said as much to Yoshino at dinner one night she found herself on the end of a very long and extensive lecture on being kind and furthering relationships with allies and friends.

"I highly doubt anybody is giving this lecture to Ino when she's making me contemplate throwing myself down a flight of stairs to get out of an afternoon with her," she said bluntly, making Ensui spray tea across the table and Shikaku pinch his nose.

Shikamaru sighed but didn't comment. And while it was true that Ino wasn't anything close to a bad person and was pretty smart in her own way, just about everything that came out of the girl's mouth made Mayu want to strangle her.

Ino's initial admiration of Sasuke had turned into a full-blown obsession, with Sakura and half the other girls in the class happily following her lead. Sasuke seemed completely unaffected, his only concern being bettering himself in the ninja arts, or whatever pompous way he had of declaring himself the best there ever was that day.

Actually, Mayu found most of her class to be painfully annoying when she paid attention to them at all, with the exception of Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, a few focused kids from civilian families, and Hyuuga Hinata, who was so pathetically shy and unsure that it was impossible to even think mean things about her.

Naruto was okay, but he was so loudly cheerful while being quietly miserable that he made her feel both annoyed and depressed at once when he was around. Unlike when others were annoying her, however, she kept her cutting comments to a minimum, because while she might not be a paragon of kindness or polite conversation she wasn't a complete jerk. She even shared her lunch with him every once in awhile when he 'forgot' his because she could still remember what it felt like to be hungry.

Kiba showed up Saturday afternoon for the party with Akamaru on his head and a messily wrapped present under his arm. Yoshino exclaimed over Akamaru's shining white coat - obviously just washed - and herded Kiba into the backyard where Mayu was attempting to weave two leaves in a distinct pattern in the air with chakra threads. She was halfway succeeding.

"Hey Kiba," she said, releasing the threads and letting the leaves fall to the ground.

"Hey! Happy birthday," he said with a wide grin. "Where's your little shadow?" he asked and she rolled her eyes at the nickname he'd given Shikamaru after he'd started following Mayu around to 'keep her out of trouble.'

"He's on the edge of the Nara forest with Ino and Chouji."

"Ah, I see why ya decided to wait for me here," he said and she put her nose in the air.

"I'll have you know I'm just being a good host," she said primly.

"Yeah, yeah." He threw his arm around her shoulders after they were over the fence.

They spent a few hours playing tag in the woods - something Shikamaru and Mayu were surprisingly good at, due to their ability to twist and flip out of the way from their torturous practices with Yoshino. Eventually, Ensui appeared beside them to herd them back towards the house for dinner, cake and presents.

She got a summer wardrobe from her parents that left Ino green with envy, along with some refills for her chemistry kit, which made her beam at them. Ensui had gotten her chakra paper, scrolls, ink and brushes, which made her eyes just about pop out of her skull when she realized how much it must have cost. When she tried to protest he just waved her away. Akinobu, who had been in an incredibly good mood the last few months - ever since the new 'Lazy-boy' line had exploded in popularity - had ordered her some special wood that he told her was at the shop under 'her' workbench.

"It's chakra-conductive and lightweight," he said gruffly, "and ninja who specialize in puppetry swear by 'em."

She had launched herself at him for a hug, but he'd grabbed her by her collar and held her away from him like something particularly distasteful.

"Thank you Akinobu-sensei!" She had grinned at him from where she was hanging in the air until Ensui sighed and plucked her out of the woodworker's grasp, putting her firmly back into her chair.

Kiba's family had gifted her a nice set of kunai from a popular supplier and she admired the gleam of the metal before smiling at Kiba and thanking him. He waved it off and Akamaru barked.

"Mom says we owe you for the entertainment factor. She said sending the head of the Nara clan a bill for you blowin' up part of our property was going to keep her upbeat through some of her darkest hours for years," he said, wrinkling forehead as he tried to remember her exact words.

Ensui and Shikaku both pinched the bridge of their noses and Yoshino sighed. "Well, it's a very nice gift, either way," she said primly.

Mayu agreed and secretly couldn't help but appreciate a clan that thought explosions were a good thing.

Shikamaru had put together a custom trap and survival kit, with carefully written out strategies and scenarios for use. Her eyes widened because this must have taken hours. She had thrown her arms around him and given him a kiss on the cheek, and he blushed a bright red but looked extremely pleased with her enthusiastic reception of his gift.

Ensui for some reason thought this was the funniest thing he'd ever seen, which made Shikamaru sink low in his seat and break out the Nara Pout, admittedly making Mayu's day even better. Yoshino slapped Ensui on the back of his head to get him to behave and Akinobu eyed the sake bottle on the table.

The Monday after her birthday, Yoshino declared both her children ready for the second stage of the Hashino Deadly Dance style. Mayu was excited up until she realized this involved an even more torturous form of stretching and 'speed training,' which was actually just a lot of sprinting while Yoshino timed them and yelled 'encouragements.' They continued to do the flips and twists and tumbles they'd learned in stage one but now started to feed chakra into their muscles, which involved a lot of overextending or under extending that ended in various bruised body parts as they lost control of their momentum and hit the ground.

And so summer was in full swing, along with a month off from school. Mayu had asked Yoshino to spend some time with her working on creating poisons and Shikaku and Shikamaru had started making themselves scarce as the house filled with pungent odors and evil giggling while the two discussed some uncomfortable and painful side effects.

As a trained medic, Yoshino knew a thing or two about poisons and Mayu had basically read everything she could find on them, so between the two of them they were able to make quite a few non-lethal options. They started with a batch of the paralytic Mayu had made with disastrous results all those months ago. Then they moved on to a blue powder that created weakness in limbs and delayed perception when inhaled. Last, Yoshino showed her an 'old family recipe' for a poison that knocked the victim unconscious when it entered their bloodstream, though there was a delay of 90 seconds.

Mayu had been creating and discarding plans for her first foray into building her own puppets for months, but one day at the park she was hit by inspiration. She had followed Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji there out of boredom and was reading under a tree when she caught sight of a spider scurrying across the grass next to her. It was one of those especially intimidating spiders, with the huge fangs and spindly legs that moved so quickly you could barely follow its movements.

 _You'd be really terrifying if you were bigger,_ she thought to herself. And,  _oh_. That was perfect. Spiders were scary, fast and poisonous. Before she'd really finished the thought, she'd sent a chakra thread after it and plucked it off the ground to hang in front of her.

She dangled the spider in front of her face, eyes squinting in concentration while she felt around for a notebook and pencil that she usually had on hand. She then carefully began to sketch out a replica of the squirming arachnid on the paper, doing her best to take notes on its maneuverability, flexibility, and joints.

She'd been working on it for about half an hour when she noticed Aburame Shino standing next to her. Though she could only see a part of his face behind his collar and sunglasses, she could tell he wasn't exactly happy at the moment.

"You should put that spider down. Why? Because you are causing it distress when it has done nothing to you," he said.

"Uh...I'm not actually hurting it. I'm just studying it for my drawing."

"Whether you mean to hurt it or not, you are clearly making it suffer," he said in an inflectionless voice and she followed his gaze.

Okay, so the spider didlook a little worse for wear after hanging from her thread for so long. It had even stopped its struggles. She grimaced and moved the chakra thread to place the spider gently at the base of the tree.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm done anyway."  The spider took a few seconds to realize it was free and then skittered off into the grass.

She expected the boy to leave, but instead, he sat next to her and peered over at her drawing with interest. "You are in my class." he finally stated and she hummed her agreement.

"Sure am," she said and continued to scribble notes.

"I am Aburame Shino." She glanced over and saw that he was looking distinctly uncomfortable, like he regretted sitting down at all.

"Nomaka Mayu. I guess you're pretty interested in insects and arachnids, what with your family, huh?" she said, not bothering to avoid rudeness since there were no disapproving family members lurking nearby.

"I am a holder of kikaichu, it is true," he said after a short pause and Mayu turned her full attention to him.

"What does that mean, exactly?" She had heard a bit about the Aburame - of course, she had, they were one of the four noble clans, but people just seemed to wrinkle their noses and change the subject when the conversation turned to exactly how their bug jutsu worked.

"I host a hive of insects inside my body in a symbiotic relationship," he said bluntly. "Because they are given a place to live and are allowed to feed on my chakra, in exchange they give me access to certain jutsu and abilities."

"They live insideyou? That is... amazing," she breathed.

His head tilt changed slightly into what was probably his version of 'you have surprised me.'

"Usually that is not how people react, because they find the practice of allowing insects to live under your skin disgusting and unnatural."

Mayu rolled her eyes at that. "Well, people, in general, are idiots," she said, then, "can I see?"

Ten minutes later she was studying the beetles crawling across her hand with interest and pumping a bemused Shino with questions when she was interrupted by screeching.

"Ugh, Mayu, what are you  _doing?_ " Ino asked, hiding behind a slightly disturbed-looking Chouji.

Shikamaru was standing next to them looking unsurprised at coming upon the scene.

"Shika!" she said, standing and excitedly shoving her bug-covered hand under his nose, "Look! These live  _inside_ Shino. Isn't that fascinating? The ninja world is just so cool," she gushed, earning strange looks from the other children and an, "as opposed to what other world?" from Ino.

He sighed and slouched down in a pout. "You never say my shadow techniques are cool."

She flung her free arm around him and held the one with her passengers off to the side to keep them from harm.

"I think shadow techniques are the  _coolest_ ," she assured him, then skipped back over to Shino.

He held up an arm and the bugs flowed from her hand back under his sleeve. "I must leave because my mother will be expecting me. Mayu, you may come to see me if you need any more help drawing bugs or arachnids. This way, you will not need to torture them again for study. Goodbye Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji."

Mayu watched him as he walked away. "Huh. He might actually be worse at social interaction than I am." 

000

 

Mayu disappeared into Akinobu's shop for the next few weeks, who grumbled about her extra hours spent there but didn't actually kick her out. Shikamaru showed up multiple times to drag her home for dinner or to go cloud watching but seemed generally content to spend his time with Chouji while she was busy.

Two days before she was due back in school, she burst out of the shop clutching a large, wooden spider that looked extremely deadly and not at all like something a child would be hugging like it was a teddy bear. The size of a medium dog, it had a wide, flat abdomen attached to a smaller head. The legs were long and thin and extended up and out from the body, ending in sharp, metal points on the end.

Its face had two large fangs tipped in razor-sharp metal and its dozen eyes were actually dark holes cut into the face, which she had placed tubes into that she planned to fill with her powdered poison someday (she was still working out the mechanics there). Finally, a wicked-looking stinger had been attached beneath the abdomen.

Mayu ignored Akinobu telling her to clean up her mess and darted down the street, intent on the administration building. She didn't bother trying to get rid of Shouta, instead bursting into the outer office of the Jounin Commander, breathless.

Shouta screamed at the sight of the spider and told her that her dad was having tea down the street and not to bother him because something blah blah blah, she was already ignoring him and heading back down the stairs and into the heat of Konoha summer. She darted around the corner and brightened when she saw Shikaku walking down the street between Chouza and Inoichi. There were a few other people with them, but she ignored them in favor of dashing to cut off Shikaku.

"Papa! I finished it. Isn't it beautiful?" she gushed, holding her puppet out in front of her, facing it towards him.

"What the hell!" Inoichi said, jumping back.

Chouza choked on a bite of dango he'd just taken and Shikaku started with a look of horror but seemed to recover quickly. Tsume stepped out from behind a tall regal-looking man with long dark hair and white eyes that Mayu's brain labeled as  _Hyuuga, probably clan head_ , cackling while she slapped Chouza on the back to dislodge the food stuck there.

"Ah, Mayu isn't that...something." Shikaku gingerly took the puppet from her and turning it in his hands. "So this is what you've been working on in Akinobu's shop," he muttered, running his hands across the sharp edges and peering into the eye holes.

"Yep. His name is Bukimi and he's going to be so poisonous." She her hands together, gleeful.

Shikaku let out an undignified yelp of alarm and dropped the puppet.

"No!" Mayu gasped and a chakra thread darted out of her index finger and latched onto the puppet, slowing its fall so it didn't break when it hit the ground.

"What the hell, papa?" she scolded, ignoring his admonishment at her language. "Why would you drop Bukimi like that? It's my first puppet, so he's kind of fragile right now, you know?"

"I think he was worried about being poisoned again, Mayu-chan," Chouza said, having recovered from his choking.

Mayu rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't do that to you. Obviously, he's not poisonous  _yet."_

She pointedly ignored their disbelieving faces and fussed with her puppet, cooing at it.

"You used a chakra thread," a deep voice intoned and Mayu turned to the Hyuuga.

He was still blank-faced and so obviously found her distasteful that she almost laughed.

"Yep! I'm going to be a puppeteer, so Yoshino's been teaching me," she said.

The man would have sneered if it didn't destroy his blank-faced demeanor, she was sure. "Puppeteering is a Sunaspecialty." By his tone, somebody could have thought they were discussing overflowing sewage plants or dead rotting corpses.

Mayu narrowed her eyes at him. "Not anymore."

Shikaku seemed to sense an imminent disaster because he cut in. "Ah, Hiashi-san, I don't think you've met my ward," and there was a warning to his tone as he spoke to the other man, "This is Nomaka Mayu."

"Nice to meet you, Hyuuga-sama," she said grudgingly with a bow. "It's good to see you again, Tsume-sama, Inoichi, Chouza," she added belatedly.

Shikaku motioned to someone behind her and she turned around as he said "And this is -"

"Oh my god, you're Uchiha Fugaku," she blurted, gaping at the tall, regal man wearing a black shirt with the Military Police Force symbol, a standard flak jacket, and an open-fronted apron with white diamonds on the hem over standard jounin pants. His hair fell to his shoulders and he had a stern face and bearing to rival Hyuuga's.

"It's such an honor to meet you, sir," she said, bowing low.

There was an awkward pause when she stood as the other clan heads took in the change to the girl's demeanor. Her shining eyes staring up at the clan head paired with the creepy puppet still clutched to her chest was actually a bit disturbing.

Finally, Hyuuga Hiashi broke the silence in a wry, disbelieving voice. "Is it really? I must say, not the usual reaction to Fugaku."

Mayu bristled in response to his tone. "Well, I don't see why not.I mean, he's  _The Uchiha Fugaku_! Did you know," she said, getting a fervent look on her face and bouncing up on her toes, "that when he took over the Military Police Force crime across Konoha dropped by nine percent within five years?" She ignored the raised eyebrows around her in favor of gushing.

"Also, even after that whole stupid Kyuubi business, civilian trust in the shinobi force has increased by ten percent since he started his tenure, which was directly attributed to the MPF's peacekeeping efforts, according to a poll done by-"

"Ah, yes, that's enough, Mayu-chan," Shikaku said with a sigh. "I had no idea you held such Fugaku in such high regard, I would have introduced you earlier."

"Oh," Mayu said, bashful. "I couldn't have asked for Uchiha-sama to go out of his way. Especially after Ensui-niisan told me the story of the Flower District Killer! He said that his teammate was there when Uchiha-sama led the raid and that he single-handedly - "

"Mayu," Shikaku said, looking a bit disturbed at this side of his daughter, as Tsume and Inoichi started to laugh in the background and Fugaku's face morphed into a look of horror when he realized the depth of the girl's hero-worship, "I'm afraid we've just finished with a meeting and now we need to get back to our days."

"Oh! Okay." She deflated. "I guess I'll just...go then."

Her face was so mournful that he put his hand on her head. "Maybe tonight you can show me all the ways your puppet can poison your opponents, huh?"

She brightened. "Sure! It has nineteendifferent points of delivery, isn't that great?"

Shikaku chuckled and patted the top of Mayu's head. "Ah, Mayu-chan, you're such a gift."

 

000

 

The problem with Bukimi was that the design required techniques that were too advanced for Mayu to do anything with. There were just too many moving parts and joints for him to make a good beginner's puppet. Even though she could now push chakra threads through the tips of all of her fingers, she still had trouble working more than two or three independently. Bukimi would need all ten threads until she got better - once she had mastered puppet manipulation she thought she'd be able to get away with four threads, but that was a couple of years away, at least.

When she had realized the problem, she focused on the mechanisms for expelling powdered poisons from his eyes and her chakra thread technique instead. Now halfway through her second year at the academy, she decided it was time to try out a more simplistic puppet to start with.

And so she found herself crouched in the snow next to Shino and his older cousin Muki taking careful notes and sketches of a rounded, slightly adorable beetle that the Aburame told her was called the 'Bombarder Beetle.' Its legs and head were a deep, shining red, and the bulbous black shell covered a fleshy orange abdomen. It had antennae sticking out from its head that were almost as long as the rest of its body.

It's cute appearance was misleading, because when startled or threatened it tended to expel a cloud of hot noxious chemical spray from its abdomen that resulted in severe burns wherever it touched skin and trouble breathing if inhaled.

"I think I'd be able to get away with six strings for control to start with," she said thoughtfully. "And I'd want her to be quick and lightweight so people wouldn't be able to dodge before getting a good spray in the face, so that would make it easier as well. Also, the activation of poison would be a simple switch, if I built the mechanism just right..."

She'd already been given a few samples of the chemical. This wasn't a beetle that was used in the clan techniques, so there was no danger in letting her have some. After a while, she waved goodbye to the stoic Shino and headed out of the Aburame compound. Her feet crunched on the ice and her breath crystallized in the cool air.

Shikamaru was hanging out with Chouji that afternoon and Mayu didn't feel like going back to the house. She turned towards the main streets of Konoha instead. She'd see if Shikaku wanted to have lunch since they'd barely seen him for the past week and a half.

She knew that he had been pulled into an investigation on the mysterious deaths of four jounin, but he'd barely given out any details. Maybe she could pump him for more information at lunch. It was with this happy thought that she slipped into the outer office - no Shouta, luckily (for him) - and moved to the inner office door. It was locked. She knocked on the door, but when there was no answer she looked around furtively and pulled her lock picks out of the pocket of her coat, found in her parents' attic in an old chest full of outdated equipment.

A few minutes later she slipped inside and closed the door behind her, making sure to hop over the traps she knew Shikaku always activated in certain spots. Mayu wandered over to his desk and poked at the files there. Mission assignments, boring. Budgets, ugh, extra boring. Her eyes fell on a stack of files labeled ' _Squad 6 Murder Investigation: Classified.'_

Her eyes widened and she barely kept from squealing in delight.  _Jackpot_.

An hour later, the door clicked open and Mayu spoke without looking up from her spot on the floor, papers and files spread around her haphazardly.

"Papa! If I solved this for you, does that mean you can home for dinner tonight? Because I mostlysolved it, though I'll need some more information before I can give you an exact name. Honestly, I don't know how it took you so long to figure out that it wasn't..." she trailed off uncertainly when she looked up and saw that, yes, it was Shikaku at the door, expression thunderous, and that he wasn't alone. "...a shinobi assassin." she finished in a small voice. 

 _Uh oh,_ she thought to herself,  _I've never seen him look so angry with me before._

The person standing beside Shikaku was actually a teenager - he looked about fourteen or fifteen - and wearing a standard jounin uniform with the Military Police Force emblem on the shoulder. His hair was long and unbound and he looked uncomfortably familiar with the stress lines beneath his eyes and stern expression. An Uchiha, extremely young to be wearing the jounin uniform, with features that were shared by the chief of the police force...

"Oh shit," she said faintly, "You're Uchiha Itachi."

He raised an eyebrow at her and she futilely tried to cover the word CLASSIFIED that was clearly visible on one of the pages in front of her. "This...isn't what it looks like?"

"Nomaka Mayu," Shikaku said in a voice that was as terrifying as it was calm, "you are to go home, go to your room, and wait for me there. Do not stop on your way, do not come out until I arrive. Am I understood?"

She scrambled to her feet and nodded, feeling her face flush a deep red. "Y-yes p-father," she said, sensing that any cutesy names wouldn't be appreciated right now.

She fumbled to grab her coat from the floor next to her and would have darted around the two men if Itachi hadn't spoken. "Wait." His voice was inflectionless and honestly kind of scary.

Mayu paused at the door, unsure, and glanced back at her father's face, which was now a combination of worried and furious.

"What did you mean when you said it wasn't a shinobi?" Itachi asked.

She bit her lip and looked at Shikaku again, who sighed and nodded, gesturing for her to come back in and shut the door. She did so, as meekly as she could manage, and padded to stand in front of them.

"Well...well it's obvious, isn't it? The method of introduction, the type of poison, and the motive behind the poisonings."

Itachi frowned. "We have found no motive. That is part of why the investigation is dragging on still. There is no indication of why somebody went through the trouble if it wasn't the usual shinobi reasons."

"Right! But, according to their files," she winced at Shikaku's mumbled " _their classified files_ ," but kept going, warming up to her subject, "no one should have even been aware of their activities - they were ANBU, with no indication of their covers being blown to enemies of Konoha recently."

Itachi nodded, all of that was in the files.

"But the information for the motive is still in their personnel files," she said confidently. "You just weren't looking in the right place."

She scrambled for the file labeled _Boar_ and pulled out a report, handing it to Itachi.

He scanned it and sighed. "We already interviewed ANBU operative Crane, this was not in retaliation to the accusations she made against him last year."

"No, no, I'm not saying it was  _her_. But, read the investigator notes from that internal investigation. He believed that Boar really did sexually assault Crane, but they couldn't find proof. I'm guessing Boar was from the Yamanaka clan, or at least related, as they noted that a mind walk yielded no results. Anyway," she waved her hand in disgust, "the point is, generally these type of offenders aren't perpetrators just once, right?"

Understanding lit Itachi's face and Shikaku hummed in thought. Mayu went and grabbed another report and handed it over.

"He wasn't the only one with a black mark on his record. Bat had been removed from his previous team because he punched his captain in the face over a promotion. Scorpion's last psych eval was pretty iffy - they almost took him off active duty. Badger doesn't seem to have any psychological problems, but his psych eval does state that he tends to follow orders without thought, which means he probably wouldn't be a voice of reason against his team."

Shikaku hummed. "So, you think they committed some kind of crime that we don't know about and these were revenge killings. But I still don't understand why you went straight to a civilian?"

Mayu shrugged. "A few reasons. First of all, Boar almost got caught when he attacked a fellow leaf shinobi and wastaken off his team - probably because no kunoichi would feel comfortable working with him after the accusations. Also, shinobi tend to fight back and men like that...well. They prefer easy prey," she spat and Shikaku gave her a concerned look that she waved away.

"Also, like I said, the poisoning method itself isn't something a shinobi would generally use. I recognize the plant from my own studies -" Shikaku snorted but she ignored him. Poisons were cool, of course she'd studied them extensively, "-and it's actually a plant from Wave country that takes extended exposure through ingestion to be deadly. It's really quite useful for long-term assassination missions, but shinobi and kunoichi don't really use it - it's more of a civilian method that fell out of popularity after -"

"Yes, Mayu, okay, get on with it," Shikaku said, running a hand down his face.

"Right. So. Probably a method used by a civilian. Also, I doubt anybody on an ANBU team would look too closely at anything a civilian gave them outside of the general scan for poison. Which that plant is not usually covered in basic shinobi training. Most likely the killer is a merchant, since the crime they want revenge for probably happened on a mission to Wave since that's the only place to get the poison from.

"Where, coincidentally, the dead ANBU team were assigned five months ago. Merchants have easier access to Konoha and to the ninja force than other civilians, so that's the logical place to look. I bet they sell food of some sort and took to giving the dead shinobi a deal on it so they'd stop by more often. Probably arrived about a month ago."

Itachi blinked at her and Mayu thought that was probably the equivalent of a 'what the fuck' from most other people.

"So...you're saying we need to check the merchant logs at the gates," he said. Mayu nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

"Yep! I bet you'll find your person in no time, though if they were smart they got the hell out once they knew their victims were all dead."

"How did this merchant know who they were?" he asked, seeming to be honestly curious instead of doubtful.

Mayu sighed and looked down. She'd enjoyed following her uncle on his cases Before, but she'd learned things about human nature she wished she could forget, sometimes.

"If it was the sort of crime I'm thinking...they'd have wanted the victim to see their faces," she said flatly.

She turned a fierce glare at Itachi and pointed a finger at him. "What the hell was the MPF thinking, anyway, letting a man like Boar go? What do you think it says to our kunoichi when their teammates are allowed to do things like that without reprisal? Couldn't find proof! Give me 10 minutes with that file and I'll find it for you - not like you need it now, I guess," she said bitterly. "You can bet when I join the MPF people like Boar are going to find themselves in an eight by eight cell with no hope of getting away."

Itachi's lips twitched and Shikaku slapped his hand over her mouth to stop her tirade from going any further.

"You plan on joining the MPF?" Itachi asked and she glared and crossed her arms over her chest to convey  _yeah, and what of it?_

She was used to people 'kindly' informing her that the Military Police Force was made up almost exclusively of Uchiha, so her chances of being accepted were minuscule.

"Ah, I look forward to it. We're low on good investigators. My father has talent in it, but he's very busy running the organization and can't get personally involved much anymore."

Mayu's mouth dropped in surprise at his easy acceptance and Shikaku pulled his hand away. "You...think I can do it?"

"Yes, if you're as talented at the shinobi arts as you are at investigation. You'll just have to get people's attention, which doesn't seem like a limitation for you." Was that humor?

Mayu studied him before asking, "Do you have any...suggestions for me? Skills that I should focus on to make me more attractive as a police officer?"

He gave her an unfathomable look and she couldn't help but think that she'd impressed him. "Tracking and capture. Interrogation. Proven competence in at least two elemental styles. Intelligence. Also, our psych evals are strict and extremely comprehensive." He shrugged, then turned to Shikaku abruptly. "I will go and update my father. Perhaps when you take Mayu to the Hokage to discuss this security breach, you could request the merchant visa records for the past few months from Tsunade-sama?"

Mayu felt the blood drain from her face and Shikaku looked pained. "Fine, I'll...take her to see Tsunade."

They both walked the stairs to the tower like they were ascending to their doom.

 

000

 

Tsunade threw a book through the wall and punched her desk in half before the conversation was over. In the end, Mayu had been banned from the administration building until graduation and been forced to sign about a dozen documents stating that she would keep her mouth shut about what she read in the file.

At home, Shikaku had grounded her for a month - which meant no wood shop, no chemistry shed and no anything,really, except coming straight home from school and staying there. Mayu understood that she had gotten off lightly, but every time Shikaku sent her a disappointed look over the course of the next few days she felt like nothing could ever be worse.

She resolved to not break into his office again unless it was really, really important. Yoshino and Shikamaru weren't given the details of why she was in trouble, but when Shikaku told them it was classified, Shikamaru banged his forehead on the table a few times.

"Mayu, can't you stay out of trouble for  _five minutes?_ "

She looked appropriately guilty at Yoshino's scolding and walked around looking very sorry and repentant until Shikaku finally gave in to The Eyes three evenings later.

"Ugh, stop looking so sad, it's troublesome," he muttered and pulled her over onto his lap. "I forgive you, already, just don't do it again. But you're still grounded."

A week later Itachi appeared in Mayu's bedroom doorway, taking in the posters and schematics plastering the walls. "I take it you like bugs?" he asked.

She looked up from her bed, where she was lying on her stomach and drawing out the mechanism for the Bombarder Beetle puppet's chemical ejection apparatus. The name was a work in progress.

"Itachi-san," she said warily and stood. "Have you come to arrest me?"

His lips quirked and he shook his head. "No. I actually came to tell you that the case is closed."

"Oh?" She brightened and moved closer to him.

"Yes. You were right. The merchant was from Wave. He brought dried fish and various herbs, some of which he laced with the plant you described and sold to the dead shinobi at a discounted rate."

"And...the motive?" she asked. She could tell by his posture that it wasn't going to be nice. Sometimes she hated being right.

"He was a poor merchant, not a lot of influence," Itachi began slowly. "Boar and Scorpion assaulted his daughter while in Wave. It was as you said - they removed their masks. Even called each other by name. Their comrades did nothing, though they did not...participate." He pursed his lips and Mayu could tell he was furious, despite his mostly calm facade. "They left her alive, which is something, as they didn't believe there was anything a member of the merchant's family could do about it. They were right and they were wrong," he said and looked so tired that she couldn't help but feel bad for him.

Mayu was silent for a moment before saying, "I kind of wish I hadn't solved it, now. What will happen to the merchant?"

"He's been turned over to the daimyo of for justice. Since he's a civilian and not a citizen of Konoha he doesn't fall under our purview."

He studied her before continuing. "Not all of the 'bad guys' we deal with are evil, but it is still our duty to catch them. Also, the result of this case brings some problems to light that the Hokage has already taken action towards rectifying. We have also decided to pay restitution to the family of the man we apprehended. It is not all bad."

Mayu nodded her thanks at his words and he bowed his goodbye before leaving. Mayu sat on her bed staring out the window for a long time, thinking on Itachi's words. Finally, she heard the front door open and Ensui's voice calling a greeting to the house. She took a deep breath and shook her maudlin thoughts from her head. Itachi was right - she had done well. She'd revealed without a doubt the irresponsibility of allowing Boar and his crew to continue unchecked. She also proved that the kunoichi that had filed a complaint against Boar was telling the truth - which could only have given the woman some form of closure.

Mayu ran out of her room and to the stairs. She stopped at the top and looked over the railing at where Ensui was talking in low tones with Shikaku.

"Ensui-niisan!" she yelled and launched herself over the edge of the rails. He caught her with a dramatic exhalation of air.

"You're getting heavy, squirt!" he said, swinging her around. "Soon you'll squash me like a bug if you do that."

He tucked her under his arm and made his way to the kitchen while she laughed and struggled to get free, legs kicking behind her in the air and Shikaku following behind them with a small smile on his face.

Shikamaru was already at the table and he and Yoshino gave a synchronized and identical sigh at the two of them.

"Okay, okay, put her down so we can eat," Yoshino said fondly.

Ensui flipped her upright and set her in the seat next to Shikamaru so easily that it proved his words earlier were all bluster. Mayu could probably continue to fling herself off of things if she was twice what she weighed now and Ensui would easily catch her.

Still laughing a bit breathlessly, she leaned over to an annoyed looking Shikamaru and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek with an accompanying 'mwah!' sound. His face softened into a half smile and he reached out to tug at her hair, which she had kept down that day.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked and she just shrugged.

"I just had a realization, is all," she said brightly. "That reminds me - Ensui-niisan, will you teach me tracking?"

She clasped her hands in front of her face and widened her eyes when he side-eyed her. "Please? Itachi-sempai said that tracking was an important skill for me to learn. And you're the best tracker I know!"

"Itachi-sempai, huh? Since when do you know that expression-less lump? And I think you mean that  _Baken_ is the best tracker you know. I'm okay, but nothing compared to the Inuzuka or Hatake. Without my summons I'm mediocre."

"Please, Ensui-nii? Please?" she begged and Yoshino giggled when Ensui's unaffected demeanor visibly wavered.

"I'm already teaching you sealing," he muttered unconvincingly and she wrinkled her nose.

"Ugh, you said yourself I'm just about caught up to you. We can just switch to learning tracking, now."

He sighed. "I don't know..." but she could already see that she had won and cheered.

"You are such a brat," he mumbled, then waved a hand in the air. "Fine, fine, I'll teach you."

"Great! That only leaves you, papa!" Shikaku paused with his bite halfway to his mouth and eyed her.

"Leaves me to what?" he said suspiciously.

"Capture and interrogation! Remember, Itachi-sempai said -" Shikaku slouched down in a pout.

"Yes, I remember," he grumbled. "Fine," he held his hand up before she could crow in victory.

"But we're not going to start with theory until you're a genin. I had planned on starting with Shikamaru anyway next fall, so you can join us. And no, not before. You've got plenty to keep you busy," he said.

She had to admit he was right. Yoshino thought she'd be moving on to stage three of the Deadly Hashino Dance by the end of the year and her puppeteering skills were still at nonexistent. She had the threads and she even had a puppet, but she'd bitten off more than she could chew with Bukimi. Which mean she had to build a whole new prototype before she could even move forward on practicing. And then, there was her poisons and chemistry work...

A smack to the back of the head pulled her from her racing thoughts.

"Stop it," Shikamaru said. "I can see you working yourself up. There's no need to rush it, you've got plenty of time," he said firmly.

Mayu gave him a thankful smile and a nod. "Right. So, tell me how it's coming with your Shadow Techniques?"

He shrugged. "Good. I'm starting to extend the movement a bit," he said and Ensui made an interested noise.

As they fell into a discussion of Shikamaru's progress, Mayu relaxed back into her chair and let out a breath. Shikamaru was right - she had a lot of big goals for herself, but she had time.

 

000

 

The winter months were a blur of training and working in the shop and before Mayu knew it she was turning nine. 

 _Three years_ , she thought to herself.  _You've been with the Nara for three years!_

With springtime came good weather and Ensui started working with her on tracking. They began with visual tracking, which she took to quickly with her deductive skills - not much got past her once she knew what she should be looking for. Enhancing her senses through chakra application was a little strange and overwhelming, but Ensui gave her a kit he'd put together with exercises to help her start sorting through scents and told her she'd just have to practice with enhancing her hearing to get used to it.

Her third year in the academy, they were down to thirty-two of the original ninety-something in their age group and so the classes were reshuffled and combined into one large class. They also began sparring with classmates and the differences between children from clans or with active shinobi for parents and those from civilian families became clear.

Mayu found the whole thing painful to watch and every time Sasuke laid out another civilian with that infuriating expression she wanted to punch it off his face. You didn't have to be an expert at deduction to see he was an arrogant little brat who liked to lord his superiority over others. Of course, since she  _was_ pretty good at deduction, she also saw that it stemmed from some sort of inferiority complex - not surprising when your older brother was a once-per-generation kind of genius and heir to the clan and your father was a well-respected leader in the community. Still, she couldn't find it in her to feel sympathetic, especially since she was one of the poor souls that he laid out every time.

True, she was fast and flexible, but she hadn't actually gotten to any sparring or true fighting techniques yet with Yoshino. Stage three was a series of katas that were a combination of the flips and tumbles and speed they'd been training in the last few years. The first set was simple and mostly consisted of movements that mimicked blocks and strikes and would add more complex series of movements as she mastered each configuration. And all the flips in the world weren't going to keep you from getting your ass handed to you by somebody trained in the Uchiha style of fighting since they were a toddler.

At least this wasn't something she had to fake mediocrity at while at the academy. Unluckily for Shikamaru, the perceived failure put her into a sulk on almost a daily basis. Yoshino assured her that by the time she was a genin she'd be at stage four, which would prove more useful in combat.

The Nara household became accustomed to walking outside or around a corner to the sight of a foot long beetle scurrying awkwardly across the lawn or floor, Mayu never far behind, hands outstretched and a fierce look of concentration on her face. The first time it happened to Ensui, he'd screeched and leapt onto the roof, then refused to come to dinner at the house for a week.

Baru the attack beetle had been completed in the summer between Shikamaru's and Mayu's second and third years and had proven to be the perfect starter puppet. Just like the bug she was fashioned after, she had bright red legs, a black shell and an orange underbelly. "For intimidation purposes," Mayu had explained gleefully.

Yoshino had demanded that Mayu fill his poison ejector with something harmless while she was practicing since nobody wanted to deal with chemical burns and respiratory problems if Mayu had 'an accident.' Everybody was relieved when she agreed.

Halfway through their third year, when Mayu was a couple months away from turning 11, enough of the children had dropped out that the reshuffling resulted in a new teacher and teacher's assistant for Mayu's class. She noticed two strange things about the new additions. The first was that the assistant, Mizuki, definitely had alternative motives to being in the classroom. He paid too much attention to certain children, especially Sasuke and Hinata, and not in a good way, and seemed to be manipulating events to actually set some of the children up for failure. Mayu had told Shikaku her suspicions and he had nodded and promised to look into it. So far, they hadn't found anything concrete and so Mizuki stayed, for now, though Mayu figured he would screw up eventually.

The second strange thing wasn't easily explainable. Iruka-sensei was exactly what he seemed to be - a dedicated, kind teacher who truly wanted to see his students succeed. But he shared one trait with Mizuki - they both couldn't stand Naruto. Actually, Iruka seemed to be  _afraid_ of Naruto, while Mizuki just straight up hated him. Mayu could see that, if the white-haired man had a chance, he would probably kill the blonde terror without remorse. Of course, this wasn't obvious to other students or teachers. The most they'd notice was that the two teachers were a bit colder, a bit shorter on patience with Naruto. In fact, the only other person who seemed to understand how they felt was Naruto himself and he just seemed resigned to it.

Mayu had noticed that people reacted strangely to Naruto before. Adults shied away from him when they were picking up their children from school and the students seemed to pick up on this and act accordingly. Of course, there were exceptions, such as her own family, Kiba, and Hinata, who just had a monster crush on the boy. Until Iruka and Mizuki, Mayu had assumed he either had a really scary bloodline limit, or his parents had done something particularly horrific.

But if either of those were the reason behind the weird behavior, wouldn't she have heard about it by now? The anger and hatred seemed almost furtive. From the confusion in Naruto's eyes when people reacted that way to him, she didn't think that even  _he_ knew what the problem was. Mayu mulled the mystery over in her head throughout the months of January and February, until one blustery day that was edging towards the middle of March, while Shikamaru and Mayu were walking down the steps, she heard something interesting.

Naruto was standing a few feet from them chatting animatedly with one of the civilian children that had been integrated into the class in December when a shrill voice cut off their conversation.

"Jokun!" a large woman standing with a thin, pained-looking man yelled and the boy jolted.

"Hey, mom! This is my friend -"

But his mother had cut him off by grabbing his arm and dragging him behind her.

"Stay away from my son,  _demon_ ," she spat, ignoring her husband's frantic whispering to not cause a scene and then they were gone, leaving Naruto with such a wretched and miserable expression on his face that Shikamaru stepped forward.

"Hey Naruto," he drawled, hands in his pockets. "Why don't you come play shogi with me and Mayu at our house? You can stay for dinner too."

Mayu was torn between annoyance at having to spend a whole evening with the loud blonde and helpless fondness for Shikamaru.  _He really is so kind,_ she thought to herself,  _he just hides it behind his apathetic demeanor._  

Naruto came with them, eventually shaking off his mood as he took in the Nara compound, whiskered cheeks red with the cold Yoshino stuffed Naruto full of food and sent him off with leftovers. Shikaku insisted on walking him home and when he came back he looked grim but didn't say why. 

 _I_ _bet Naruto's home life is pretty bad,_ she thought to herself and asked the question she'd been avoiding for two months. "Why do they treat him that way?"

Yoshino and Shikaku looked at her but didn't feign confusion. Shikaku rubbed a hand over his face and looked so sad that Mayu crawled into his lap to hug him. He squeezed her for a moment and put his arm around Shikamaru who had moved closer, obviously interested in the answer.

"I can't tell you that," Shikaku said. "I'm sorry."

Mayu narrowed her eyes at him but didn't argue. It just confirmed what she'd guessed. 

 _So they aren't allowed to tell me..._ Yoshino had moved to Shikaku's other side and leaned against him and her eyes held a sheen of tears.

"I'm very glad you two are showing him kindness," she said quietly. "I'm proud of you."

The next day Mayu skipped afternoon classes to go to the library. She found all the books she could with reference to demons, and when that proved less than enlightening, she put her fingertips lightly together and rested them against her lips in thought. 

 _I should start with his family name. Uzumaki, that sounds familiar._ Closing her eyes, she dropped into her mindscape and started filtering through anything she might have read on Uzumaki.

Her eyes flew open after a moment of thought and she walked as quickly as she could without getting into trouble to get  _An Early History of Konoha_. She lugged the book over and began to quickly flip through until she found the entry she was looking for.

"Uzumaki Mito, wife to Hashirama, from Uzushiogakure, first host to the... _oh_."

She ran back to the information about demons until she found a book she'd set aside. The bijuu! Could it be...she supposed, if Naruto was the container to the Kyuubi, that would be enough to freak people out after the fox demon just about leveled the village and killed the Yondaime. But it was obvious that Naruto  _wasn't_ the fox - anybody could see that. Ugh, why were people such idiots?

Another important question - why did nobody talk about it? Why did Naruto not even know about his passenger?  _Protection._ From what she'd read, jinchuuriki were weapons, assets of the village. Of course, the Hokage wouldn't want people talking about it. Though, it seemed like his plan had failed - people clearly still knew who held the nine-tailed fox, a  _lot_ of people. So maybe there was a second aspect to it? She drummed her fingers on the table and rested her chin in her hand.

Perhaps the former Hokage had hoped that Mayu's generation would treat Naruto better if they didn't know? 

 _Which also failed miserably,_ she thought with a sigh.

Children emulated their parents, after all, and seeing that fear and hatred towards an unknown, of course, they'd copy it. The more Mayu learned about the previous leader's decisions and administration, the more she decided he was an idiot. Either that or he was more suited to wartime than peace. Guess that's what happened when you chose the strongest person to lead your village. Shinobi and kunoichi weren't known for their kind-heartedness.

"Mayu!" A harried-looking Shikamaru hissed as he raced up to her table. "Do you have any idea what time it is? You  _missed dinner_."

"Oh, shit, mom's going to kill me," she squeaked, then started shoving books and scrolls at Shikamaru, who had nodded grimly at her assessment of the situation.

"Help me put these away!"

When they were finished hastily shoving the scrolls back onto their shelves, Shikamaru grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the library and down the darkening street, both of them shivering in the cold air.

"What were you even doing? Mom was freaking out, it was such a drag."

Mayu looked around for a moment before pulling a protesting Shikamaru into a nook between buildings, away from anyone who might overhear them, and pulled him close. "I figured out why everyone is so awful to Naruto," she whispered and he raised his eyebrows in interest and leaned closer.

She quickly explained what she'd found about Mito and the references to Kyuubi and demon fox.

"Also, I think his birthday is around the same time the village has the festival to honor the Yondaime's sacrifice. And Shikamaru, I think there's some screwed up law that says nobody is allowed to talk about it - not even to Naruto.  _He doesn't know_."

Shikamaru looked disturbed by this and opened his mouth to answer when a low chuckle came from behind them. They both whirled guiltily, then relaxed when they saw Ensui, Baken at his side, with his arms crossed in front of him and an amused look on his face.

"Am I to understand," he drawled, "that Yoshino dragged me out of my warm house to track down her wayward children and the whole time you were canoodling in an alley?"

They both turned bright red and Mayu gasped, annoyed. "Ensui-niisan! Don't be crude! We were  _plotting_ , not canoodling."

"Uh huh," he said, looking unimpressed. "Come on, we can come up with a story about Mayu getting lost in the forest while looking for a secret rare mushroom she needed for her special new experiment and that Shikamaru was her brave prince who went to find her and bring her home."

Shikamaru saw Mayu's thoughtful expression and groaned. "Mayu, no, she won't believe that!"

The next day, Mayu pulled Shikamaru into her room on his way back from the shower.

"We need to tell him," she hissed in a low voice.

"We do?" he asked, already resigned.

"Yes, but he can't know it was us, because I don't want Tsunade-sama to lock me in a cell the rest of my life or punch through my heart."

Shikamaru slumped over. "Troublesome. Fine. I'll think of something and let you know." Mayu bounced on her toes a few times, then leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, Shika, I knew I could count on you." She skipped out of her room to get to breakfast.

Three days later, after dabbing scent suppressants to various parts of their body and pulling on gloves, they broke into Naruto's apartment while he was out at Ichiraku's. Shikamaru carefully set a 'so, you're a jinchuuriki, and here's the proof, but don't worry you're not evil,' informational packet on his pillow. He sprayed some extra scent inhibitor over it and continued spraying as they left the apartment silently.

"Well, that was anticlimactic. Is it wise for a... _you know_...to have such crappy security?" she asked as they entered the Nara compound.

Shikamaru shrugged. "He usually has an ANBU guard at night. But they watch him, not his apartment, so it's fine, they wouldn't have seen us." Mayu didn't bother asking how he knew that - she wasn't the only one good at information gathering.

Naruto didn't come to school for a week and Mayu began to worry that they'd made a mistake. Two days after the Great Break In ("Ugh,  _don't call it that_ , Mayu, seriously"), Shikaku came into Mayu's room while she was laying in bed reading and sat on her bed.

"So," he said and she slowly lowered her book at his tone. He looked a mix between proud and pained as he spoke. "I had an interesting meeting with Tsunade-sama today. Did you know, she's distantly related to Naruto?"

Mayu frowned, trying to seem confused and clueless about the turn of the conversation. "No, I didn't. Why doesn't he live with her?"

"You going to try to pretend you don't know?"

"Uh." Mayu studied his face, then relaxed. He didn't want her to admit to it. Okay, she could do that.

"Why would I know something personal like that? It's probably because she's an old drunk that nobody would allow to raise a child," she said and almost laughed at the slight  _thunk_ she heard outside her window.

So she was right, there was somebody listening in. She was a little flattered that she had garnered enough attention that Tsunade had ordered Shikaku to try and trick her into admitting to her misdeeds.

He sighed. "Don't talk about our Hokage that way, brat. Well, apparently they've gotten close since she came back," and god, the last thing that kid needed was somebody as brash as Tsunade as a role model, what the hell, universe?

"A few days ago he burst into her office, upset and demanding answers. Somebody dropped off a package of sensitive information in his apartment. They didn't leave a trace, but somehow they seemed to have figured out classified intel from putting together certain clues around them, then passed it on. Does that sound like something anybody we know would do?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and Mayu fought to keep from snorting at the roundabout conversation they were having.

Shikaku knew she had done it, Mayu knew she had done it, yet they were both pretending like she hadn't and therefore had to talk around the subject so as not to 'give anything away' to the genius child who would take a clue and run with it.

"Um. No? Is Naruto okay? I mean, he's not in danger, is he?" she asked, honestly worried.

He waved his hand in the air. "No, no, he's fine. He actually seems better, after getting this information." And yep, that was a proud smile. "But he really wasn't supposed to see it until he was much older, so there are some very angry people in the council."

"Oh, dear," Mayu said and Shikaku had to turn away from the window and hold his breath to keep from laughing.

"Mm. Well, I'm glad to hear you didn't have anything to do with it. Thanks, Mayu-chan."

"You're welcome, papa."

And that was that. Naruto returned to school eventually, looking thoughtful but more at peace with things, and Mayu and Shikamaru made an effort to invite him over about once a month though they didn't show too much interest, considering they were already suspects in the Great Reveal ("Okay, Mayu, you have to stop naming these things," Shikamaru said when she started calling it that).

Their family fell into a rhythm over the following months - Shikamaru and Mayu both continued training with Yoshino three times a week, with Mayu using the time Shikamaru was with Shikaku doing super-secret Nara stuff to work on her puppet technique. Saturdays she spent with Ensui when he wasn't on a mission and at Akinobu's shop when he was. Shikamaru usually spent Saturdays with Chouji - Ino had stopped really hanging around with them about halfway through their second year. 

Sundays were family days. Shikaku was almost always home on Sundays and they made it a point to laze around the house. Shikamaru had grown like a weed and at eleven was now all gangly limbs and squeaking voice, but considering Mayu was in her own awkward phase of growth, where she kept running into door jams and flailing her too-skinny arms and legs about, she figured she didn't really have room to judge.

All four of them were lying on the hill, even Yoshino, staring up at the sky and enjoying the late summer heat, when Mayu suddenly sat up, panicked. "Oh crap!" she said, causing the rest of the family to tense. "I forgot about -"

A  _cracking_ noise from her chemistry lab could be heard all the way across the field and when they turned their heads to see what had happened, there was magenta smoke flowing from the vent in the roof.

There was silence for a heartbeat, then Mayu broke it with a meek, "Ah. Look at that. It worked. Uh. Kind of."

Shikamaru groaned, Yoshino sighed explosively, and Shikaku pinched his nose. Then they stood up and went to calm down the clan members who had appeared to make sure they weren't under attack.

"Well," Shikaku drawled when Mayu sheepishly showed them the chemical smoke bombs she was working on, "you continue to make things interesting, Mayu-chan."

She knew he didn't mind, though, when he placed his hand on her head and smiled.


	4. Graduation and Genin Teams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The month of the Graduation Exams ends up being a bit more stressful than Mayu anticipated, and she remembers something that was maybe best left forgotten...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter has a brief 'suicide to escape torture' part. Just skip the flashback if that's too ick for you, there's a little recap after in a convo she has with someone.

Mayu tapped her pen impatiently against the paper in front of her, zoning out Iruka-sensei's review for the graduation test. Her cheek was resting on her fist, propped up by her elbow on the table, and she let her gaze roam idly around the room. Out of the original ninety-ish children who had started at the Academy with Mayu, only thirty-three were left.

A third of them were children from the main clans, another third were from non-clan affiliated ninja families, and the rest were a mix of orphans and civilian children. Shikaku had mentioned it was an incredibly low graduation number and that there was a bit of a hush-hush investigation going on to see why. Mayu had her own ideas on the cause, but so far nobody had found proof of Mizuki's misdeeds. She had to admit, he was subtle, but now that Shikaku's attention had been drawn to him, it was only a matter of time before the noose closed around his neck.

She gave an evil little  _fufufu_ at the thought and Shikamaru glanced over at her, clearly wondering what she could possibly be laughing like that about. Mayu just shrugged and allowed herself to drop her head onto his shoulder.

"Mayu-chan, stop using Shikamaru as a pillow and pay attention!" Iruka said and slammed his hand down on his desk. 

 _How does such a sweet man manage to turn so scary in the blink of an eye?_ she thought to herself as she jolted upright.

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei," she said in such a meek tone that Kiba had to stifle his laughter in front of her.

At lunch, she flopped dramatically onto Shikamaru's back and demanded a piggyback to their tree. He grumbled but obediently placed his hands under her knees while she reached over him to grab their bentos from their cubbies. Mayu then buried her face into his neck, breathing in the spicy soap he and Shikaku favored and dozing contentedly.

Kiba helped Shikamaru get a grumbling Mayu off his back and onto the ground when they reached their usual lunch spot. "Mayu-chan, you've been living with Naras for too long," Kiba said. "You can fall asleep anywhere."

She flapped her hand at him. "M'tired."

Shikamaru sighed when she made grabby hands and obediently sat down at her head so she could use him as a pillow. "You wouldn't be tired if you didn't spend all night in your creepy mad scientist hut," he said, opening her bento box and breaking her chopsticks apart for her.

When Mayu widened her eyes into a pleading expression he picked up a piece of fish, then dropped it into her open mouth.

"S' not creepy!" she said around the bite. She didn't try and deny the mad scientist part.

"Shikamaru, what they say about the men in your family is true - the women totally own you!" Kiba said while Chouji laughed.

Mayu pointed vaguely in their direction, eyes closed, and swallowed her bite.

"Don't you discourage him. Shikamaru is perfect the way he is.” She patted his leg. He ran his fingers through her hair and fed her another bite in response, unbothered by Kiba's ribbing and Chouji's laughing.

"Do you guys think you're ready for the exams next month?" Chouji asked in a worried voice after Kiba had run off to play a game of kickball that was happening across the yard.

Mayu let Shikamaru reply since her answer would have been something like  _there's no possible way I could fail it, it's mind-numbingly boring and simplistic_ , and that seemed insensitive, or something.

Shikamaru hummed, then nodded. "Sure. You'll do fine, Chouji, you're a good student."

Mayu dragged her feet to their afternoon sparring class, not looking forward to watching the painful display that was eleven and twelve-year-olds trying to dominate each other. It had gotten better since last year, the skill levels had evened out a bit, but most of the advanced students were still jerks to the less talented. Kids were the worst, seriously. She always thought uneasily of  _Lord of Flies_ when some child trained by their ninja parents sent a poor civilian kid flying with too much force.

The first pairing was two civilian girls who exchanged a few halfhearted blocks and blows before one of them managed to knock the other out of the circle. Hinata was then paired against Chouji and Mayu winced and wondered what Iruka was thinking when they both stuttered and bowed and looked incredibly uncomfortable trying to hit the other. Iruka finally called time, expression pained.

Then he called up Shikamaru and Sasuke and Mayu tensed. She  _hated_ it when Shikamaru had to go up against some of the rougher boys. Shikaku's fierce reputation made them think that they could prove something by kicking the crap out of his kid and Shikamaru just wasn't going to put the effort forth into beating up his fellow classmates. Plus, they were taijutsu only spars and an Uchiha was almost always going to have the upper hand over a Nara in hand-to-hand. Unless is was Ensui, of course.

Shikamaru slouched into the ring after squeezing her hand in reassurance. Sasuke smirked and stepped in as well, going into his ready stance. Shikamaru took his hands out of his pockets in response, still looking bored.

Mayu clenched her hands into fists when Sasuke burst into motion, spinning into a kick aimed at Shikamaru's head. Shikamaru leaned back, Sasuke's foot barely missing his face by an inch. Then Shikamaru into a backward roll before coming up and blocking one of Sasuke's punches.

He wasn't quite fast enough to block the follow-up punch, but he spun away from it to minimize the damage. He crouched down in the middle of the turn and extended his leg to sweep Sasuke's feet from under him. Sasuke jumped over it then flipped over the top of Shikamaru and landed behind him.

Before Shikamaru could recover, he gave a vicious punch to his kidney. Shikamaru stumbled forward a few steps, face twisted in pain, and Sasuke kicked the back of his leg, sending him to his knees.

Shikamaru sighed and Sasuke darted in front of him.

"I yie-" his attempt to yield was cut off by Sasuke's foot snapping across his face, making a horrible cracking noise. Mayu gasped and Iruka called a stop to the match, scolding Sasuke for excessive force against an ally.

"You asshole!" Mayu yelled at him and ran to Shikamaru's side. He had fallen forward, barely catching himself with one hand, holding his jaw with the other. She could see blood dripping onto the ground from his mouth. "He was yielding, you absolute shit for brains!"

"Mayu-chan, language!" Iruka half-heartedly scolded.

Sasuke's smug expression faltered, but he quickly covered his unease. "He should spend more time practicing and less time watching clouds," he said and turned his face away.

Mayu paused where she was helping Shikamaru to his feet and slowly turned her face towards him.

"Shikamaru is  _ten times_ the shinobi you are. You're just the Uchiha leftovers, riding on the glory of your brother and father."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he actually took a step back from her, looking as though he'd been the one kicked in the face. The ring had gone suspiciously silent, their peers leaning forward to catch the drama.

Shikamaru sighed. "Mayu, don't be mean. If I can't take a little kick to the face then I'm certainly not as awesome as you think," he scolded.

Mayu relaxed and turned to study his face, which was swollen and starting to turn a dark ugly purple already.

"If he broke your jaw I'm going to break his skull," she muttered. "Iruka-sensei, I'm taking him home so Mom can check him over."

It wasn't a question. Iruka shrugged and waved her away, obviously relieved to have her angry aura somewhere else.

When she passed a red-faced Sasuke she glared at him and hissed, "This isn't over, Uchiha."

Shikamaru sighed but followed her dutifully, knowing she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Mayu ignored the furious glares of Sasuke's admirers, unconcerned with any half-witted revenge schemes they might come up with. She really couldn't wait to graduate, and was actually pretty relieved that there was usually only one kunoichi per team. Having to deal with a fangirl would probably be the absolute worst-case scenario.

The walk home was long and silent, Shikamaru in too much pain to speak and Mayu too angry. Mayu dropped Shikamaru off at the table and grabbed him an ice pack before heading into the backyard to look for Yoshino. Her mom fussed over Shikamaru, who in turn was starting to look embarrassed about the whole thing.

"Just a sparring accident," Mayu said when she asked what happened, sensing Shikamaru wouldn't want her to discuss details.

Yoshino took in Mayu’s stiff posture. "Oh, and is the person who is responsible for this still alive?" she teased and held a green glowing hand to Shikamaru's face, who relaxed as the pain and swelling faded.

"This isn't broken," Yoshino said and Mayu breathed out a sigh of relief.

After Yoshino went back out to the garden, Shikamaru and Mayu sat in awkward silence, the former glaring down at the table. Mayu studied him and her chest tightened at what she saw. She reached a hand towards him but he pulled back.

"Shikamaru, you don't have to be embarrassed. Sasuke does that to everyone."

He huffed and crossed his arms. "I'm supposed to be some sort of genius. Yet I need a girl to defend me from some snotty kid."

Mayu bristled. "Oh, and what's wrong with a girl defending you?" 

Shikamaru sighed and deflated. "Nothing. It's not -" He tugged on his ponytail in frustration. "I just want to be able to protect you, that's the whole point, but if it's you always -"

"That is not the point. We're partners - that means we both get strong and protect  _each other_ , okay? Don't think you get to leave me behind. We're gonna work hard together, and one day one of us is going to rub that smug bastard's face into the dirt. Of course, it's tough to beat him right now, he's been taught by Itachi and Fugaku his whole life!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as her voice became worshipful. "You sound really creepy when you talk about Fugaku-sama, you know?"

Mayu huffed but was relieved that his grumpy mood seemed to have abated.

"I wish you were going to be on my genin team. We'd be an awesome combination - nobody would stand a chance!" she said. "Instead I'll probably be stuck with a bunch of annoying kids and I'll have to suffer for however long it takes to become a chunin."

Yoshino had walked into the kitchen as Mayu was speaking. "Oh, Mayu, don't write off your team before you even get to know them. I thought my genin team was an absolute disaster, but in the end, they were like my family, especially after my grandmother died." Yoshino then sent them a wicked grin.

"I never told you about my genin team, did I?" she asked as she sat down at the table with them and set her pile of herbs in the middle to sort through.

"No," Mayu said, intrigued, and reached to help. Shikamaru looked just as interested while he leaned forward to grab a pile of herbs for sorting.

"Well, one of them was a broody second son who barely spoke and wore all black, convinced nobody could ever know the pain of having a talented older brother who was destined to be clan head." She leaned forward and spoke in a low tone like it was a secret. "The other was a by-the-book orphan who resented us for having families. Both were very talented, but it took a few near-death experiences before we really meshed well, and once we did, it was the most amazing thing in the world. There's nothing like clicking with a team - knowing that you can trust them to watch your back while they know you'll do the same."

"Who are they?" Shikamaru asked.

Yoshino smile was wistful. "The nerdy by-the-book kid was named Eiji. He died in the last war, protecting his team. He was a very good man, and I'll always miss him." They were all silent for a moment, and then Yoshino grinned wickedly. "And the brooding second son? Why, he lives just down the street."

Mayu blinked, then her jaw dropped when she realized what Yoshino was saying. "Ensui-niisan is the guy who wore dark colors and lived in perpetual man-pain?"

Yoshino laughed and nodded. "Yep! Man, I could tell you stories..." And for the next hour or so, she did, until both children were laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes and all of the bad feelings from the afternoon were forgotten.

Two days later, Sasuke sat down at his desk and opened one of his books that had been stored in his cubby. A glitter and paint bomb exploded in his face. Mayu did her best to look innocent, but knew she probably just looked disappointed that his reflexes had allowed him to close his eyes fast enough to avoid being blinded by a combination of rainbow glitter and neon green paint.

The class burst into laughter and Sasuke sat frozen in shock. Shikamaru hit his forehead on the desk in front of him a few times. Slowly, Sasuke turned in his seat to level a venomous glare at Mayu that completely lost its effectiveness now that he was covered in green paint and glitter.

Mayu laughed when a glob of paint dripped down the end of his nose. Iruka began yelling for silence and sent Sasuke to the bathroom to wash up, though unbeknownst to the teacher or Sasuke it would be fruitless with soap and water. Without the solution Mayu had created as a counter, Sasuke would be green for at least a week.

Iruka knew she had done it - he'd never been fooled by her average act, and knew she was vicious when riled - but couldn't prove it, so instead he 'sweetly' asked her to stay behind and clean up the green paint splattered across Sasuke's workspace. She shrugged - it was an easy task once she used her solution, and took only half an hour of her time.

That night, a blank-faced Itachi showed up after dinner, Yoshino leading him into the family room with a confused look on her face.

"Mayu-chan, it's for you." Shikaku raised an eyebrow and Shikamaru slumped.

"Itachi-san," Shikaku greeted in a tired voice. "What's my daughter done this time?"

Itachi pursed his lips and Mayu thought he might be amused, but he was pretty hard to read without a lot of exposure.

"Actually, I just wanted her advice on something," he said with a tilt of his head.

Mayu laughed nervously. "Uh, I'm not sure what I could help you with, but sure, Itachi-sempai, I'll assist if I can."

He seemed discomfited by the 'sempai,' but continued. "My brother seems to have gotten himself covered in some sort of permanent ink."

He stopped speaking long enough to let that sink in and Shikaku groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"I have heard you're quite good with chemistry and was hoping you would be able to come up with some way to...remove it from his person."

Mayu glanced at her family. Yoshino was turned away, staring out the window, but her shoulders were shaking. Shikamaru and Shikaku both seemed to be vacillating between pride and horror.

"Ah...do you have...a sample of this ink?" she asked and a choking sound came from Yoshino.

His lip twitched, and yep, that was definitely amusement. "I do." He reached into his pouch to pull out the shirt Sasuke had been wearing that day.

Everyone stared at the blue shirt with liberal amounts of neon green glitter paint spattered across it.

"Oh, my," Mayu said. "Yes, I can see how that would be inconvenient." She paused, then couldn't help herself. "I didn't realize Sasuke was so fond of green."

A red-faced Yoshino choked out something that sounded vaguely like 'excuse me' and dashed from the room, though they could all hear her muffled laughter from the kitchen. Itachi managed to look disapproving and unaffected at the same time, which Mayu found impressive and pretty intimidating.

She took the shirt from his hands and pretended to study it intently, making thoughtful noises.

"Oh, hm, yes, I think I can do something about it. Unfortunately," she did her best to look tragic, "it may take me a day or two to finish it. I've been studying for graduation, preparing to be a genin, you know how it is.”

Itachi just looked plain disapproving at that. "Ah, I was under the impression something like this wouldn't be difficult for you."

Mayu bristled. "I never said it was  _difficult_ , did I?"

"She'll have it done by tomorrow," Shikamaru said from the couch in a firm voice. "She just likes to give herself extra time so everything's perfect, but I'm sure this will be just fine with a quick fix, Mayu."

She deflated but knew she had already lost.

"Fine. Tell him I'll give it to him at school tomorrow. You should also tell him," she added, looking Itachi straight in the eye, "that he should be more careful next time."

She knew Sasuke would understand exactly what she meant by those words, and from the small head tilt Itachi graced her with, he did too. There probably wasn't much he didn't know about his little brother. In fact, she had heard he was a little creepy about how focused he was on Sasuke. She should probably be thankful he wasn't burying her body in a training ground right now for humiliating his precious little brother.

"Thank you very much for your help, Mayu-chan. It was nice to see you again Shikaku-san. Please give my best to Yoshino-san," he somehow said with a straight face. "And good luck in the graduation exam next month Shikamaru."

Then he was gone in a swirl of leaves and she was left having to explain herself to her family.

The next day, after giving a green and glittering Sasuke the treatment to his problem, Mayu was slumped over in her desk chair.

"Itachi-sempai is so clever," she moaned. "He knew if he demanded I fixed it I'd deny everything and refuse. Approaching it as an innocent request forced me to give in. Now everything is ruined."

Shikamaru patted her head in response.

"Good morning, Mayu-chan," a voice that she had learned to hate for the past six months said from next to the desk.

"Noooo," she whined. "Akira, I'm dealing with the destruction of one of my dastardly plots, I don't have the energy for you.”

She looked over at the brown haired, brown eyed boy who had decided he and Mayu were 'destined for each other' after she beat him in a spar in December. No matter how many times she said no, he kept asking her out and she found it infuriating.

Akira just laughed and Shikamaru stiffened. "She said go away," he drawled.

Mayu looked over at Akira's friends, who were laughing and pushing each other and watching the spectacle. Ah, so that's where his swagger came from. Twelve-year-old boys were awful. Well, other than Shikamaru.

"I'm not talking to you, Nara, I'm talking to your sister," he said.

"She's not my sister," he said at the same time Mayu said, "He's not my brother."

Akira looked confused. "But, your parents..."

"I'm their ward, not that it's any of your business," Mayu said. "Now leave."

Akira looked like he would have said more, but Iruka stepped into the room, and he turned and hurried back to his seat, laughing in that cocky way only young boys seemed to manage when his friends nudged him and clapped him on the back.

"Ugh, that's disgusting," Mayu said.

Shikamaru just glared down at his notebook and didn't reply.

"Okay, kids, today we have a guest lecturer," Iruka said and Mayu could tell by the tension in his body and the seriousness on his face that he wasn't exactly happy about either the person coming to talk to them or the content.

She really hoped it wasn't a repeat of the unit they did on Seduction and Infiltration. Half the boys ended up with nosebleeds when their curvy, gorgeous guest lecturer started talking about the importance of identifying pleasure points.

A tall, thin woman entered the classroom, carrying a small leather satchel under one arm. She had short black hair cut into a messy bob and thin wire glasses sitting on her slightly-too-large nose. Her skin was a dark tan, like she spent a lot of time in the sun, and her lips were a thin slash on her face.

Mayu studied her and felt sweat break out around her hairline. This woman hurt people, on a daily basis. And though she didn't like it, she didn't necessarily hate it either. As her eyes swept the room, Mayu realized that if this woman's boss sat any one of them down in front of her and told her to, she would hurt them without remorse.

"This is Icharu Akane, and she's visiting from the Torture and Interrogation Unit. Please give her your full attention."

"In less than a month, most of you will become ninja of Konohagakure. I'm here to make sure your expectations of the ninja life are based in reality," she said in a clipped voice, setting down the bag on Iruka's desk with an ominous thunk and clatter of metal on metal.

"As you know, our shinobi and kunoichi don't always come home. If you've made it this far, your teachers have informed you of the possibility of a young death far from your homes, with no chance of your remains being brought back to your family."

There was uncomfortable shifting while the woman coolly assessed them.

"What hasn't been discussed is the possibility that when you don't come home, you haven'tdied, at least not right away."

Confused murmurs swept the room, but Mayu just closed her eyes, already knowing where this was going. She calmly moved her hands to her lap to cover their shaking. She opened her eyes when Akane began speaking again.

"Picture, if you will, a scenario. You and your team are in enemy territory. You've successfully acquired your objective, but a few of you are injured and enemy forces are closing in on you. You are the captain - what does that mean?" she asked.

There was silence for a moment and then Sakura raised her hand.

"Yes, you," Akane said, nodding towards her.

"As the captain, it is your responsibility to ensure the completion of the mission and the safety of your team, in that order of importance."

Akane nodded. "That's right. So, you order your team to continue on without you and stay behind to lay a trap. You are successful in that you hold back their forces long enough for your team to escape. However," Akane said into a silence so complete that Mayu could hear the sounds of crickets outside the window, "you are injured and can't escape and not all of the enemy forces are dead. Instead of killing you, they disable your suicide jutsu and capture you."

Mayu concentrated on controlling her breathing as her anxiety built. A hand gripped hers under the table and she glanced over at Shikamaru, who was giving her a concerned look. She managed a small smile and felt some of her fear abate, then gave his hand a squeeze in thanks.

"You're taken to their holding cells, where they leave you for three days. You're cold, hungry, thirsty, and terrified. You know that nobody is coming for you." Akane had walked to a window and was looking out with her arms crossed over chest, looking for all the world like she was unaware of the effect her words were having on her audience.

 _A cold cement floor, she hasn't had a drink for days, are they coming for her? Will they save her?_ Mayu gritted her teeth against the snippet of memory. 

 _Not now,_ she told herself and carefully wrapped the memories pushing up from her subconscious into chains.

This was a trick Sherlock had taught her, a way to keep anxiety at bay until it could be dealt with later. He had impressed upon her the importance of only using it when absolutely necessary because it wasn't healthy to repress. When she let up on the chains later, she knew it would hit her even harder, like pressurized salt water.

"Eventually, a man enters the room and takes you out of your cell, and down a series of long hallways to another room, where he chains you to a table. There is no way of escape - they're good at what they do. Then, he starts questioning you. About your village, your name, your mission, whatever. Of course, you don't answer, because you're a loyal ninja of Konohagakure. After hours and hours, they give up on being nice."

Akane walked over to the bag and slowly opened it, pulling out a roll of leather.

"That's when they bring this into the room." she unhooked the clasp holding it shut and rolled out the satchel onto the desk.

Mayu stared at the tools that were revealed from the leather folds. Akane ran a finger down a pair of pliers, then lifted it to tap a scalpel.

"I don't think I need to go into detail on what they do with this. People who specialize in torture can keep a victim alive for weeks while still subjecting someone to great levels of pain," she said.

Mayu doubled down on the chains, which were beginning to strain against the force of the memories trying to surface. She knew she'd gone pale and sweaty and that her scent had soured as well, because Kiba to twitched in front of her, though he didn't turn around. She silently thanked him. If she freaked out during this lecture, that would definitely put a red flag on her record - not good.

She had to keep it together - she could tell Akane was winding down. Shikamaru was rubbing his thumb over her knuckles soothingly and was so tense she worried he would jump out of his chair and drag her out of the classroom. She was only a little disappointed when he stayed put - he also knew the consequences of giving away her discomfort.

Akane rolled the tools back up and replaced them in her bag before giving them her full attention again.

"Eventually, the shinobi or kunoichi in this situation will die, whether from torture inflicted wounds or because he or she found a way to die more quickly. This is a fate that nobody thinks or talks about when discussing the glory of a ninja death. Not everybody is lucky enough to die next to their comrades. Some do so in a dank cell in hostile territory, alone, and their bodies are never seen again.

"And so," she said, meeting the gazes of a few of the students, "you must ask yourself, is this the life you really want? Thank you." She bowed.

There was stunned silence, and Mayu could hear her breaths coming in little gasps. Then a loud smacking noise echoed through the classroom and Naruto, who was sitting two rows down and to the left of Mayu, stood up and pointed down at the woman. The sound had been him hitting his desk.

"If you think that's going to scare us away, lady, then you're crazy!" he said. "I'm going to become the strongest ninja in the village, and then Hokage - then nobody will get away with trying to torture my fellow Konoha nin!" 

Just like that, the tension was broken and Mayu let out a breath of relief when the classroom erupted into noise. Sakura was yelling at Naruto for being an idiot that didn't take the lecture seriously and a few boys were discussing how they would never break under torture, and ways in which they would make their epic escape.

Shikamaru took it as a chance to scoot his chair closer and wrap his arm around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and breathed in and out a few times, his smell reminding her of home and helping her calm down. The memories were still pushing against her chains, but they were less insistent now and she knew it would hold.

Iruka and Mizuki were attempting to calm down the class and Akane had disappeared. Finally, everyone was quiet and Iruka was giving a soothing speech and letting the class know they could come and speak with him about any fears or questions they had from the guest lecture at any time.

As soon as lunch hit, Mayu was out of her chair and heading out of the door, not bothering to grab any of her things before rushing down the hall and exiting the building, through the Academy yard, and into Konoha. She could feel the pulsing of the memories pushing at the chains, and she needed to get somewhere safe and quiet to deal with it.

Mayu wasn't surprised to find her feet taking her through the fence a ways down the path from her house, where Yoshino wouldn't see her, and across the field into the Nara forest. It was the quietest, safest place she knew. She also wasn't surprised to discover that Shikamaru had followed her and was now gasping for breaths of air.

"Mayu! What -"

She grabbed his hand and shook her head. "Shikamaru, I'm going to meditate now. You have to promise me, no matter what, you won't get anybody else, or tell anybody what happens."

"Mayu-chan -" he protested, brows furrowing.

"I'll explain after, I promise, just...promise me Shikamaru. Please!" He stared into her face and finally nodded.

"Of course, Mayu, anything."

She nodded her thanks, relieved, and motioned for him to sit. After he did, she laid down with her head in his lap. "Promise you'll stay with me," she whispered, shaking with nerves.

He grabbed her hand. "I promise.”

 _No more putting it off,_ she thought to herself.

She took a few moments to meditate, clearing her mind and relaxing her body, knowing that the better prepared she was for this, the easier it would be. After half an hour or so, she dropped into her mindscape and winced at what she saw.

A large red folder labeled with the word  _Moriarty_ waspulsing and emitting muffled screams and laughs. It was in the middle of the cave, and the whole area shuddered with each pulse. Mayu pursed her lips when a particularly large shudder sent a few of her filing cabinets holding various folders to tipping over.

With a sigh, she pulled back, out of the cave, until she was hovering over the rock dome she had created as a protective layer to her mind over the years. She pressed on the oil-slicked surface and it bent with the pressure, like elastic, before snapping back into place.

 _Things are looking okay here, so the structural integrity isn't compromised yet..._ another shudder had her racing back into the dark cave with its rows and rows of filing cabinets and touching down in front of the red folder.

"Right. Here goes," she muttered and raised a hand to remove the glowing blue chains.

They disappeared when they hit the ground. As soon as the last one was gone, the folder exploded into a series of smaller folders, which raced around her in a red blur, until one detached and slammed into her. She closed her eyes and let herself remember.

* * *

 

Diana Holmes rolled her eyes at the number flashing on the screen of her phone, juggling her books so she could answer it and walk at the same time. All around her were university students rushing off to this class or that, or if they were lucky and on a break, lying in the unseasonal London sunshine.

"Couldn't you give me longer than 10 seconds after class ends before calling, dad?" she said into the phone as soon as she managed to get it to her ear.

"Well, if you had returned my call this morning, I wouldn't be so desperate to talk with you."

Diana sighed but knew better than to argue. "What is so important that it couldn't wait, then?" She stepped around a group of professors complaining about budget cuts.

"It's your grandmother's birthday tonight - Anthea's laid out a dress for you to wear."

Diana smiled and a shook of her head. "You know, most graduate students don't have to deal with their parents dressing them up for dinner parties." 

"Well, most graduate students aren't seventeen," he replied easily.

"Ha, I bet normal seventeen-year-old girls dress themselves, too." Diana didn't really mind - Anthea had great taste, after all.

"But that isn't why you called," Diana said, turning down the sidewalk to head for the parking garage.

"No, of course not," Mycroft scoffed, like calling to chat about his daughter's wardrobe was beneath him. Which, to be fair, it was - the man pretty much ran the British government, after all.

She sighed at his pause. "You want me to convince Uncle Sherlock to come to the birthday party," Diana said in a flat voice.

"Yes, that would be ideal." They both knew he'd never agree with anything Mycroft asked of him, but there was a 50/50 chance he'd give into Diana.

"Fine, I'll head there now." She cradled her phone between her shoulder and ear and searched for her key in her purse.

"Alright," he said. Then, he inhaled a quick breath. "Diana, you need to get out of there," he said urgently.

Part of her sighed - of course, her father was creepily watching her on CCTV while they talked on the phone, but the larger part of her was already looking around. 

_Shit, empty parking garage level, dim lighting due to a suspicious amount of bulbs burnt out. Exit: fifteen meters behind me, or twenty meters southwest._

"Five minutes, Diana, and my men will be there. Hold them off for five minutes." His forced calm sent adrenaline through her and without a second thought she dropped her books, clutched her phone in one hand, then spun around and ran for the exit. She heard the sounds of footsteps and quiet curses behind her.

She barely made it halfway before something large slammed into her, bringing her to the ground in a painful skid of limbs. Her head hit the cement and stars burst across her vision, leaving her body unable to properly listen when she demanded that it fight. Her phone had flown from her hand, skidding and bouncing across the floor until it was out of reach.

Someone grabbed her wrists and wrenched them behind her back in a well-practiced move.  _Professionals_ , she thought to herself just as a black bag was pulled over her head and she felt the pinch of a needle going into her skin before she lost consciousness.

They kept her in a cold, dark cellar for almost two days before they came for her. She had woken there with a sore face where it had connected with the pavement and discovered she had been completely stripped and put into cheap nursing scrubs. When she ran fingers over the spot on her arm where the tracking chip Mycroft forced her to submit to had been inserted, it was painful and swollen where they had cut it out of her.

The first thing she'd done was crawl around the dirt-packed floor, running her hands over the walls - also dirt - looking for a door. All she had found was a hole dug into the corner that stank of human feces. She had gagged and skittered to the other side of her prison as fast as she could, breathing hard.

 _I'm not the first prisoner here,_ she thought to herself and tried to decide whether that was a good or bad sign.

On the positive side, if her mysterious kidnapper had used this place before, there would be more evidence to help point her father and uncle towards her hiding place. On the negative side, this could be a well-established base of operations, which could be harder to find on its own merits for multiple reasons.

The other thing she noticed was that she couldn't find a door, which probably meant the entrance was a trap door from the ceiling. So. There would be no escape there unless she could somehow scale a packed dirt wall barefoot. 

 _If I were trying to trap a Holmes, this is the exact sort of place I'd put them,_ she thought to herself and found the implications terrifying. If she was right, they knew what she could do if given half an inch of wiggle room and would do everything they could to stay one step ahead of her.

The next two days were torturous, which was the point. She was cold and terribly thirsty, her hunger pains having abated hours before, and had lived through the uncomfortable experience of using the facilities in the corner. Still, when they finally appeared, dropping down from the ceiling, she fought - of course, she did. The light coming from the trap door had blinded her and she was weak from  being beaten, drugged, and starved, but she still managed to break a nose and send one of her attackers flying into the corner with the hole in the ground, where he landed with a satisfying squelch and a sound of disgust.

Finally, one of them landed a good backhand across her face, sending her sprawling, and they quickly moved in with zip-ties. They were two hulking men, all muscle, and when they called an all clear a set of rickety fold-out stairs descended into the cellar. She was thrown over a shoulder and gagged at the smell coming from his back, doing her best to arch away from it. This must be the one she sent flying into her latrine earlier.

Since physical defense didn't work, she started spewing vitriol in true Holmes fashion as they ascended the stairs and entered a hallway. She told them all the ways her father would kill them, each of them more painful than the last. She deduced that one of their wives was cheating on them and that the other was a closet gay. She insulted their intelligence and their looks and anything else she could see had a chance of pissing them off until one of them - an older man, mercenary, ex-military, with a receding hairline, doing this for the money unlike his friend who just liked hurting people - gagged her.

Finally, they came to a thick metal door that ex-military had to strain to open. Sewage-back dropped her painfully on the cement floor and she took in her surroundings with fear-filled eyes. The room was a cement eight by eight square, with a metal table in the middle holding implements that looked like they belonged in a medieval torture dungeon, a drain in the floor, and what looked like a dentist's chair with restraints. There was also a tripod with a video camera, set to record.

One of them grabbed her by her dark curly hair - identical to her wayward uncle's - and dragged her to the chair. It took both of them to hold her down and get her restrained and they seemed impervious to her muffled screams of rage. Then, they turned around and left.

Diana struggled against the restraints, trying to find a weakness, any weakness, but none made itself known to her. Fear was churning in her gut and she had to take deep breaths through her nose to calm herself. 

_It's okay, you're a Holmes, you'll figure this out._

She had just started to calm herself down when the door swung open and a small, nondescript man wearing a tailored suit swept into the room before it slammed shut behind him. She narrowed her eyes at him, seeing behind his deliberately unassuming demeanor. This was the man in charge - he was pleased with himself and confident that anything he wanted, he would get. And his eyes...she shivered when she got to his eyes. Intelligent, assessing, and cold - there was no humanity there.

He laughed in delight when he saw her shrink away from him. "Oh, yes! You see it, don't you? Most people don't, but I guess there's no getting anything past yourfamily," he said in a high voice as he crossed the room to her side.

"Oh, tut, tut." He reached for her face and ignored her attempts to pull away from him. "You must have upset the guards for them to gag you. I myself enjoy to hear the screams, you know, so we'll just pop this off."

He removed the gag and Diana went on the offensive, just as she had with the guards. He let her go for a few minutes, eyes amused as she threatened, insulted, and deduced horrible things about him. Finally, she wound down and leveled what Anthea always assured her was a very terrifying glare at him.

He laughed and clapped in delight, making her blink in shock.

"Oh, yes, that was perfect! You Holmeses do have sharp tongues, hmm? Put on a good show for your father and uncle, they're watching right now you know,” he said cheerfully and Diana felt her chest go cold.

"What?" she whispered, eyes darting to the camera, which had a red recording light.

He followed her gaze and waved to the camera. "Well, they aren't watching right  _now_ you know. Much too easy to track live video. But I'll be sending this to them later - unedited of course, so feel free to give them any message you'd like, I promise I won't cut it out."

"But - why?" she asked. And then, more importantly, "Who  _are_ you?"

The man gave her a fervent look. "Why? Well, I'd like to play a game with your uncle and father, and I've decided to have you be my starting move. This should get their attention, at any rate. And you can call me Moriarty. Now, Ms. Holmes, should we get started? I'm eager to play."

She began to shake as he walked to the table and started to mull over the options there. "Hmm, let's start with the fingers, shall we?"

 

000

 

Diana lay on the cool cement floor, sticky and tacky with the accumulated blood of the last few days, unable to move. Moriarty had his minions remove the table and chair each day when he was finished so that she didn't have access to any potential weapons or tools for escape - not that he had to worry about her being able to mount any sort of defense at this point.

She stared at the camera that was now recording from high in the corner where she couldn't reach it, still with a red light on, and imagined she could see her father there instead. Moriarty hadn't been lying about sending the video to her family, and she hated that she could tell. She hated that she could see how much he  _enjoyed_ her pain, that he really saw it as some twisted game.

Diana had tried her best not to scream, dropping into her mindscape and pushing the pain back for as long as possible, but eventually, even a mind like hers had to break. She couldn't speak through a broken jaw but desperately wanted to say a last goodbye to her family.

She took a rattling breath and an idea slowly made its way through her sluggish thoughts.  _Oh, morse code_. Diana knew her family would watch every moment of this video, looking for clues, torturing themselves so they could find her killer. And Moriarty knew it too. Diana pushed back the burning hatred she felt at that name. There was only one thing left she could do to defy him and she had every intention of going through with it.

Gathering her thoughts, she slowly began to blink her eyes in a pattern, making sure she put all of the sincerity she could into her face. 

 _Love you both. Not your fault. Sorry_.  _Take care of each other._ It was all she really had the energy for before she turned her attention to her last act.

Moriarty had whispered what she could expect the next day into her ear, making sure his lips were turned to the camera so that anybody watching could read what he was saying if they had the skill. Diana had been holding on to hope up until that moment, praying against all evidence she would be found before he killed her. But now, she was out of time. A conversation she'd had once with Sherlock had been running through her mind since the end of the first day in Moriarty's tender care.

_"Uncle Sherlock, what in the world is this list?" Diana asked as she set down the takeout she'd picked up on his table and caught sight of a scrap of paper he'd scribbled on. "Put finger through eye into brain, rip out own jugular, bite off tongue and choke in the blood/bleed out..."_

_He looked up from where he was sitting on his couch in his bathrobe, red-eyed from lack of sleep. "Ah, just making a list of possible ways one could kill oneself when low on options and tools but high on willpower."_

_"Jesus, don't let father see this, he'll have you hauled into a psych ward..."_

Two hundred and forty seconds after she'd said her goodbyes to the camera and turned her body away so she couldn't be seen, Diana was choking on her blood, counting down the seconds in her head. The cement was cold and the pain was finally fading from her body when she started laughing. It was a horrible, choking noise, obstructed by blood.

When Moriarty burst into the room, Diana knew he was too late and her laughter grew when he started screaming obscenities at her.  _I win,_ she thought to herself as her consciousness faded.

* * *

 

"Wake up! Mayu, wake up!" Mayu came out of her memory with a gasp, sitting bolt upright. Her hands went to her mouth and she let out a blood-curdling scream. Her sore throat told her it wasn't the first one, either.

Her breaths came in short pants and she was sobbing. There were hands on her face and a soothing voice was talking to her in low tones.

"Mayu-chan, you're okay, you're safe, I need you to breathe, okay? You're safe, I promise Mayu, just breath, please."

Mayu stared desperately into the brown eyes in front of her and they reminded her painfully of another pair of brown eyes, ones that she'd never see again because she  _died._ But these belonged to somebody else, somebody who was here and alive, right next to her. His name surfaced over the chaos of her memories, the feeling of being held down while someone  _cut -_

"Shikamaru." She sobbed with relief when she recognized him and flung herself against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, tightening them when she started sobbing, words falling from her mouth.

"I remembered, I remember what he did. He - he -" her voice became garbled. "I died, I  _died_."

"Mayu, who? What did he do?" He asked desperately. She just shook her head and continued to cry.

"Maybe I should go get -" he started.

"No!" Mayu yelled, hysterical. "No, Shika, you promised, you can't,  _please -"_

"Okay, okay, I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying right here. It's okay," he whispered and continued to soothe her until her sobs were reduced to hiccups. As she calmed, she slowly got her thoughts under control.

_So that was what happened. Okay, that was bad, but now you know, and you can deal with it._

She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, feeling her pulse slow. Mayu closed her eyes and dropped back into her mindscape. The files from the Moriarty folder were still fluttering around unchecked, flashing images and bits of sound, but they weren't pulsing red anymore.

She began gathering them to her and pushing them into the main folder. When things were semi-organized she opened her eyes again and felt more balanced.

She pulled back from the embrace and wiped at her face with her sleeves before glancing up at Shikamaru. Her heart clenched when she saw his face. He looked stricken and panicked, but he was trying to keep it together for her. She scooted back a few inches and then sat cross-legged on the ground, picking at the cuticles of her fingers.

"I guess I owe you an explanation," she said in a wavering voice.

"That would be...nice," he said carefully. "But you don't have to talk about it if -"

Mayu held up a hand and shook her head. "No, I want to tell you. I should have told you a long time ago, it's just..." she lifted her head and looked into his eyes, full of concern despite his now-slouched posture. "I didn't want you to see me differently. But, I want you to love me for me, not just one version of me."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, but he didn't comment. She knew his brain was probably racing with possibilities, but there was no way he would guess what she was going to say.

Without taking her eyes from him, she asked, "Do you believe in...reincarnation?"

Shikamaru blinked slowly before his eyes widened.

"Are you saying you're..." he drifted off and she shrugged. He was always quick to catch on to her leaps of logic - an impressive feat.

"I have memories from a past life, yes," she said carefully.

He was now blinking rapidly and she followed the play of emotions as they went across his face. Shock, disbelief, worry, thoughtfulness.

"Tell me," he demanded, leaning forward, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. He was willing to listen, then.

"The world from my first life, or at least the first I remember, is not this one. I have a few theories about alternate dimensions and diverging timelines...but we won't get into that," she said at his impatient look. "Anyway, it was very different than this one. There's no chakra, for one, or if there is I didn't know about it, and it wasn't widely known or used."

"Then how -?" he asked, looking intrigued.

"Technology was much more advanced," she said with a small smile. "Weapons, communication, information storage and distribution, travel - it was all much, much easier. Maybe someday I'll recreate a few things, but for now I don't want to draw that kind of attention to myself."

"And you - what were you like?" he asked.

"I...my name was Diana Holmes," she said softly, and he furrowed his brow at the strange name. "My family was made of intellectual giants. My father practically controlled the government of the country we lived in, but he did it all from behind the scenes. He could look at a person and know everything about them just from a glance. He also was an expert at knowing what made people tick - he used it to pull strings and bend situations to his benefit. He was always a hundred steps ahead of everybody else.

"He loved me very much, and his brother Sherlock, but other than that, he was a very cold man - all about the good of the whole, you know."

Shikamaru nodded - they all knew people like that, being raised in a military village.

"Then there was my uncle - Sherlock." Mayu rolled her eyes fondly. "He was the opposite of father. Other than his fancy, perfectly tailored clothes and his ability to see everything about a person at first glance, I suppose. They fought like cats and dogs. But I loved them both, and they loved me..." Mayu pressed her lips together.

"As you know, being powerful carries certain risks, and not just for you, but for those around you. I...hadn't remembered everything about my former life all at once. The memories came to me slowly, though, by the time you and I met, I had almost everything. Except for the way I died."

Shikamaru stiffened, then reached across to lay his hand on hers. She sent him a tremulous smile and looked into the trees.

"It's been there on the edges, just bits and pieces, starting with the whole Danzo conspiracy and growing worse after I was almost killed. Then today...during that lecture...it broke loose the rest of my memories. The story she was telling, it was...familiar."

Shikamaru shocked her by standing quickly and walking a few feet away. She stared at his tense back and saw that his fists were clenched at his side. He was breathing deeply, trying to get control of himself. They sat in the silence of the slowly darkening clearing for a few minutes, and Mayu realized she must have been in her mindscape for a long time before Shikamaru pulled her out if it was already that late.

"Tell me," he rasped but didn't turn to look at her.

"His name was Moriarty," her voice cracked on the name, and Shikamaru was by her side again, pulling her towards him. Mayu took strength from his support and continued in a calmer voice. "He took me one day. Moriarty was a genius, and he wanted to...play a game, he said, with my uncle and father. He said I was his  _starting move_ ," she spat.

"He recorded everything he did to me. I tried to stay strong and not show how much it...how it..."

Shikamaru shushed her. "It's okay, you don't have to continue."

Mayu shook her head, then pulled back from his embrace and straightened her spine, looking him in the eye.

"I want to. You're the only person I'll ever tell about this, and I want to move past it. So. He recorded it, to send to them later. I held out for a long time...three days maybe? But I realized eventually that they wouldn't find me.

"They were so smart, and had resources, but Moriarty, he'd been studying them for a long time. He knew how to send them on false trails and how to hide me from them. He...told me that I only had one day left to live at the end of our last...session and that he had saved the best for last. I won't give you the details of what he said he would do, but, it wasn't anything I wanted to stick around for."

Shikamaru shuddered. "You killed yourself," he whispered and she nodded in confirmation.

"If I thought I would live through what he had planned, I wouldn't have. But he was going to use my last moments as a weapon against my family and I just couldn't let him. It was going to be...difficult for them already." Mayu closed her eyes.

"Anyway, I died knowing that Moriarty had underestimated them. After what he did to Diana Holmes...they would pool resources and band together. They didn't really do that, not for Queen and Country or for anything, so I think he just didn't know what he was getting himself into." Mayu grinned viciously.

"Wherever that world is, I know he's suffering in it. Anyway. I know it's hard to believe, so, it's okay if you think I'm crazy. I just...wanted you to know," she finished lamely.

He was silent for a long time before speaking. "So, then, are you actually this... this Diana Holmes," he struggled over the pronunciation of the English name, "or..."

Mayu's eyes widened. "No! No, I mean, I just remember her life, but I'm  _not_ her. Or I kind of am... but it all just kind of blended together to make me who I am...it's hard to explain. I wasn't born with an adult mind, and I'm not...pretending at being me. My interactions with you, my personality - those are all true. The rudeness and constantly blowing things up are Holmes traits through and through, I'm afraid."

He went into his thinking pose and she forced herself to leave him be. She dropped into her mindscape and forced herself to open the Moriarty folder, knowing she'd keep having nightmares if she didn't start dealing with the memories now. She refused to let that man take up any more of her life or energy after this. She would put him to rest.

When she opened her eyes, Shikamaru was studying her but seemed to have relaxed.

"The way I see it, there is no 'other version' of you I didn't know about. Mayu is Mayu - you aren't different just because I know something new about what made you, you. I won't bring up Diana Holmes unless you do, and I won't tell anybody -"

He was cut off when Mayu flung herself at him, knocking him off balance and sending them both backward to thump against the ground, driving the breath from his lungs. Mayu stared at Shikamaru's shocked face and let out a little laugh. He quirked his mouth up at her and said, "troublesome girl," and she knew she was going to be just fine.

 

000

 

Yoshino spent the weekend before their graduation in a flurry. She made Mayu spar with her in the mornings and evenings, though they had just been doing it once every other day since December. Mayu had graduated to stage four, which was basically graduating to the highest kata while adding the application of chakra. The kata itself was an amazing feat of flexibility, speed, and gymnastics that had Yoshino and Mayu flipping and spinning into high kicks and punches in a synchronized dance.

Their spars were mostly Mayu getting her ass kicked by Yoshino, but they were fun all the same. Shikaku and Shikamaru usually chose to be spectators from the porch, claiming it was beautiful to watch. The leer Shikaku sent Yoshino after saying that was truly disturbing.

She also dragged Shikamaru and Mayu out shopping for ninja gear, which was actually pretty fun. Mayu ended up with pretty much the same outfit she always wore but with added protective gear.

For the summer months, she kept her usual gray sleeveless tunic, but now with an added mesh tank top underneath to help stop any sharp things heading for her torso. She also got mesh pants that ended mid-calf with black shorts over the top. In the winter her tunic was a thicker material and long-sleeved that she would pair thick black pants that hugged her legs so they didn't flap when she moved. Her shoes were boots that went up to right below the knee. The front was reinforced over her shins to protect bone.

Shikamaru wore a tight brown tank top with mesh over the top and loose brown pants that ended mid-calf. Over the top was a cropped short-sleeved grey shirt with the Nara clan symbol on the sleeves, and he paired it with standard blue shinobi sandals.

Yoshino also bought them both a ton of bandages and a kunai pouch each. She filled both their arms with kunai, ninja wire, and in Mayu's case, paper and scrolls for creating her low-level seals.

"Um, mom?" she said tentatively. "Once I'm a genin, won't I technically not be your ward anymore?"

Yoshino blinked and tilted her head in thought while Shikamaru scowled, obviously already knowing where she was going with the question. "I guess not? Why?"

"Well, I should really be paying for my own gear..." She almost dropped the stuff in her arms from the force of the head slap Yoshino gave her.

"Don't be stupid! You're our kid, we're paying for your gear until you hit chunin level and can support yourself, end of discussion. Besides, you already fund your own poisons and puppet-making with those furniture plans you give to Akinobu." Yoshino wrinkled her nose as she always did when Akinobu was mentioned in front of her.

Shikamaru kicked her ankle. "Mom and dad are rich, anyway, so it doesn't matter." Yoshino hushed him and blushed and Mayu smiled at her fondly. For some reason, she and Shikaku didn't really like to talk about or flaunt their wealth, and Mayu personally thought it made living with them a lot more comfortable then it would have been with, say, the Hyuuga clan head. She shuddered at the thought.

"Alright, alright, I'll shut up now," Mayu said.

 

000

 

The morning of the graduation exam was pretty much the same as every other morning in their household. Shikaku and Shikamaru looked like they'd rather be sleeping, Yoshino was as energetic as ever, and Mayu was scribbling down notes in her notebook while she shoved rice into her mouth.

They got to school a bit early and were standing with Chouji and Kiba discussing possible exam questions. Akira and his friends were looking towards her and snickering to themselves and a few times she heard one of them say something like 'come on, man, just do it!'

"He'd better not ask me out again," she mumbled to Shikamaru, who sent a scathing glare their way and put an arm around her shoulders.

Mayu rolled her eyes but leaned into him. Finally, they went inside, taking their usual seats in the back. Mayu was sitting in the aisle seat reading a book with Shikamaru next to her, looking as bored as ever, when somebody saying her name made her look up.

If she hadn't been training with Yoshino, she might not have been able to avoid Akira's lips descending towards her, but as it was she was able to jerk to the side so that he barely brushed the corner of her lips and her cheek. For a moment everybody but Akira, who was smirking, was frozen in shock or horror. A few shrieks of delight came from some girls sitting towards the front of the classroom and that broke everybody from their stupor.

Before Mayu could speak, a body was launching itself over the table past her and slamming into Akira so hard they both rolled down the stairs. Mayu's jaw dropped open when she realized that Shikamaru was the blur that had tackled Akira.

Shikamaru was...wiping the floor with him. Mayu winced when his fist connected with Akira’s nose, which broke with a crack and began to spray blood down his face. Shikamaru's eyes were blazing with anger, but his face was cold, and Mayu thought he looked pretty terrifying.

Akira's friends grabbed Shikamaru by either arm and dragged him off of Akira, who was holding his nose and stuttering out apologies. He didn't fight their hold, but Mayu could tell he wanted to. She touched her cheek where Akira had kissed it -  _without permission_ \- and was brought out of her daze by a rush of anger.

She stood so fast her chair tipped over and joined Shikamaru's on the floor. She stomped down the stairs. When she extended her hands towards Akira chakra threads burst from the ends, attaching at his joints and lifting him out of the air to slam into the wall behind him, feet dangling a few feet off the floor.

"You disgusting little  _twerp_!" she shrieked, barely noticing when Iruka stepped into the room and dropped the tests he was carrying in shock.

"Mayu, what-" he tried, but she cut him off.

"The person you should be apologizing to is me!"

Akira looked terrified, propped against the wall with blood flowing from his nose and his eye already blackening.

"When a girl says no, that's what it means. Not 'please continue to harass me,' or 'kiss me _without my permission!'"_ she screeched the last part and most of the room flinched.

"Touch me again, and you won't have to worry about Shikamaru! I'll use these chakra threads and  _rip off your_ -"

"Okay, Mayu-chan!" Iruka yelled, cutting her off. "Let's all just calm down."

Mayu pursed her lips, but released the chakra strings, staggering a bit when she felt the drain on her chakra. Holding up a kid Akira's size was a lot more exhausting than controlling a puppet. She felt a hand on her arm, steadying her, and sent Shikamaru a thankful look before turning back to the boy that Mizuki was kneeling next to, trying to help up.

"Oh, and Akira?" He flinched and looked up at her.

"That thing you're so worried about? With your parents?" she said sweetly, and his eyes widened. "It's true. They were just waiting until you graduated to tell you they were getting a divorce."

She turned and flounced back to her seat, Shikamaru at her side.

 

000

 

Mayu passed, and though she hadn't been sure she would have the chakra for the henge, shunshin and clone, she'd managed - barely. Iruka had decided to let them take the test if they agreed to allow Akira to take it as well. The three of them had all grudgingly nodded and Mayu was relieved to see that Akira's crush on her seemed to have died a tragic death along with his perfectly straight nose.

Shikamaru barely spoke and she could see he was still simmering with anger. She found him after receiving her headband and tugged him into an empty corridor.

"What is it?" She picked up his hand and studied his bruised knuckles.

Shikamaru looked to the side but didn't pull his hand back.

"That - that shitstain stole your first kiss!" he said after a few moments of silence. Mayu blinked up at him in shock - Shikamaru  _never_ swore in front of her, but he continued talking.

"He's a total loser, not worth your time, but now whenever you think of your first kiss - you'll have to remember his stupid face."

Mayu frowned. "Okay...first of all, I'm not really the type of girl to get worked up about something like that. I mean, it's not like my lips are a tissue that isn't good anymore after the first use," she said in a chiding tone.

He looked guilty and she waved it away. "Also, he barely brushed my cheek, I'm pretty sure that doesn't count," she said and he stiffened.

"But...it looked like..."

Oh, right, from where Shikamaru was sitting it probably looked like Akira's dastardly plan had succeeded.

She shook her head. "Nope! I turned my head in time, so he ended up here." She pointed to her cheek - close to her lips but not on them. Shikamaru studied the spot closely like he'd be able to find a trace of the illicit kiss and she couldn't help her giggle.

"You were very cool, you know!" she said, putting her hands behind her back and rocking up on the balls of her feet.

He blinked at her. "Oh?" he drawled, the tension draining from him. He smirked and put his hands in his pockets.

"Yep." She nodded decisively. "You looked just like Ensui-niisan the time that guy called dad a lazy has-been in front of him!"

They both shivered at the memory.

"That _is_ pretty cool," Shikamaru said, slouching so their faces were a bit closer.

On impulse, Mayu darted forward and kissed his cheek. He reared back in surprise, eyes widening a bit.

"There!" she said, "now we've both been sneak-kiss attacked today. We should probably go find our parents before they die from the suspense of wondering if we passed."

She spun on her heel to take off down the hall but was stopped by a hand on her wrist pulling her back around.

"Wha -" Shikamaru leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek - the same one Akira had gotten.

"There," he said, cheeks tinging pink, "now you'll remember that instead."

"Y-yes," she said, smile huge on her face despite knowing her cheeks were bright red.

She'd given Shikamaru pecks on the cheek before, but he'd never done it to her. Mayu found she didn't mind at all, but then Shikamaru could probably tar and feather her and she'd be fine with it. She had a soft spot about ten miles wide for him, and he knew it.

When they wandered back outside, Shikamaru looking smug while Mayu talked at him about her latest puppet design, they both stopped short when they saw Iruka-sensei talking to their parents. To Mayu's delight, Ensui was standing next to them, looking amused. She had thought he wouldn't arrive on time for graduation from his mission, but he must have come straight from debriefing, if his dirty clothes were any indication, though he still looked as cool and put together as ever.

Mayu ran over to them.

"Ensui! You made it!" she said, holding her arms up for a hug.

Ensui gamely pulled her in and spun her around.

"Like I'd miss yours and Shikamaru's graduation," he said as he set her down and tugged Shikamaru in for a rough hug, who grumbled but didn't pull back.

"I heard you guys beat the hell out of a classmate for graduation exam practice," he said with a shit-eating grin.

Iruka-sensei pursed his lips in disapproval and Mayu had to do a double take when she saw Yoshino was making an identical face to her sensei.  _Scary_.

Shikaku just sighed. "What am I going to do with you two?" he grumbled.

To everybody's surprise, it was Shikamaru who answered, sounding annoyed.

"He kissed Mayu  _without asking_! She was very upset." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

"Yeah, I'm sure she was the one who was upset," Ensui drawled, but Mayu saw the tension in his body. "So tell me what you did to the little shit, and then point him out to me."

Before anybody could answer Kiba was at their side, his mother standing behind him. "Man, I didn't know Shikamaru could even move that fast!" he cut in, comfortable with the Naras after years of shared dinners.

"He launched  _over the table_ and bam!" He hit his fist in his hand and Akamaru barked to punctuate the point. "He punched him all the way down the stairs, and then when they hit the bottom he totally broke Akira's nose and gave him a black eye!

"All the girls were screamin' and everybody was too shocked to do anything. I thought Shikamaru was goin' ta kill the guy before Akira's friends dragged him off of him. And there he was, crying and apologizing to Shikamaru, thinking the beatdown was over," Shikaku pinched his nose and Mayu almost crowed in delight. Finally, somebody else gets the nose pinch!

"-and then Mayu was there, and she picked him right up with those chakra threads of hers and slammed him against the wall." Yoshino's eyes brightened with interested glee at this. "And she was all, 'the person you should apologize to is me! Touch me again and I'll rip off your balls!' Then, she told him his parents were getting a divorce in that creepy way she has," he finished.

"That's...a bit of a paraphrase," she mumbled in the silence that had fallen around her.

Tsume whistled lowly. "Well, I knew you'd be a terrifying kid when I heard Yoshino had taken on your trainin', but damn!"

Ensui threw back his head and laughed, the deep, pleasant sound all that much better because it didn't happen very often. He then reached out and ruffled Shikamaru and Mayu's hair, knocking their new hitai-ate off center.

"Well, two things to be proud of you for!" he said jovially. "Congratulations on your graduation, and on putting that little asshole in his place."

"Ensui!" Yoshino scolded, but it was obvious her heart wasn't in it. Shikaku didn't even bother pretending to be upset.

Poor Iruka-sensei deflated, then sighed. "Yes, congratulations you two. If you show as much dedication to being genin as you did to terrorizing Akira, I'm sure you'll make Konoha proud."

The story got told four or five times that night at the large dinner hosted by the Akimichi. Ino, who was holding a grudge against Mayu felt giddy and accomplished and every time Shikamaru leaned up against her or flashed her one of his small smiles, warmth expanded in her chest. Starting tomorrow, she could stop holding back in her training and...life was just... _good_.

 

000

 

Shikaku and Ensui had to leave halfway through the party for some emergency. They returned a few hours later looking equal parts bemused and angry. They wouldn't answer any questions about where they'd been, but Ensui said he had some graduation gifts to give Mayu and Shikamaru to distract them.

When they were sitting in the library, the adults in the chairs and Shikamaru and Mayu sitting cross-legged on the floor, he took a storage roll from his pouch, then opened and activated it.

Mayu and Shikamaru studied the objects that were on the coffee table after the smoke cleared with interest. There were two thick traveling scrolls, about five inches in diameter and a foot long. Mayu knew from the work she'd done with Ensui that they'd both hold enough supplies for a month-long trip if she packed fairly lightly. She also knew how much they cost. There was a simple brown leather belt and a wide deep blue belt that was made of a tough, hardy material that still managed to shimmer in the light next to the scrolls.

The most interesting objects were the cylindrical shaped black scroll holders. Each cylinder had six small tubes, about an inch in diameter each, attached to the outside, and inside of the tubes were small storage scrolls. They also had clips at one end and a long strip of leather down at the other with a buckle attached. The whole thing was pretty compact - about four inches in diameter and eight inches long.

"What is this?" Mayu picked it up and began to fiddle with it.

To her delight, the tubes holding the scrolls spun inside the cylinder, like a carousel, so that she could quickly get access to every scroll. Mayu ran her fingers across raised bumps at the top of each and realized that it was so somebody could identify scroll by feel. Ensui grinned and picked up the other.

"These are damn useful for ninja who use a lot of traps and gadgets they need quick access to but who don't want to be weighed down with a million pouches and bags. With practice, you can access any one of the scrolls quickly. Here," he stood and attached the top clip to his own belt, the bent down to wrap the leather strip around his thigh to keep the whole thing secure to prevent it from bouncing around.

He then stood in a ready position, reached down, and sent the carousel into a spin, letting his fingers drag over the raised bumps. When he felt the right combination, he slapped his hand down, the grabbed the end of the scroll and tugged. It stayed in its tube but unfurled. Ensui allowed his thumb to drag across the front, where the seal was drawn, and pushed chakra through the digit, activating the scroll.

With a poof of smoke, a large shuriken appeared and he expertly grabbed it from the air. His other hand flicked the scroll to send it rolling back into its holder. He executed a flashy flip and spin, swinging the large shuriken in the air and landing in a crouch. The whole thing took about ten seconds, but Mayu knew he had moved slowly so that they could see what he had done.

There was silence for a moment before Mayu broke it. "Ensui-niisan, you are  _so cool_ ," she squealed. "Are these for us?" She jumped to her feet and picked up the beautiful blue belt while Shikamaru stood more slowly and walked over to the table as well.

"Yep," he said, straightening. "Here, let me show you how it works..."

In the end, Shikamaru and Mayu both had their scroll holders, which were actually called scroll carousels, attached to them by their new belts. Shikamaru's belt was simply threaded through the loops on his pants. Yoshino had settled the wide blue belt on Mayu's hips, tight enough so it wouldn't slip.

She had to admit it looked nice next to the grey material, and couldn't help but wonder if Yoshino had helped him pick it out. It was pulled slightly crooked by the weight of the carousel, but Yoshino insisted it looked good that way, so Mayu just shrugged. She felt incredibly cool with her new gear, especially after seeing what Ensui could do with it.

Shikamaru had used the straps on the large storage scroll to secure it sideways across his back. Mayu needed to keep her back free for the special pack she created to carry her puppets, so Yoshino attached the scroll sideways to the belt at the small of her back.

"You'll need to practice with these," Yoshino warned as she fussed over them. "They'll change your center of balance, and there's a good chance enemy will aim for them - especially when they realize you've got weapons and tools in the carousel." She then took a step back and clapped her hands together under her chin.

" _Oh,_ look at you two! You really do look like a true ninja, with your headbands and gear. How adorable.”

"Mom, you take all of the cool out of it when you say things like that," Shikamaru groaned. Ensui and Shikaku to chuckled.

"Also, I think I want to put my hitai-ate here," he said, pointing to his left sleeve beneath the Nara symbol. "I find the weight on my forehead annoying."

Yoshino nodded. "Sure, I'll run and get my sewing kit and help you. What about you Mayu? Do you want to keep it as a headband?"

Mayu hummed in thought. She had to admit the headband was annoying.

"What if we put it here," she said, pointing to the front of her belt.

Yoshino studied her outfit with a critical eye before nodding. "Yeah, I think that would look nice!"

Ensui stood and stretched. "Well, I'm beat. Good luck tomorrow, kids," he said with a yawn.

They said their goodbyes, thanking him profusely before he left.

That night, Mayu couldn't sleep, too excited about the next day. She finally got up with a huff and padded to her window, opening it quietly and slipping out, using chakra on her hands and feet to awkwardly scramble down the wall. She hadn't been practicing enough on tree walking and was still a little spotty with it, which meant she had to be extra careful not to blow the siding off the house with too much chakra. Again.

She landed with a soft thump on the lawn, then straightened from her crouch and walked barefoot over to the shed, opening the door and wincing at how it creaked. Well, she was sure Shikaku and Yoshino knew she was out here anyway - they were both jounin level, after all, even if neither of them saw a lot of combat anymore.

She shut the door and flipped on the lights, taking in the shelves full of beakers, carefully labeled chemicals, scales, and little bits and pieces she used for her various creations. She hummed and crossed to a tall shelf with shallow wooden boxes holding finished products.

"Could always use more smoke bombs...Shika will want some," she muttered to herself, staring at the rows of pink, purple, and green colored balls that were deceptively small for how much of a punch they packed.

She wandered over to the bench and stood on her tiptoes to pull down a small box from the shelf above it. Inside was a pile of the spheres that would eventually be made into her 'bomb lines.' She had told a bemused Shikamaru the name once, and he had just shaken his head at her naming skills.

They were all separated into hollow halves, waiting to be filled. She picked out twenty of the green halves, then reached up to push the box back on the shelf. She then crouched down and pulled a simple board from under the bench that she had cut divots into to hold the sphere halves securely.

Humming to herself, she carefully placed ten of the halves into the board before puttering around the space grabbing various chemicals and beakers. She was bobbing her head up and down while she hummed something that she vaguely remembered as a pop song from Before, carefully using an eyedropper to add the solution to the spheres.

There was a light knock on the door a few minutes later. She glanced over and called that is was safe to come in. The door creaked open and a rumpled-looking Shikamaru entered, eyes taking in her pajamas, messy bun, and goggles.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked as she turned her attention back to her project.

She grabbed a packet of perfectly sized round, flat separators and used some tweezers to pull one from the package. She then placed it over the top of the half of one of them. He hummed and hopped onto the workbench lining the opposite wall, watching her with interest as she started on the other halves of the smoke bombs, mixing up the second solution.

He knew from experience that when enough pressure was put on the smoke bombs, the dividers would crack, allowing the two solutions to mix. The resulting reaction is what caused the massive amounts of smoke that completely masked both scent and sight. The whole Nara compound still remembered the weeks she was testing the packaging. Both she and Shikamaru had ended up dyed pink for a week. Kiba had burst into hysterical laughter every time he saw them - it had been so troublesome, to quote Shikamaru.

"I was thinking," he finally said in a low voice so as not to surprise her while she was working with chemicals. She hummed to let him know she was listening.

"Genin teams are important...but ninja have also been known to form other partnerships. The Lightning Jaguar and his partner Mayate Suno use combo attacks of water and lightning that took out whole squads of enemy shinobi in the last war. Izumo and Kotetsu are chunin level on their own, but have taken down jounin level opponents with their attacks."

Mayu finished filling the other halves and, needing to wait for the separators to finish adhering before she could join the two parts, turned and leaned against the bench. She lifted her goggles and studied Shikamaru.

"Are you saying..."

Shikamaru, who was sitting cross-legged on the bench with his elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist, smirked at her.

"I think the Nara Shadow Techniques and the Nomaka Deadly Dance of Puppets could be a pretty lethal combination."

Mayu let out a surprised laugh. "I don't have a Nomaka Deadly Dance of Puppets."

"Well, not  _yet,_ " he said, then shrugged. "It's only a matter of time before you take all these things you've learned and turn them into a comprehensive signature style, you know. The poisons, the puppets, the chemistry, the Hashino techniques..."

Mayu hummed thoughtfully in response. "Yeah, I suppose. Maybe...you could help me out with that?" she asked in a hesitant voice.

"Only if you help me come up with cool ways to use your gadgets in my traps and such," he replied easily.

Mayu tilted her head at him, gathering her thoughts. "So you think you and I could train together to become one of these...partnerships?" she asked, curious.

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. I mean, maybe that way we’d get partnered on stuff when we’re chunin. I know you’ll join the police force later, but, it would be nice for awhile." He shrugged, then straightened and gave her a serious look that she knew meant he was about to say something he thought was important.

"That doesn't mean your genin team is something you can just blow off," he said sternly and she deflated.

He knew her too well. She huffed and turned back to her project, pulling her goggles back down.

"Why? You know they're going to be dull and annoying unless I end up with Kiba."

Shikamaru sighed. "Mom was right. Your genin team is your first true test of how well you can handle teamwork. Konoha is feared precisely because of the ability all of our ninjas have to work well together. You don't just attack one Konoha shinobi, chances are you'll be met with a well-oiled machine if you try."

Mayu mulled his words over while she picked up one of the halves with a separator, using a small brush to put a layer of adhesive around the edge before carefully placing it on top of its mate, creating a whole sphere.

"So, you want me to play nice," she grumbled.

"Yes. Mayu," he said and she looked over her shoulder at his face. He was still relaxed, but his eyes were focused on her. "I want you to promise to try. Give them the benefit of the doubt, and do whatever you can to make your team gel, no matter who they are."

Mayu blew a strand of hair out of her eyes that had fallen forward, moving on to the next sphere half.

"Why is this so important to you?" she asked a bit petulantly.

She'd been planning on suffering through her genin team until she made it to chunin, but Shikamaru was asking her to actually form bonds with these random people. It would probably be horrible.

"I want you to succeed," he said with a shrug. "And, I won't be there to watch your back. I want to know your team is looking out for you, and that you have the teamwork needed to always come home."

Mayu carefully set down another now-whole sphere, then turned and crossed the room to stand in front of him. His demeanor was still relaxed, but she could see in the tension around his eyes and in the way he tapped one finger against the knuckle of the opposite hand. He was nervous about their separation into different teams.

"I promise," she said seriously, laying her hand over his to stop the tapping. "If you'll do the same. You and I will be on the most kick-ass genin teams. If I get saddled with a couple of losers, I'll just run them into the ground until they're up to par," she said with a firm nod.

He sighed and leaned forward until his forehead was resting on her goggles.

"You're so troublesome, seriously," he muttered. "Before I met you I thought I'd be an average shinobi with an average life."

Mayu grinned. "Sounds dull," she teased, before pulling back and going to finish up her project.

He stayed silent until she was finished, then padded after her, scrambling up the siding of the house, both of them having to hold back laughter when they kept sliding down the wall. They both needed some practice. She stretched up to give him a peck on the cheek before he could saunter out and he sent her a half smile before heading to his own room. Happiness bubbling in her chest, she fell into bed and easily fell asleep.

Mayu took her time getting ready that morning, donning her new belt with it's hitai-ate displayed on the front like a buckle. She studied her reflection, tilting her head to the side. Other than the belt, hitai-ate, and mesh pants beneath her shorts, she looked the same as she always did. Mayu had grown a bit but doubted she'd ever be as tall, elegant and stately as she had been as Diana Holmes.

The most she could say about herself now was 'cute' with her large grey eyes and oval face. Her dark blue hair, which fell in half-hearted waves to brush just above her ribcage made her skin look even paler than it was. She knew most people would take one look at her innocent-looking facade and underestimate her, but figured that could only be an advantage. She wouldn't be too short or too tall when she was done growing - average looking in a lot of ways, really.

She sighed and turned to her desk and grabbed a roll of bandages and carefully wrapped her right thigh before adding the kunai pouch. She picked up her brush and hair tie before a thought hit her and she frowned down at them.

Mind made up, she spun around and raced down into the kitchen, where everyone else was already sitting around the table.

"Oh!" Yoshino said with a clap and Shikamaru glanced over from where he was slouching over his plate. "You look so adorable."

Mayu rolled her eyes but didn't respond. Instead, she put a fist on her hip and held the brush up in her other hand like it was a sword. "Mom! I want you to cut off my hair."

Shikaku and Shikamaru both made identical noises of protest, and Yoshino gaped at her. "What? Mayu-chan, no, your hair is so pretty. Why would you want to cut it?"

Mayu waved a hand in the air. "What does pretty or not pretty have to do with it? It'll be a hindrance in the field until I'm good enough to avoid somebody grabbing it. So, I was thinking a bit of a bob, you know? Maybe leave the front to my chin..."

Mayu totally missed the looks of distress on her family members' faces as she indicated with a cutting motion of her hand the length she was thinking of.

"Mayu, trust me," Yoshino said gently, "With the Hashino style you'll want to keep your hair long."

"I...what for, though?" Mayu said, confused.

Yoshino just grinned. "Well, that's a secret until level six, isn't it?" she said cheerfully. "Here, come sit in the chair, and I'll pull your hair back into a bun, okay?"

Mayu deflated, sticking her lower lip out in a pout as she realized she had lost, and slunk over to the chair while Yoshino ran upstairs to grab some pins. Shikaku and Shikamaru had slumped over in relief.

"Jeeze, Mayu-chan, you sure know how to get my heart pumping in the mornings," Shikaku mumbled and Shikamaru agreed with a grunt.

Mayu looked between them, baffled. "What does it matter to you if I cut it? It's not like I'd look that different." They both just sighed and looked long-suffering. Mayu grumbled but didn't complain again while Yoshino did her hair.

Shikamaru and Mayu walked into the classroom in time to hear Sakura demand to know why Naruto was there when he had failed the graduation test. Mayu blinked and looked at Shikamaru, who also seemed lost. She hadn't noticed whether Naruto had failed or not - she'd found Shikamaru right after her test and dragged him off to talk.

Mayu peered at Naruto, who was grinning, and studied his hitai-ate, blinking when she saw it was scuffed and had lost some of its shine, and the band looked a little worn as well.

"Is that Iruka-sensei's headband?" she asked aloud, and Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, last night Iruka-sensei let me...retake the test, then gave me his headband when I passed. It was so cool!"

Shikamaru winced next to her at his loud voice and she gave him a narrow-eyed look. Naruto was a terrible liar, and as her eyes darted from one clue to the next, she realized something big had happened the day before.

"Hmm," she hummed and decided to let it go. "Well, congratulations."

"Aha, thanks!" he said as she and Shikamaru wandered past him to take their usual seats.

As the classroom filled, she saw that twenty-seven people had passed - not bad. Shikamaru laid his head on the desk, and she opened the book she'd brought with her on advanced Rain Country poisons, trying to ignore the girls tittering over Sasuke and arguing over the seat next to him, wondering if they'd be the lucky kunoichi placed on his team. Naruto seemed to be starting another fight with Sasuke, and Mayu did her best to just tune them out.

A gasp sounded throughout the room, and she glanced up just in time to see Naruto scrambling away from a red-faced Sasuke before he was grabbed by a mob of fangirls who started beating the hell out of him.

"Ugh, I don't even want to know," she mumbled, going back to her book.

Finally, Iruka arrived, and she stared out the window as he congratulated them.

"Your team assignments are final, so I don't want to hear any complaints!" he finished sternly.

Mayu sat up in interest as Iruka started to read the teams off.

"Team One will be comprised of Nobu Akira, Haruno Sakura, and Fu Huno," Mayu let out a breath of relief - the very first team had taken two of her worst-case scenarios off the table.

Sakura slumped in disappointment that she wasn't on Sasuke's team, Naruto moaned about the fact that he wasn't on Sakura's team, and Mayu rolled her eyes. Iruka continued to name off teams, skipping the numbers that were still in rotation from the year before.

"Team Seven is Uzumaki Naruto, Nomaka Mayu, and Uchiha Sasuke." Mayu's jaw dropped in horror, and she moaned and dropped her forehead onto the desk as the blonde jumped out of his seat and asked why he had to be on a team with 'the bastard.'

She stopped listening at that point, and Shikamaru sighed and laid a hand on her neck, sympathetic. Mayu perked up when Team Eight included Kiba, and was secretly jealous of his team members - Hinata and Shino were much easier to deal with, and as a bonus, didn't want to kill each other. Shikamaru was placed with Ino and Chouji on Team Ten, and Mayu glared at the blonde girl as she groaned loudly. Had she not realized she'd be placed on a team with the children of her father's teammates? 

_Probably not - Shikamaru knows because he's paying attention to these things._

"That girl doesn't deserve you two," she muttered at Shikamaru, who just shrugged.

Finally, Iruka finished by telling them to come back after they'd eaten lunch to meet their jounin senseis.

"I suggest all of you take this as a chance to get to know your teammates," he said, then dismissed them.

Mayu gave a pleading look to Shikamaru, who just smirked at her.

"Remember your promise," he said before sticking his hands in his pockets and moving over to where Ino was standing with Chouji, looking annoyed.

Mayu groaned when she saw her teammates had disappeared and went looking for them. Twenty minutes later she gave up, and instead sat under a tree in the shade to eat her bento. 

 _How am I supposed to make a team out of the three of us? s_ he thought glumly.

The bottom of the class, the rookie of the year, and the closet genius. All three of them were abysmal at social interaction, Sasuke too broody and arrogant, Naruto too brash and loud, and Mayu too distracted and impatient.

"I hope our sensei studied a lot of psychology," she muttered to herself.

After a few minutes of sulking, she sighed in frustration at the direction her thoughts had gone in and shook her head. 

 _You're a genius, and you're good at reading people,_ she told herself.  _Suck it up and figure it out._

With that, she closed her bento and stood, brushing the bits of grass off her outfit before heading inside. When she entered Shikamaru and his team were already there, and her heart gave a painful lurch when she saw Ino sitting where Mayu herself usually did.

Shikamaru gave her a questioning glance, and she felt an irrational flare of anger towards him. He gave some big speech yesterday about them being a team, even if they had other teams as well, then he just cut her loose the moment he had a chance. He replaced her with some blonde girl he didn't even like hanging out with. She turned her head away from him and stalked to the table furthest from him, in the front of the class across the room, and sat down in a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and ignoring the eyes she knew were boring into her back.

A few minutes later, a subdued-looking Naruto entered the classroom. She frowned and studied him. Was he sick? He caught sight of her and brightened, making his way over to plop down next to her.

"Hey, Mayu-chan! I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier, but I'm glad you're on my team!" he said with a bright sincere smile.

She bit back a number of sarcastic comments that came to mind such as  _Oh, so you wouldn't have preferred Sakura and Kiba?_ And instead forced herself to relax and follow her resolution to get along with her teammates. She gave him a small smile in return.

"Yeah, let's try our best, okay?"

He pumped a fist in the air. "You got it! I'll be the best teammate ever, you'll see." Mayu couldn't help but giggle a bit at that, causing his grin to grow wider.

"I doubt it dead last," a bored voice said from Mayu's other side.

She turned in her seat to face Sasuke, who was sending a death glare at Naruto. Mayu blinked and looked between them - Naruto was giving Sasuke a smug grin. Had something  _already_ happened in the hour and a half since they'd been made a team?

"Hello, Sasuke," she said from between gritted teeth. "I'm looking forward to working with you," she lied shamelessly, and his eyes flicked to her dismissively for a second.

"Just don't get in my way," he finally said, then moved to take the seat behind her.

Mayu closed her eyes and counted to ten as Naruto exploded beside her.

"Hey! Don't talk to her that way, bastard!" she reached out and gripped his arm.

"Let's not fight on our first day, okay Naruto?" she said, eyes still closed.

He went to protest, so Mayu sighed, and turned to face him, relaxing her face and giving him the full power of The Eyes.

"Please, Naruto? I really want our team to get along, okay. So let's just try?" She then turned The Eyes on Sasuke, who looked equal parts guilty and disturbed. "We're going to be stuck with each other for awhile, so we might as well make the best of it."

After a moment, Naruto relaxed next to her and gave a nervous laugh. "Alright, yeah, I'll try not to fight - I bet I'll do a better job of not arguing than that bastard!"

Mayu barely resisted the urge to bang her head on the table. Luckily, anything Sasuke would have said was cut off by the door opening, and Iruka walking into the room followed by a line of jounin.

 _I wonder where Mizuki is?_ She thought distractedly as she ran her eyes over the group of ninja standing in front of the now-silent class, wondering which was unlucky enough to be paired with her team.  _Maybe somebody finally fired the jerk._

Team One's sensei was a stern looking man in standard jounin attire. Sakura filed out with her teammates, giving Sasuke one last longing look. A bearded man stepped forward and called for Team Ten, and Mayu avoided looking at Shikamaru when he tried to catch her eye as he sauntered past. Team eight's sensei was a gorgeous red-eyed woman with thick brown hair. As the rest of the teams slowly left with their senseis, Mayu realized they were one jounin short. She somehow wasn't surprised when it was her team that was left without an instructor.

Iruka frowned but assured them that their sensei should be there soon. After an hour, he glanced at his watch and sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I have a meeting I need to get to. Just wait here, okay? I'm sure he'll show up soon."

Mayu waved him off from where she was reading her book. After Iruka left, Naruto finally couldn't take the boredom and stood up, moving restlessly around the room. When Mayu glanced back at Sasuke, he was trying to appear unaffected by the wait, with his fingers laced beneath his chin, elbows resting on the table, but she could see he was bored and annoyed, as well.

Forty-five minutes later, she glanced up at Naruto and saw that he was holding an eraser in his hands, staring at it with narrowed eyes. 

 _He's planning something, and it probably won't end well for any of us,_ she thought to herself.

"Hey, Naruto, wanna help me with something while we wait?" Mayu asked. He jolted and looked up at her.

"Uh, sure Mayu-chan," he said, obviously eager to have something to do.

She stood and crossed the room to stand in front of the windows before turning and facing him.

"I'm practicing fine control while using speed with my chakra threads," she explained, noticing the way Sasuke looked over in interest. Of course, the whole class had seen her use her threads on Akira, but that was the first any of them had even seen her use them.

"Shikamaru helps me by throwing objects into the air, then I try to catch them with a string. Once I can do it ten times without missing, while still holding up the other objects, then I move to the next level."

Naruto tilted his head in interest. "What is the next level?"

"Well, then he would throw two at once for me to catch, but I haven't gotten there yet," she admitted easily. "So, do you wanna help?"

"Yes!" he said, and raced to the drawers to find more items. As he laid out two erasers and a stapler, Mayu looked over to Sasuke.

"Would you like to help, too, Sasuke? It's nice when people take turns throwing so I don't get used to a pattern." He stared at her before shrugging and walking over to the desk. Mayu could tell he was relieved to be doing something but didn't want to admit it, and her lips quirked up as he grabbed a red ball Iruka had confiscated last week, an eraser, the stapler, a box of paperclips, and a rubber duck, randomly.

"Okay," Mayu said. "My range extends three levels up, so keep the objects within that area, please." Sasuke nodded and jogged up the stairs, setting his items on the table next to him.

Mayu lifted her hands, fingers extended, and took a few deep breaths, allowing herself to fall into focus, blocking everything else out.

"Alright, Naruto, you start," she said.

He grinned, grabbed a pair of scissors because of course, he thought throwing scissors around was okay, and gave them a light toss up and to the right. A thread extended from her thumb and whipped across the room, attaching to the scissors and holding them in midair.

She'd barely grabbed it before Sasuke was tossing the ball high into the air on the far side of the agreed upon area, obviously trying to catch her by surprise.  _Little shit,_ she thought as a string flew from her index finger across the room and grabbed the ball while it was still four feet from the ground. Naruto then threw an eraser, which she caught, and Sasuke followed it up with a rubber duck. Naruto's next throw, a stapler remover, she caught but accidentally lost control of the ball, which bounced and rolled under the desk.

"Damn," Mayu said, but she was grinning. "Go again?"

They both nodded and resumed the game.

Soon, Mayu and Naruto were laughing as the two boys sent objects flying through the air at faster and faster rates. They weren't even really paying attention to whether she was catching them all or not, instead ducking and rolling and leaping across the room, grabbing the office supplies from the floor that had fallen and tossing them into the air while avoiding hitting any of her threads or objects.

Mayu was spinning and leaping, too, now actively trying to whip the lines of blue and their burdens into hard-to-avoid patterns. Sasuke wasn't joining in the red-faced laughter, but she caught him smirking when one of her threads tripped Naruto, sending him into a tumble down the stairs. Mayu bit her lip and whipped a string holding the eraser towards Sasuke, crowing when it smacked the back of his knees, making him stumble. The impact made her lose control of the eraser, which went flying across the room just as the door opened and Hatake Kakashi stepped through the door. The eraser smacked into his facemask with a  _thwack_ and a cloud of white dust before falling to the ground.

Everything in the room came to a standstill, Mayu with her hands raised, threads extending from her fingers with office supplies hovering in the air at the ends, Sasuke on one knee in the middle of the floor, and Naruto from where he was standing on a desk.

Finally, the stillness was broken as the jounin let out a small, delicate sneeze, causing another cloud of dust to rise from the white rectangle-shaped spot that now decorated his mask. Mayu flinched, lost concentration, and her threads dispersed, causing a stapler, a rubber duck, another eraser, and a red ball to drop to the ground with a clatter.

"My first impression," the man said after looking around the room with its upturned tables and chairs and random objects littering the floor, "is that I hate you."

Ten minutes later, the three genin were sitting on the roof, fidgeting under the man's intense stare. "Well," he finally said. "Let's introduce ourselves, shall we? Your likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies."

Naruto cocked his head to the side.

"Hey, before we do, how about you go first?" he demanded, and Mayu's shoulders slumped.

So far they weren't off to a great start with their sensei. With almost his whole body covered except for one eye and the bit of face around it, he wasn't easy to read, but that said a lot as it was. 

_Private to the point of obsession. His physical mask isn't the only one he has - I bet most of what he says is a cover for something else or an outright lie. Lonely, but that comes with the territory of holding yourself apart from everybody else. He looks amiable and relaxed, but he's holding some tension in his hands and thighs...he's nervous, and really doesn't want to be here._

"Sure, sure," he agreed, and she narrowed her eyes. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. My hobbies...I have many. I don't feel like telling you about my likes and dislikes. I've never really thought about my future dreams."

Mayu sighed, as Naruto let out a "Huh?" and Sasuke grunted.

So much for having a sensei who was good at social interaction to balance out the rest of them. She listened to Naruto make his introduction, and couldn't help but giggle at his likes and dislikes, but sobered when he got to his dream. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, but he didn't seem to be faking his cheerfulness.

 _This kid...he really is tough to still be so positive,_ she thought to herself.  _Maybe it won't be all bad._

Then Kakashi was pointing at her. She thought about doing something annoying like he had to mess with him but inwardly sighed as she remembered her promise to Shikamaru. Right, she needed to play nice.

"My name is Nomaka Mayu. I like my foster family and smart people. I dislike idiots and boring things. My hobbies are puppeteering, experimenting in my chemistry lab, solving mysteries, and cloud watching with Shikamaru. My dream for the future is to join the Military Police Force and become the best investigator they've ever had!"

She watched Kakashi closely, but he seemed not to react much to either Naruto or her introductions. Mayu wondered if he remembered meeting her all those years ago in Shikaku's office. Probably not.

Sasuke had given her a bit of disbelieving look at her dream but didn't comment before starting his own introduction.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like my family and tomatoes. I have many dislikes and no hobbies outside of training. My dream is to surpass my brother."

Mayu blinked and it was her turn to shoot him an incredulous look. He did realize it was too late to beat any of Itachi's records, right? He'd been a jounin for a year by their age. Inferiority complex, indeed. She remembered what she had said about him being 'Uchiha Leftovers' and winced, wishing she wasn't so good at cutting people to the quick with her words.

Her attention was brought back to Kakashi, who told them to be prepared for a survival mission the next day. When Naruto pressed him for details, Mayu almost groaned when he told them about the rule that only nine genins would be considered a junior ninja. She narrowed her eyes at him, unable to tell if he was telling the truth through his glee at messing with them. 

 _He wants us to fail,_ she thought to herself, and she pursed her lips in annoyance as he told them not to eat.  _Asshole, s_ he tacked on as he walked away.

Mayu impatiently waited for Shouta to run wailing from his office after she lifted a few huge beetles she'd found in the park onto his desk using her chakra threads while he wasn't looking, then ran to Shikaku's door, bursting through it and into his office.

"Tell me everything you know about Hatake Kakashi!" She demanded, hands on her hips.

She eeped as an unimpressed-looking Hyuuga jounin turned slowly in her place in front of Shikaku's desk to stare her down.

Shikaku pinched his brow. "Mayu-chan, your ban from the administration building was only lifted a day ago. Let's try to last longer than that before getting kicked out again, hmm?" Just then Shouta burst in behind her.

"Shikaku-san, we have an infestation of...beetles..." he drifted off as he caught sight of Mayu, and his panicked face slowly morphed into one of anger.

"You," he said, and with another meep, Mayu ducked under his arm and darted out the door.

She waited impatiently outside the building for Shikaku, who appeared half an hour later, lazily scanning the crowd until he caught sight of her.

"Mayu," he said with a sigh, and she ran over to him.

"I guess you met your jounin-sensei," he said wryly as he turned and started to walk down the street, Mayu trailing after him.

"I did, and papa, he wants to fail us and send us back to the academy," she said seriously. He grunted, and she knew that meant he agreed.

"So, I need to gather as much information as I can about him, so I can out think him!" she declared.

Shikaku glanced at her, amused, and herded her down a quieter side street.

"Oh? And you think I'd just give out information on one of my top jounin so freely?" he asked.

Mayu narrowed her eyes at him but didn't say anything as he stopped in front of their favorite ice cream stand, ordering a strawberry cone for her and a chocolate one for himself. She waited until he had paid and they had their cones and had resumed walking, making a joint decision to head for the park.

"Well, of course, you don't  _have_ to tell me," Mayu said sweetly as they sat on a bench, and he gave her a suspicious look. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, papa. I saw you the other day - out behind the administration building, but I don't think you saw me."

His eyes widened in alarm, then narrowed. "Oh?" he said, calmly taking a bite of ice cream.

"Yeah. I didn't mention it to mom...yet," she said smugly, already knowing she'd won.

What she didn't say out loud was that she'd seen him smoking with the same man that had been revealed as Shikamaru's team's sensei. To say Yoshino would be upset to learn about it was an understatement.

Shikaku groaned. "You're so mean to me Mayu. Fine. I'll tell you what I can - it's general knowledge amongst his generation, anyway." He went silent and she knew he was gathering his thoughts.

"Hatake Kakashi, also known as Sharingan no Kakashi, or the Copy-nin. He has a transplanted Sharingan eye, a gift from a friend. Orphaned at a young age. Student to the Yondaime Hokage," she jolted in shock a bit at that. "One of the strongest people in the village, close to kage level. Held in high esteem by his comrades, both for his skills and for the fact that he's known for never leaving a comrade behind. Elemental affinity is lightning. That's all you're getting, brat."

"Wait!" She said. "One more thing - tell me about his genin team."

"He didn't have one," Shikaku said with a shrug, and Mayu blinked. "He's a prodigy - he became a chunin at six and a jounin at ten. He did have a team he worked with under Minato - one of them was an Uchiha who died while he was still very young, another was a medic, I think, died a while after that."

He gave her a stern look. "You're not to bring that up to him, Mayu. The death of his team...is still a very sensitive subject for him."

Mayu nodded thoughtfully. "I won't papa, I promise," she said, connecting dots already. 

_A dead Uchiha teammate, and a gifted Sharingan implant. That must have been a pretty traumatizing situation._

After her conversation with Shikaku, she was even more determined to pass this test. Having such an accomplished and respected jounin sensei could only be a good thing. It was with that thought that she burst into the house calling for Yoshino, running past Shikamaru who was lying prone on the couch.

Yoshino appeared beside her, eyebrow raised. "You need to help me pack! We have a survival test tomorrow, and if we fail, Kakashi-sensei is sending us back to the academy!" she wailed.

Yoshino blinked in shock for a moment before nodding, ignoring Shikamaru's surprised, "What? We don't have another test!" behind her.

Yoshino and Mayu were surrounded by scrolls, smoke bombs, exploding tags, trap kit materials, and various other bits when Shikaku got home. Shikamaru was sitting in an armchair sorting through kunai and looking miserable. He stopped, and tried to backtrack but was latched onto by a blue and grey whirlwind.

"Papa! Kakashi-sensei said that everybody would be tested and that only nine rookies will be allowed to remain genin. But Shikamaru said  _his_ sensei isn't testing them," she scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, and Shikaku had to resist hugging her.

Kakashi had no idea what he was getting into - there was no way his crazy, brilliant, adorable daughter would take no for an answer.

Shikaku put his hands up in the air.

"Mayu-chan I can't reveal these things," he refuted. "It could invalidate your test results."

She gave him an unimpressed look, and then her eyes went sharp and moved quickly over him. He sighed as she flipped her hair, which had been removed from its bun at one point, and turned to Shikamaru.

"Kakashi was telling the truth. You should probably prepare, too. I bet your sensei is just less of a psychological terrorist," and she actually sounded smug that her teacher apparently thought screwing with their minds was fun.

Horror grew as he imagined Mayu, sauntering down the street, wearing a mask, giggling at softcore porn, and sporting a perpetual creepy eye-smile.

"You know," he said tentatively. "If this doesn't work out, you can always join the science corp..."

Shikamaru gave him an amused look, obviously knowing exactly where his thoughts had gone, while Yoshino and Mayu completely ignored him to compare tool pouches.

"Hey!" he said weakly, knowing he'd already lost but having to try anyway, "those are mine..."

Mayu turned her big, sad eyes on him. "But, papa, mom and I both agreed I need to practice before I can use the scroll carousel, and I don't have a tool pouch of my own yet..."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, just don't blow it up," he said.

Shikamaru stood and stretched. "I sharpened the kunai mom. I'm going to go and tell Ino and Chouji we might have some kind of test tomorrow," he said. "It's a drag, but Ino will yell at me if she finds out I knew and didn't say anything."

Shikaku didn't miss the way Mayu tensed and didn't reply, instead focusing on her ninja wire and humming in response.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck but didn't say anything other than a quick goodbye. Shikaku joined his wife and daughter on the floor, groaning dramatically about his creaking joints before pulling a box full of glass, stoppered beakers towards him that were sitting in racks.

"What are -" he started to ask, and Maya gave a nervous laugh before handing him some foam.

"Careful with those, papa, if they break, they'll set you on fire," she said cheerfully, and he pulled his hand back.

"Don't worry, you've really got to put a lot of pressure on the glass for that to happen. Will you cut a piece of foam to size for the left-hand section of the pouch, then make little slots for some of those?" He closed his eyes for a moment before gamely taking the pouch and foam.

"Please don't burn your jounin sensei alive, Mayu. Oh, that's right, this pouch is divided into three sections. What are you going to use the other two for?" he asked.

"I'm not going to. It's just good to be prepared, you know!" she said defensively. Then, "One section for smoke bombs, and one section for explosive tags and ninja wire. Think that's a good mix?" She asked, chewing on her lower lip.

Shikaku smirked as he imagined Kakashi's face when his daughter started launching poisonous puppets and exploding glass vials at him. "Yep, I think that's perfect. You're going to bring Baru and Kichi in that bag you designed?" he asked as he expertly cut down the foam and slipped it into the pouch. Perfect fit.

"Yeah. I'm getting pretty good at controlling both at once, but I'm still working on Bukimi. All of the mechanisms are...complicated." She shrugged, looking dejected.

"Hey, do you think Shikamaru would want some smoke bombs?" she asked in a small voice that made Shikaku ache a bit.

"Sure, I bet he would," he answered, glancing up and seeing that she was dividing what she had into three piles. She added a fourth, then hesitated.

"These other ones are for Naruto and Sasuke...I figure I should supply them since I'm their teammate and this is my specialty, right?"

Shikaku grinned. For all of her intelligence, Mayu still had a hard time figuring out the whole making friends thing. Manipulation and tearing people down to size were specialties of hers, but making true connections outside of the Naras and one stubborn Inuzuka...most people just had a hard time understanding her strange overtures of friendship.

"Sweetheart, if they've got any sort of brains they won't turn down your equipment. I would have killed for a teammate that could make this stuff when I was a genin," he said. "And a ninja uses all tools available to him," Shikaku reassured.

Mayu hummed but didn't respond. After a few minutes, she hesitated, then grudgingly added two more piles. When Shikaku raised an eyebrow in question she shrugged and looked away.

"For Ino and Chouji." She said it as if the very idea was giving her palpitations.

"Ah, I'm sure they'll appreciate it." he went quiet for a moment before gently adding, "You know, Mayu, just because he was placed on a different team doesn't mean he's leaving you behind."

"I know that," Mayu snapped, then huffed. "It's just...he'll have to prioritize them now, won't he?" she finished in a small voice.

Shikaku and Yoshino exchanged looks before Shikaku replied.

"It's true that he'll need to make some space for them, but, I don't really see him prioritizing anybody above you, not for the big things. Don't worry so much, Mayu-chan."

He then carefully reached over the pile of potentially explosive things and laid his hand on her head. Mayu looked up at him thoughtfully before coming to a decision and giving a small nod.

"Right," she said. "I'll stop being silly," and she added a few extra smoke bombs to the pile for Ino and Chouji.

 

000

 

Mayu, Sasuke, and Naruto met up on the bridge by training ground seven all looking worse for wear. Mayu had stayed up late checking and double-checking all of her supplies and showed up with her pack holding Baru and Kichi, her storage scroll clipped to the small of her back, a kunai pouch on her right leg, and her tool pouch pushed back behind her right hip. Shikamaru had accepted the three bags of smoke bombs as the silent apology they were, and didn't comment on her grumpiness before they went to sleep.

As soon as both Naruto and Sasuke showed up in the pre-dawn light, she was holding out two small bags for them. "Good morning! Here, I brought you two something!" Naruto brightened and eagerly grabbed one paper bag, but Sasuke just gave her a suspicious look.

Mayu sighed - right, she knew she'd have to do this.

"It won't blow up in your face or anything, I promise. And, listen..." she looked off to the side and pursed her lips. "I won't say I'm sorry for the green ink thing because let's face it, you deserved it." he scoffed and looked away as Naruto's eyes bounced between them.

"But I'm sorry about what I said right after you were such a dick during sparring," she continued. "It wasn't even true, I just...am good at pressing buttons, I guess," she muttered.

Sasuke studied her, then just shrugged. 

 _Good enough,_ she thought to herself and shoved the bag at his chest until he took it. Naruto was holding a small pink bomb ball between his thumb and forefinger and turning it curiously in front of his nose.

"Don't put pressure on it!" Mayu yelped as he started to squeeze, and he started, but the bomb didn't explode into smoke.

"Right. So, those are some smoke bombs I made. The color of the ball indicates what color the smoke will be," she said, going into lecture mode.

"They're small but potent. Good for blocking sight  _and_ scent," she said a bit smugly. "To activate, you just need to apply enough force to bend the shell and crack the...activator inside, I guess. After that, you've got three seconds before it bursts. The smoke cover spreads at five feet per second and extends about eight feet in total. If you're standing in the epicenter you'll be completely covered to normal sight."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You made these?" he asked, and Mayu decided to ignore the disbelief in his eyes.

"I told you one of my hobbies was chemistry," she said primly. "Since we're teammates, I'm willing to help supply you with things like this, as long as you help me with the costs for materials and other small projects I may have," she said.

"I'm also... _okay_ at creating a few seals," she reached into her pack and pulled out two neat stacks of explosive tags. "I don't like it much, but I'm pretty good at explosive tags and storage scrolls. I can modify the sound, reach, and force to a certain extent, so maybe that's something we can play with when we have time."

The boys accepted the tags, and looked like a small breeze could blow them over. Embarrassed, Mayu busied herself with removing her backpack and scroll and setting them carefully out of the way on the bridge.

"If you can do things like this, why were you always towards the middle of the class rankings?" Sasuke asked.

Mayu shrugged and moved into her starting stretches. "School is dull. Plus, who cares if I was at the top or the middle of the class? What matters is how I do now that I'm in the field."

His face said he couldn't imagine not trying to always be the best at everything, and she lowered the top half of her body to touch her palms to the ground so he wouldn't see her smile.

Two hours later, Kakashi still hadn't shown up, and Mayu was meditating in the grass, trying not to fall asleep. Naruto and Sasuke, after a few of the usual arguments, were on opposite sides of the bridge. Finally, there was a puff of smoke, and Kakashi appeared before them.

"You're late!" Naruto yelled, as Mayu slowly climbed to her feet and studied her sensei but didn't say anything. 

 _Keep your temper, you promised to try,_ she thought to herself as Kakashi rattled off a bullshit excuse about a black cat.  _He's trying to get to you._

"Okay!" Kakashi said as he whipped an alarm clock out of thin air and set it on a stump. "This is set for noon. Your assignment is to get these two bells from me before it goes off! Anybody who doesn't get a bell will be tied to that post - and they won't get lunch."

"There are only two bells," Sasuke said in a bored voice, but his eyes were sharp.

"Ah, well, the person who doesn't get a bell will fail the test, and be sent back to the Academy. Now! You should come at me with the intent to kill," he said with an easy smile.

Mayu frowned at him. She knew from various conversations with her family that genin were  _always_ in a three-man cell unless they were taken on in an apprenticeship, so why would Kakashi send one of them back? He'd have an incomplete team. Also, pitting teammates against each other seemed to directly oppose what Shikaku had said last night. Kakashi never left a teammate behind if he could help it...  _oh._

Mayu glanced at her teammates, and almost put her face in her hands. Right, they hadn't figured out that this was actually a test of their ability to work as a team. Naruto leapt forward before Mayu could stop him, and she winced as Kakashi disappeared and then reappeared behind him without warning, pulling Naruto's arm behind his back.

 _So cool,_ she thought but used the distraction to slip a hand into her pouch and palm two smoke bombs.

When Kakashi yelled 'start!' she crushed them and threw them to the ground. Sasuke had jumped back towards the forest, while Naruto had leapt forward. Making a decision, she extended her chakra threads and grabbed Naruto mid-jump to pull him into the smoke with her until it covered both their forms. He hit the ground next to her with a thump.

"Hey! What's the big id-" she cut him off by clamping a hand over his mouth.

"Shush, I have a plan to get the bells, come on."

He hesitated as she pulled him to his feet, but then reluctantly followed her. She took off in the direction Sasuke had gone, grabbing up her pack as she ran by it. Soon they were in the forest, and Mayu breathed out harshly a few times to clear the smoke from her nose.

"Hehe," Naruto said loudly, walking beside her with his arms behind his head. "Yeah, you and I will get the bells and that bastard will have to go back to -"

"Shh!" she said harshly. "Do you want Kakashi-sensei to find us so easily? Besides, if one of us goes back to the academy we all will go with them," she said as she concentrated on pushing chakra into her nose to enhance her sense of smell.

They needed to find Sasuke.

Naruto faltered. "Eh? But sensei said -"

"He was lying," Mayu said bluntly, putting her nose in the air and inhaling. "He's a fan of mind games - that's why he was so late, and why he told us about the rule of nine."

Her brow furrowed. Was that -

"Then why just two bells?" Naruto demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mayu blew out air. "Because he wants to see if we can work as a team. Or possibly," she furrowed her brow, "if we will prioritize the mission over our own interests? Something like that," she said, flapping her hand dismissively.

"But, I only know because my adoptive mom and dad already told me genin are always in three-man cells. So, if one of us gets sent back...then the other two would be out of luck anyway."

Sasuke dropped to the ground in front of them, and Mayu jumped.  _He's quiet_ , she thought to herself.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke demanded. "Because if you're wrong..."

Mayu shrugged. "If I'm wrong, you and Naruto can keep the bells. I'm smart enough to get pushed through the Academy within a month or two anyway if I want to."

He raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Fine. Follow me and I'll..."

Mayu rolled her eyes. "How about an actual plan?" she said, and he glared.

"Fine," he snapped. "What tools do we have?"

Mayu pointed to her back. "I have two small puppets that spray a non-deadly but pretty painful acid. I'm not...incredibly fast with them, not fast enough to beat a jounin, but I can distract him at least?"

Sasuke clasped his hands together like he was praying, and put them against his lips. Naruto grinned.

"And I can do this!" he said in excitement and made a hand sign before twenty Narutos popped into existence around them.

Sasuke and Mayu both dropped their jaws in shock.

" _Woah..."_

Ten minutes later, five Narutos burst out of the trees, running towards a bored-looking Kakashi, who was sitting on one of the tall posts next to the alarm clock with his feet dangling, reading an orange book. He didn't bother to put it away as he leapt down. The first clone engaged the man but didn't come close to landing a hit before he was dispelled in a puff of smoke. Sasuke, Mayu, and the real Naruto were sneaking around to the flank him from the back and the sides.

He hit the second with a kick, and a third with a kunai, still looking bored. That was the signal - right as the third dispelled the other two flanked him, and crushed the green and pink smoke bombs in their hands. Two plumes of smoke covered their advance, and Mayu took off at a sprint across the field, extending her chakra strings behind her. She grabbed the zip that went up the front of the pack and pulled it down with one thread in a practiced motion. Then, she used three from each hand to grab hold of the Beetle Twins. After she created Baru and perfected using his much simpler design with just three threads, she made an identical beetle - except with a yellow head and legs instead of red - and named it Kichi. She'd taken to calling them the Beetle Twins, despite Shikamaru's opinion on her naming abilities.

She pulled them from the opening in the pack and swung them around and towards Kakashi, who actually glanced up in interest for a moment before easily dodging being impaled by the razor-sharp end of Baru's antenna. She pulled him back, then with a flick of her fingers, spun Kichi so she was advancing on him abdomen-first. Kakashi dodged to the side, but she just angled the body so the rear was still facing him as it sailed past him, and pulled back her pointer finger to trigger the poison release mechanism right as it became level with his face. This time his one eye actually widened in surprise, but he easily flipped out of the way of the mist.

Mayu growled in annoyance, and let her puppets land, then had them skitter back towards her out of the line of fire. Before the cloud of acid hit the ground, Sasuke flew through the remaining wisps of pink smoke in a roundhouse kick as Naruto aimed a punch at Kakashi's kidney. Kakashi easily dodged both and continued to dodge every hit they aimed towards him. Sasuke was good - probably chunin level good - at taijutsu, and Naruto just kept peppering him with clone after clone, and had no problem recovering from a few nasty hits. 

 _He must have a ton of chakra, even outside of the Kyuubi,_ she thought to herself.

Mayu circled them, her puppets resembling small, ugly dogs at her feet, and finally saw an opening when Kakashi casually tossed Naruto into a tree, still reading his book. With a burst of chakra, she sent Baru soaring through the air towards him. A flick of his eyes, and then Baru was hit by a powerful roundhouse kick. "No!" Mayu blurted as her precious puppet exploded into pieces that flew through the air to land scattered on the ground.

She stared in shock, eyes wide, before slowly lifting her eyes to meet Kakashi's unconcerned ones. 

_This guy...he ruined something of mine that I put so much into, and just for a stupid test that he always planned on failing us at. As though three new genin could really defeat a jounin._

With a growl, she took off her pack and quickly put Kichi into it, sending a silent apology to Baru. Mayu reached into her pouch and grabbed out a smoke bomb. When Kakashi sent Sasuke skidding across the ground, she took her chance, running at Kakashi and leaping into a spinning kick three feet from him. He dodged, of course, and when she landed on one foot and spun on it for a follow-up kick to his knee, he dodged out of the way of that, too.

She leapt into another spinning kick. When she was at the apex she threw the smoke bomb with enough force that it exploded into smoke on impact. She carefully watched Kakashi's trajectory as he jumped away before she fell into the smoke. Reaching into her pouch for a flask, a grin coming to her face as she turned towards where she thought he landed, she tossed the glass vial.

She heard the sound of glass shattering, a startled yelp from Naruto -  _whoops, hope he didn't end up in the danger zone -_ and then rolled out of the smoke in the opposite direction. When she popped up, it was to the sight of Naruto dancing away from a large patch of burning ground, pulling off his orange jacket and throwing it to the ground to avoid the flames licking at his arm.

Kakashi had, of course, dodged the spray, and was looking at the large swath of fire with interest.

"Um, sorry Naruto!" Mayu called. "I'll replace your jacket, okay?"

Before he could answer, Kakashi appeared in front of her. She tried to jump backward, but he grabbed her by the arm, and casually tossed her through the air. She hit the ground with a  _thump_ , then there was the snapping sound of a trap activating, and she was being pulled up into the air again - this time within the confines of a steel wire-enforced net.

"Trying to set me on fire, not very nice Mayu," Kakashi said as he avoided a punch from a yelling Naruto.

"Naruto, fall back," Sasuke's voice said, and Mayu's head whipped over to him in disbelief. 

 _They can't just leave me! s_ he thought to herself as she reached into her kunai pouch awkwardly and tugged one out.

"What? No way, we can't leave Mayu-chan!" Naruto called from where Kakashi's latest hit had sent him flying.

Mayu craned her neck to look at Sasuke, who wasn't meeting their eyes.

"She's fine up there. We need to concentrate on the mission," he said.

Naruto gaped at him, and Kakashi seemed content to stand with his book and let it play out.

"No way! She's our teammate, we'll get her, then we'll get the bells together," he said stubbornly.

Sasuke scoffed but was interrupted by the sounding of the alarm clock. Mayu gave up on sawing her way through her prison and collapsed backward with a groan.

Fifteen minutes later, she was tied to a post and watching her teammates open their bentos after Kakashi disappeared with a warning not to feed her. She ignored her growling stomach and Naruto and Sasuke's bickering as she mulled the test over in her mind. Kakashi had said they failed, but that he'd give them another chance.

It was obvious they wouldn't get the bells off of him - he was much stronger and faster than them. He saw every attack coming from a mile away. She sighed and wished Shikamaru was there - he'd come up with some awesome unbeatable strategy and they'd have the bells before two.

"Mayu-chan," Naruto said hesitantly, and she glanced over at him.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

Her stomach growled in response and she blushed.

"Sure, but it's not a big deal," she assured him. "I can make it until we're done with the test." She sighed. "It's my own fault for getting captured and setting my teammate on fire. I lost my temper when he broke Baru, I guess. Sorry."

"Baru...your puppet, right?" Sasuke said, and she knew her eyes had gotten a wet sheen.

"Yeah. He's the first puppet I ever successfully used," she said wistfully.

Naruto looked at her seriously for a moment.

"You built him, right?" he asked, and she gave him a surprised look.

"Yeah, I did," she admitted.

"Well then, after this me and the bastard will help you find the parts, and you can just put him back together!" he said.

Mayu swallowed as she remembered the splinters flying through the air - she wasn't actually sure she'd be able to piece that back together but gave him a small smile.

"Sure. Thanks, Naruto," she said.

He was loud, and impulsive, and annoying, but the guy had a good heart. Suddenly, there were chopsticks shoved in her face with a rice ball on the end. She started and looked at the owner of the hand holding them.

"Sasuke...what?" she said.

"You're hungry, so eat. We won't be able to get the bells if you're too hungry to fight," he mumbled, looking away from her.

Naruto looked between them before his expression settled into a smile.

"That's right! Go ahead, Mayu-chan. I'll share my meal too!"

She looked at them and hesitantly opened her mouth for Sasuke to place the ball into.

"This is really good," she mumbled around the bite.

"My mom made them," he said with obvious reluctance.

Before she could answer, Kakashi appeared in front of them. The sky seemed to darken as he grew bigger. Sasuke and Naruto both jumped into ready stances in front of her.

"You broke the rules," he said, single eye narrowing dangerously. "You know what that means."

Mayu gulped. Were they really going to fail...over something like this?

"You three..." he said menacingly, before straightening suddenly with an eye smile, the sky lightening as quickly as it had darkened. "Pass!'

They all three blinked in shock. "Wha-"

"You three are the first that I've tested to ever pass," he said. "Everyone else was just a bunch of dunces who meekly listened to everything I said. But a ninja must see past deception. In the ninja world, those who break the rules and codes are seen as trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash."

They all sat and took in his words for a moment, shocked that the test was over and that they were actually, truly genin.

"Meet back here tomorrow at eight am - we'll get started on our first mission!" Kakashi said cheerfully, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto began cheering, eyes watering, while Sasuke looked supremely satisfied. Mayu beamed - she was going to start training and taking on real missions - under Hatake Kakashi, no less.

"Hey guys, think you could untie me?" she asked, and Naruto stopped jumping around long enough to move over and cut through the rope with a kunai. She dropped to the ground less than gracefully, then stood and started shaking out her limbs to get feeling back into them.

"I..." she said, as they stood in an awkward circle.

"Kakashi sensei...is actually kind of cool, huh?" Naruto said with a laugh.

"Yeah, for a sadistic guy who didn't want a genin team," Mayu muttered, and Sasuke snorted.

Mayu sighed, then walked over to her pack and picked it up, walking to the first piece of the puppet. Her chest tightened when she picked up the tiny leg, and she just stood for a moment staring down at it. She knew it was an inanimate object, but she couldn't help but feel like she'd lost a friend or something.

A hand holding Baru's shell - somehow still whole, appeared in front of her. She looked up and saw Naruto, who had a smile on his face. "We'll find all the pieces, and you'll put him back together, believe it!" he said. In the background, she saw Sasuke quietly picking up bits of wood and metal.

Before she could stop it, a wide grin spread across her face.

"Alright," she agreed.

This whole genin team thing might not be so bad after all.


	5. First Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team 7 has some trouble finding their groove, Mayu makes valiant attempts to have normal social interactions, and their first C Rank goes to hell. Add on a rather startling realization, and it's just another month in the life of our heroine.

The genin team thing was, in fact, that bad. After a week and a half and six D-ranked missions that involved Naruto complaining loudly about not doing 'real ninja stuff,' Kakashi ignoring them while reading softcore porn, and Sasuke alternating between yelling at Naruto and sulking, Mayu wanted to tear her hair out.

Kakashi was late every day, and Mayu had taken to bringing a book with her to pass the time but struggled to get through it while Sasuke and Naruto wrestled on the ground or yelled insults at one another.

She sighed into her breakfast, poking at the rice with her chopsticks as she faced yet another day with her team.

Shikaku and Yoshino exchanged looks before Yoshino spoke. "Mayu-chan, what's wrong? Are you still upset about Baru?"

Mayu just shook her head but didn't elaborate. Shikamaru looked over at her.

"Mayu-chan, you want to work on that project we talked about this afternoon after we're done with our teams?" he asked, probably sensing she wanted a change of subject. She brightened.

"Sure! Meet on the hill?" Shikamaru nodded, then went back to eating, ignoring his parents' interested looks.

Mayu dragged her feet on her way out the door and was silent as she and Shikamaru walked to the gate of the compound, where they'd need to part ways.

"It'll get better, Mayu-chan," Shikamaru said before he turned to go down the road.

Mayu pursed her lips but didn't say what she was thinking.  _Easy for you to say, you've known your team for years, have a sensei who actually cares, and a clear strategy for teamwork._

She just shrugged and attempted a smile. "Yeah, of course, it will."

Shikamaru tilted his head to the side. "You know, it's not really like you to be so discouraged. Usually, if you don't get your way the first time, you just find a way to come at it sideways or bulldoze straight through. What's different this time?"

Mayu sighed and shrugged.  _They don't see me,_ she thought.

"I'd better go, I'm already late," she said in a quiet voice.

Mayu decided to cut through the woods to get to the training grounds, knowing it would take longer but not exactly worried about being on time.

She had just left the trees and entered the clearing holding the memorial stone when she stopped short. Standing in front of the stone was her sensei. From where she had entered the clearing she could see his profile, and his whole body was slumped forward in sorrow. She remembered Shikaku's words about his childhood team and bit her lip.

After a moment he stiffened and turned his head towards her. She gave a little wave but didn't approach, not sure if she'd be welcome, and continued to walk through the clearing. He didn't wave back.

A few hours later they were standing in front of Tsunade as she shuffled through D-ranks and bickered with Naruto, and Mayu let her attention wander the room. Her eyes fell on the portraits of the past Hokage as Naruto asked Tsunade for a 'cool' mission, impervious to her grumpy moods. Her eyes moved past them, and she felt a jolt go through her as a realization hit. Her eyes darted back to the smiling, blue-eyed, blonde-haired man in the Yondaime's portrait, and then she turned her head to stare at a grinning Naruto, who was still heckling his 'baa-chan.'

She moved her gaze back to the portrait as her mind whirled, making connections. 

 _Naruto is an orphan. Naruto is the Kyuubi vessel. The Yondaime's last act was to seal the Kyuubi into a blonde haired, blue eyed infant._   _No. Way._

She followed her team out of the tower in a haze, walking behind them as Naruto insisted he'd paint his part of the fence "way faster" than Sasuke, who was scowling at him, and Kakashi walked ahead of them, nose in his ever-present book.

When they got to their destination, she silently picked up a paintbrush, eyes flicking over to Naruto every once in awhile, before giving into the urge, and moving over to him.

"Naruto," she said in a quiet voice.

"Hmm, Mayu-chan?" he asked as he splattered paint across the fence.

"Can I ask you...a pretty personal question?"

He looked at her from the corner of his eye, before nodding. "Sure, Mayu-chan. We're teammates aren't we?"

She gave him a half smile. "I...do you...know who your parents were?"

He paused in his painting and stiffened.

"I just -" she quickly filled the silence, "you know I was in the orphanage too, and I was wondering if you were...like me...in that you never knew them," she cringed as he stiffened more. "Ah, never mind," she said meekly.

She could already see the answer to her question in his posture.  _So this is another thing that they've kept from him._  

She scurried over to her part of the fence and ignored the look Kakashi was giving her. Ensui had told her that Kakashi was an expert tracker, and was as good as the Inuzuka when he enhanced his hearing and smell, so there was a good chance he'd overheard their conversation. 

 _Let him think of it what he will,_ she thought to herself petulantly.

She was relieved when, at the end of the mission, Naruto seemed to have regained his cheer and wasn't holding her question against her.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei?" Mayu said sweetly before he could dismiss them, "I was wondering if, maybe, this afternoon we could spend some time on team training?"

He paused and looked at her. "Oh? These missions not enough for you, Mayu-chan?" he asked with an eye smile.

She resisted rolling her eyes and returned the fake smile with one of her own.

"I've just heard so much about what a good shinobi you are, sensei, that I know you could teach us a lot!"

He humphed, unmoved by her praise, but shrugged.

"Alright, meet me in training ground seven," he said, then disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

"Yes!" Naruto said, pumping his fist. "Good job, Mayu!"

As they ran their fourth lap of Konoha, their sensei waving as they looped past his perch on a roof, none of them felt so good about it anymore. Kakashi had called it 'endurance training,' but Mayu suspected he was just keeping them busy.

Finally, they collapsed in a sweaty mess on the ground, and Kakashi appeared before them. "Okay! Naruto and Sasuke, you're over here with me, I want to watch you spar. Mayu-chan, I want you to practice with your chakra threads. Pick up ten objects at once, toss them in the air with your strings, then catch them. Once you can do that five times in a row without dropping anything, tell me, okay?

Mayu stared at him in shock for a moment. That was an exercise she could do at home. She couldn't help but feel like he was just sticking her off to the side while he worked with the boys, but she kept her complaints to herself.

"Yes, sensei," she said and went to do as he said.

She eyed her other three teammates from where she was standing as Kakashi adjusted Naruto's stance and showed Sasuke a flip. She gritted her teeth - right, following orders, that was a thing that she could do. Kakashi would turn his focus to her eventually.

Mayu finally dragged herself to the cloud watching hill and collapsed next to Shikamaru, who was already there.

"That good, huh?" he said wryly, and she just grunted.

"I'm low on chakra and I'm exhausted," she admitted.

Shikamaru hummed. "That's okay. We can just strategize today."

Mayu sat up and he followed her, pulling a small notebook from his pouch. She sat next to him so she could see what he wrote.

"Right," Shikamaru said. "So I thought we could come up with different scenarios, then map out formations and combinations. Then, we'll practice a few when we have time." He shrugged, and she looked at him with a smile.

"That's a good idea," she said softly, feeling suddenly thankful and  _useful_ for the first time in weeks.

"I also wanted to come up with an individual training plan for myself," she said with a sigh. "I'm good at perfecting individual skills, but actually combining them..." she drifted off.

Shikamaru nodded. Mayu could tell he was wondering why she wasn't asking her sensei to help with it, but thankfully didn't comment. "I've been thinking about that. Something I've noticed...is that you seem to be pretty stationary when you're using your puppets. In a real battle, that leaves you vulnerable."

Mayu considered that then nodded. "The problem is...I'm still not as proficient at controlling them as I could be. It's hard for me to concentrate on their movements  _and_ mine," she admitted.

"I think," he said, tapping his bottom lip with a finger, "that maybe you should try to run through an extra set of the Deadly Dance movement sets every day...but include your puppets. You know, come up with their own set of movements that you want to push them into as you do yours. I bet you could even use Bukimi - it'd probably help you learn how to use him in combat instead of as a tool to scare Ensui-nii when he comes around corners."

"Yeah...maybe one set of movements for Bukimi and another for the twins? I still need to repair Baru..." she said sadly. "I haven't really had time."

Shikamaru sighed but didn't comment. Nobody had been happy to hear that her jounin sensei had smashed her puppet, but Shikaku had admitted it was probably a good learning experience for her. It just seemed a bit excessive.

000

Two days later, thoroughly  _done_ with chakra thread practice, Mayu waited until after practice was just finishing and said, "Kakashi-sensei?"

He glanced at her."Hmm, Mayu-chan?"

"I was wondering...Ensui-nii told me you're considered one of the best trackers in the village."

He shrugged but didn't say anything, and Sasuke and Naruto looked over in interest.

"Well, he's been teaching me tracking for a few years now, but he said that he's only really mediocre at it without his summons. He suggested that I ask you for some extra help on it?" Mayu gave him her sweetest smile and bounced up on her toes in excitement. "Itachi-sempai said it's an important skill for investigators in the police force. I'd be very thankful!"

Sasuke scoffed. "Itachi-sempai? You know that the chances of you actually getting a position as a non-Uchiha are pretty much zero, right? And when did you even talk to my brother?"

Mayu glared at him, taking in his defensive posture and dismissive eyes before answering.

"Well, the last time I saw him was when he came to ask me for some help removing permanent ink from his little brother."

Sasuke stiffened, and Kakashi held up his hands. "Okay, children, that's enough. Sasuke, sometimes the MPF  _does_ hire particularly motivated and talented individuals outside of the clan." Mayu's smug expression was wiped off her face at his next words. "Sorry, Mayu-chan, but with our current training schedule, I don't know that we can fit in tracking lessons. You'll have to continue studying it in your own time."

Mayu barely kept her jaw from dropping open in disbelief. Kakashi looked relaxed, but he knew he was pulling a dick move by his posture and the way he wouldn't meet her eyes. Considering their current training regime was him working with Naruto and Sasuke while she flung sticks around, yeah, that response was unexpected.

"My own time," she said flatly, and he nodded.

Sasuke and Naruto were looking at the ground, uncomfortable. She stared at him - what did he expect her to do, start stalking random people for practice? Her eyes widened as an idea hit her, and she gave him her brightest smile.

"Sure, sensei, I know just the thing!"

He gave her a suspicious look before waving a hand and disappearing. Mayu glanced over at her teammates, who seemed confused by her mild response.

"Naruto, Sasuke," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

She ran off before they could answer. She had some stalking to prepare for.

000

Mayu knelt behind the garbage cans across from her sensei's apartment building. She'd been there since six am - after breaking into Shikaku's office and stealing his address from his file. What? She said she'd only break into his office again if it was important, and this was  _really important_. Finally, she saw a familiar head of grey hair emerge from the window she had identified as Kakashi's, and she watched him take to the roof, heading east.

She scrambled to her feet and pushed chakra into her legs for speed, keeping an eye on him and following, not bothering to be careful of the people around her. Finally, she saw him disappear into the woods and dropped her chakra use so she could sneak quietly through the trees. She enhanced her sense of smell, though after three days of semi-successfully 'tracking' her sensei she already knew where he was going. The memorial stone. She hid in some bushes and sat cross-legged on the ground, watching the extremely sad and boring spectacle of her sensei honoring the dead.

A few twitches of his nose under the mask and the angle of his body told Mayu he knew she was there - just like he had known every other morning - and that he was ignoring her. Finally, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, and she sighed and headed for the bridge to meet her team.

"Hey guys," she greeted Naruto and Sasuke, who were already looking a little ruffled from what had probably been their first fight of the day.

Sasuke was in a bad mood, though Mayu had no idea why.

"Hey, instead of you two arguing all morning while I read, do you want to spar for a bit before Kakashi comes?" she asked hopefully.

Sasuke scoffed. "We spend all afternoon sparring, why would I want to spend the morning doing it, too?"

He hadn't exactly been friendly since she let slip that Itachi had given her advice, and she closed her eyes in annoyance. Mayu made a note to herself: Sasuke may resent his brother, but he was also extremely jealous of his time and attention.

"Well, you two do, yeah, but  _I_ don't, so..."

"Sure, Mayu-chan, I'll spar with you!" Naruto said with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle..." Mayu scowled at that, but before she could comment Sasuke cut in.

"Well, yeah, because Kakashi knows there's no point. You'll end up a medic nin just like your guardian."

Mayu blinked at him, surprised that she was a little hurt.

"Asshole! Don't talk to her like that!" Naruto yelled, and then they were rolling on the ground, yelling insults at each other.

"Okay, guess we aren't sparring then," Mayu said to herself and took out her book.

After they completed a D-rank and her wayward sensei disappeared, she went looking for him, wandering the markets until she caught his scent. When she finally found him, he was walking down the street with Shikamaru's sensei, Asuma, no book in sight.

She darted after him, hiding behind carts and garbage cans until finally Asuma, who'd been glancing back at her every few minutes, stopped, and said loudly, "Okay, are we just going to pretend not to notice the little blue haired girl following us?"

Kakashi sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Eh, Asuma, if you ignore them they'll go away."

He disappeared, then reappeared behind Mayu, picking her up by the collar and lifting her, then turning her in the air so she was facing him. An amused-looking Asuma sauntered up next to them.

"Asuma, this is my cute little student Mayu-chan. Mayu, this is Sarutobi Asuma. Now. Why have you been following me for three days?" he asked with an eye smile.

Asuma choked on a laugh. "Three days..."

"Oh! Well, you said that I should practice tracking on my own time. I figured trying to locate and follow the best tracker in the village was good practice." She smiled at Kakashi and didn't miss the disapproving glance Asuma sent his way.

Kakashi looked unimpressed. "You're going to keep following me until I agree to teach you tracking, aren't you," he said in a flat voice.

"Yep!" she said and beamed at him.

He was silent for a moment. "In that case..." he said, then let go of her and let her drop to the ground in a crouch. "Good luck!" Then he eye-smiled and walked away.

Asuma sighed and followed him, leaving Mayu shaking in anger behind them. "Oh, this isn't over," she muttered.

The next night, she snuck out of the house and into Konoha. She'd heard rumors (okay she'd eavesdropped on Ensui and Shikaku) that some of the elite jounin met once a month at the Crooked Kunai to drink and catch up, and that Kakashi was usually there. Of course, so was Ensui, but that was part of the plan. The monthly meet up just happened to be that night.

She stood across the street watching the door before she saw a chance to dart in past the bouncer. The bar was loud, with music playing on the jukebox and a rowdy group of ninja in the corner. She moved into the dark space by the jukebox and looked around until she found her prey.

Kakashi was sitting at the bar, along with ten or so other ninjas, including Ensui, and she grinned to herself as she saw her sensei glance with interest at a pretty woman who had sidled up next to him. She waited until they were deep in conversation before making her way over and tugging on his sleeve.

He looked down, and his eye widened at her. She put on her most innocent little girl face, and said loudly and mournfully, "I finally found you. I've been looking everywhere!"

He jerked away from her, and the woman gave him a glare, muttering to herself about irresponsible men, before turning and walking away.

"Man, this tracking stuff sure is hard!" Mayu said as Kakashi sputtered at her.

The ninja around her burst into raucous laughter at Kakashi's expense as Asuma told them about her plan to force Kakashi to teach her tracking.

She felt a wave dark intent at her side and tilted her head to look up into the furious face of Ensui.

"Hi Ensui-nii!" she chirped.

"Mayu-chan, go wait for me outside," he said in a dangerous voice. "And if I catch you in a bar again before you're either a chunin or sixteen..." he let his voice drift off, and she gulped.

"Right, no bars, got it."

She darted towards the door as Ensui turned to a cowed-looking Kakashi and said in a low, deceptively calm voice, "You wanna tell me why my brother's cute little ward is following you into dark bars trying to get you to do your job, Hatake?"

She snickered to herself. It was just as she thought, even the great Sharingan no Kakashi was terrified of Ensui.

The next day she skipped over to the bridge, tired from staying up late listening to Ensui scold her, and then listening to Yoshino scold her, but feeling satisfied with a job well done. When Kakashi appeared, slouched more than usual, they went to pick up their daily mission - weeding a garden - and completed it with minimal drama.

Finally, they were standing in the training field, and Kakashi clapped his hands together.

"Right! Today, we're doing something a little different. Sasuke and Naruto, I want you to work on some chakra control exercises. Mayu-chan," he whipped out four small vials and held them out to her. "We're going to work on tracking."

Naruto and Sasuke groaned and Naruto, of course, had to comment. "Hey, hey, Kakashi, why can't we work on tracking, too?"

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Well, I suppose if you want to work on the same thing as Mayu-chan, I won't stop you!" he said, and his cheerful voice sent warning shivers down her spine. 

 _Oh crap, he's going the revenge route,_ she thought to herself.

"Right! So, Mayu-chan, Ensui told me that he's taught you how to enhance your senses. Today I'm going to teach you how to use your enhanced sense of smell to decipher how long ago your mark passed through a certain area."

_That didn't sound so bad._

Mayu nodded and bounced on the balls of her feet in excitement.

"So, in each of these bottles, I have a sample of urine," her eyes widened as she saw where this was going. "One is fresh, one is a day old, one is two days old, and one is four days old. Urine breaks down in certain ways that change the scent over time. So! You need to spend some time smelling these until you can identify the differences between time frames!" he said cheerfully, holding the bottles out to her.

Naruto burst out into laughter, and Sasuke smirked at her. She stared in shock at Kakashi. He was evil, totally, totally evil. From the smugness radiating from him, she could tell he thought she would balk.

"How did you even get these samples in just one night?" she muttered, reaching for them.

"A ninja must always be prepared," he said self importantly before turning to a still amused Sasuke and Naruto. "So, do you want to do those chakra control exercises or..."

"Chakra control! Definitely - we'll leave the pee-sniffing to Mayu!" Naruto said with a nervous laugh.

"Great!" Kakashi said. "Mayu, let me know when you think you've got it down and we'll start on the next stage."

She nodded, and kept her gaze down - she didn't really want him to read the mortification and disappointment in her eyes.

"Okay," she said, then turned and walked over to a tree, sitting and leaning against it, not noticing the way he paused at her quiet acquiescence.

Mayu breathed in and out a few times, trying to calm herself down. 

_You just need to prove to him you can take anything he throws at you. Eventually, he'll start to take you seriously, like he does the boys._

She ignored the little voice telling her that it wasn't fair she had to work to get him to treat her like she was his student.

She slowly moved chakra into her odor receptors, then reached for the opaque glass labeled 'Fresh.' She pursed her lips and focused on keeping her face blank, sure that she was being watched by her team, and tried not to think about where, exactly, these samples may have come from. It made her chest go tight when she realized she felt like she had to protect herself from ridicule from her team, but she just popped the cork on the bottle and then timidly waved it beneath her nose. Mayu fought the urge to gag, and turned her head to the side to take in a few fresh breaths.

After a few more tries, she got used to it. 

_Really, you've seen and smelled many less pleasant things. Suck it up - it's only water with toxins and such mixed in._

With that thought, she started on the next bottle. After a while, she thought she had started to identify the differences between the samples, and her disgust was replaced with interest. The older samples smelled a bit stronger, but also seemed to have lost some of the chemical tang...

Finally, Mayu capped them and stood, resisting the urge to wipe her hands on her pants. She wandered over to where the boys were sticking leaves to their bodies with varying levels of success while Kakashi read in a tree above them.

"Sensei?" she called, and he lowered the book. "I'm ready for the next stage, please."

"Hey, Mayu-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked hesitantly, and she glanced over at him, pushing any of her feelings that weren't interest or determination into a small box.

"I'm fine," she said in a flat voice. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He looked a bit skeptical but didn't say anything else.

Kakashi dropped out of the tree and landed next to her. He held out four small, red flags that had the numbers one through four printed on them.

"Great! I've poured one of each sample in various places in these woods," he said, gesturing behind him. "You're to find them, and label them with these flags. One being the freshest sample, four being the least fresh."

Mayu's eyes widened, and she stared up at him as she slowly took the flags from his hand. The woods around training ground seven were at least fifteen acres...that was a lot of space to cover for her meager tracking skills. She pushed down her doubt and nodded.

"Come to get me if you finish," he said.

She wanted to glare at the  _if,_ but just said, "Yes, sensei," and turned to the woods with determination.

It took Mayu an hour to find the first sample, which was splattered against the trunk of a tree on the other side of the training grounds. After some judicious sniffing, she stuck the flag marked '2' in the dirt next to it. The next one took twice as long, but she finally identified it beside a small stream - the smell of the water had covered it a bit. After some hemming and hawing, she placed the '4' next to it.

She chewed on her lip and looked up at the sky - it was getting close to dinner time. She shrugged, and figured her family would assume she was still with her team - they had gone late a few times.

An hour later she was standing in a thick copse of trees, nose in the air as she caught tiny, tantalizing wisps of what she was pretty sure was sample 1.

"Where is it?" she muttered to herself, wandering back and forth in the fading light.

Finally, she pinpointed where it was coming from, and groaned.

"Really, sensei?" she muttered, and put the flags in her pouch and stared up at the branch she was pretty sure the next sample was on. "Now you're just being petty."

With a sigh, she slowly pushed chakra into her feet and hands and carefully started to make her way up the tree. A few minutes later, she blew out a relieved puff of air as she found the spot. She lifted one hand and reached for her pouch.

A bird burst into flight from a branch a few feet above her and she startled, losing her grip on the tree. Mayu shrieked as she fell the fifteen feet to the ground, hitting feet-first and then landing painfully on her back. She took a few moments to lie there, staring up at the sky and asking herself why she had wanted to be a ninja, before sitting up with a groan to assess the damage. Her right ankle was throbbing with pain, and she hoped it wasn't broken inside her boot. Her right arm was pretty scraped up, but she didn't think it was anything too serious.

"Looks like sensei wins - I'm done for the day," she said in a glum voice as she struggled to stand.

When Mayu tried to put weight on her foot, however, she cried out in pain and sat back down. There was no way she was walking on that. She closed her eyes in frustration, willing herself not to cry.

"Right, well, your team will notice you haven't come back and come looking for you," she said out loud, feeling better at the thought.

Actually, they were probably looking for her already. She twisted around until she was leaning against the tree and straightened her leg with the hurt ankle in front of her, hissing in pain.

Mayu then looked down to study her arm, but it was difficult to see the extent of the damage in the dim light. With a shrug, she settled back to wait. And wait. And wait.

It had been fully dark for a while before she admitted to herself that her team wasn't coming. They had probably assumed she'd given up and gone home on her own. 

 _Or they forgot you were even there,_ she thought bitterly to herself.

She'd like to say that was just her being dramatic, but, well...no matter how hard she had tried, she had felt like an outsider. Sasuke and Naruto were always focused on each other, and Kakashi was either pretending they weren't there or working with the boys.

She forced her thoughts away from that. Eventually, her family would come to find her - Ensui was in the village, so he could use Baken. Mayu closed her eyes, trying not to be freaked out by the dark forest around her, and started to hum to herself for distraction. Eventually, she was brought out of a light doze by the sound of something moving to her right. She reached a hand towards her kunai pouch and peered into the darkness.

"Hello?" she called in a raspy voice.

A shadow detached from the trees and trotted towards her, and she relaxed when she saw it was Baken.

"Mayu, you've had my summoner worried," the cat said when he got close enough to touch.

He inhaled before saying, "You smell of blood and fear. What happened? Your teammates said that they thought you had gone home."

Mayu swallowed at the confirmation of her thoughts. Instead of answering, she leaned forward and hugged the cat, ignoring his grumbling.

"Sorry," she whispered. "It's just been a really sucky couple of hours."

"I can see that," Baken said, backing out of hugging range. "I assume if you could walk I wouldn't be here."

"Hurt my ankle," Mayu said shortly, and he nodded once.

"I'm going to go get Ensui, then. Your team is with him. I'll be right back."

Mayu sat in the darkness, trying to ignore the tight feeling growing in her chest, and breathed out with relief when she heard Ensui's voice.

"Over here," she called.

"Mayu, you look like crap," Ensui said bluntly as he knelt by her side. "What the hell happened?"

Mayu ignored the three figures she could see in the background - easily identifiable by their shapes, and shrugged.

"Guess I need to practice my tree walking," she said, and he sighed.

The moon chose that moment to finally bank over the trees, and her little clearing lit up in silver light. Ensui hissed as he caught sight of her arm, and she decided she didn't want to know. She glanced over at her team, who had moved closer.

"I think I sprained my ankle," she said to Ensui to avoid dwelling on Kakashi's tense form and Naruto's wringing hands.

He moved around to her other side, and knelt down to put his hands under her knees and behind her shoulders. He was gentle, but her back felt like one big bruise so she still hissed a bit in pain.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he soothed as he stood.

"Mayu-chan! I'm really sorry we didn't find you earlier," Naruto said. "We thought -"

"Don't worry about it," she said, cutting him off.

The last thing she wanted was an apology, or for them to  _know_ how much their rejection stung.

Kakashi stepped forward. "Mayu-chan, I'm sorry we didn't realize you were still out here. Of course, we came to look for our wayward teammate after your family came looking for you..."

"Right," she said in an icy voice, and he jolted. "I'm very thankful to have such a kind and attentive sensei. I was so relieved when I heard how famous you are for never leaving a comrade behind."

"Mayu-chan," Naruto whispered, but she ignored him.

"I guess you were right about not taking on too much, Kakashi-sensei. I won't bug you about extra training again, okay?" she said and turned her face into Ensui's shoulder so she didn't have to see the relief she assumed was in her sensei's posture. "Can we please go home, now."

"Sure, sweetheart," he said in a soft soothing voice, and they turned and left her silent team behind them.

When they'd been walking for awhile, he spoke. "You know, Mayu..."

"Don't," she whispered. "Please, I know you all wanted me to give them a chance and I tried, I did, but. I haven't felt this way in six years, and I just won't put myself through it again, okay?"

It wasn't often she felt the sting of rejection since she generally wasn't concerned with whether people accepted her or not, but she  _had_ cared about this. Mayu had tried in her own way, and in ways she wouldn't normally bother with, and they hadn't even cared enough to notice. It made her feel small, and like she was somehow less than she should be. It made her want to crawl into a hole for about ten years until the humiliation faded.

She had thought, after that first day in the classroom, and the way they'd stayed to help her pick up the pieces of poor Baru after that test, that she, Naruto and Sasuke would be able to pull together as some sort of team. In the end, though, they seemed too focused on their own goals and their stupid rivalry. And Kakashi...well it was better if she just didn't go there. That was obviously a disaster from the start, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out what she'd done to make him avoid her so fastidiously, which was  _frustrating._

Ensui walked home carefully so as not to jostle her various bruises, Baken a silent shadow beside him, and if he noticed Mayu shed a few frustrated tears into his shoulder, he thankfully didn't say anything about it. When he walked in the door, Mayu was immediately surrounded by her family but remained silent as Ensui set her on the couch and pulled Shikaku out of the room to talk to him.

Yoshino carefully removed her shoe, then examined her ankle.

"It's not broken, just a bad sprain," she assured. "Shikamaru, go get a wrap and some ice."

He stood and ran to get the supplies. After Yoshino patched up her arm and ankle, Shikaku had entered the room again, sans Ensui.

"I'm going to kill him," he said in a calm voice, and Mayu sighed tiredly.

"No you're not," she said firmly and held up a hand when he went to argue. "Please, papa, just leave it alone. I'm considered a grown up now by law, so you can't just go out and beat up my commanding officer. Just, I'll handle it, okay?" 

Shikaku sighed in frustration. "Mayu, this isn't just about the fact that you're my daughter. He's supposed to teach you, and protect you while you learn. He left you out in the woods injured for  _hours_..."

"What?!" Shikamaru and Yoshino yelled.

"I was in the training grounds!" she argued. "With a sprained ankle! He didn't even realize I was still out there. I mean, I'm not happy about it either, but I just have to survive this team for a year at the most. We're all too talented for it to take any longer than that to make chunin. Please, papa. Don't push this," she begged.

Mayu could see he wanted to argue, and she just slumped back. "I'm tired, can I just go to sleep, please?"

She ignored her family's angry and worried expressions as Shikaku picked her up and brought her upstairs to her bedroom, setting her in her desk chair. Yoshino helped her change into her pajamas, frowning at the bruises on her back before brushing the dirt and twigs from her hair and helping her to bed before tucking her in. She lay staring at the ceiling, listening to the voices of her family raising and lowering as they discussed what had to be the most humiliating day of her life.

"I can't believe I sniffed pee for that guy," she muttered to herself, then jumped as somebody slipped into her room.

She sighed and scooched over on the bed to make room for Shikamaru. He crawled under the covers and laid next to her, opening his arms so she could settle her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry," he whispered after a few minutes.

"For what?" she asked sleepily.

"I insisted you give them a chance, but I didn't realize how much out of your comfort zone you would go...you've been so down the past few weeks, trying to stick your round self into a square hole."

"You calling me fat?" she joked weakly, and he snorted.

"It's not your fault. I admit I was probably a little...awkward. And I got paired with the most emotionally crippled team ever. Seriously, it's bad. Sasuke is just angry and arrogant and obsessed with being better than his brother and doesn't know how to smile. Naruto's desperate to be acknowledged, and Kakashi-sensei is just...living in the past, I guess." She added in a small voice, "and apparently I don't do well with rejection, and don't know when to take a hint."

Shikamaru sighed and petted her hair. "Don't forget that your hobbies include creating dangerous objects that you inevitably wreak havoc with while 'testing' them," he teased, and she smiled.

He was silent for a minute before he said, "You're also brilliant, and fun, and exciting. Your loyalty isn't easily given but when it is, you won't ever let that person down. You're my favorite person for a reason."

She didn't say anything, but tightened her hold on him, feeling better than she had since that horrible moment when she realized her team wasn't coming for her. Finally, the tense hours sitting in the woods caught up to her, and she fell asleep, not noticing when he slipped out of the room.

000

Ensui found Kakashi at a little dive bar, sitting on a bar stool and staring morosely into his drink. He sighed and slid into the seat next to him, signaling to the bartender to give him whatever Kakashi was having - and to put it on the other man's tab.

They sat in silence for a moment before Kakashi spoke.

"You here to punch me in the face?" he said without looking up, seeming unconcerned with the answer.

"Considering it, though I'd say Mayu-chan already gave you enough of a sucker punch."

Kakashi chuckled, but there wasn't any humor to it.

"She always like that when she's mad?" he asked.

"Yep, pretty much. Holds a grudge, too, unless you're part of my brother's immediate family."

Kakashi slumped. "I should have known. She tried to start me on fire after I broke her puppet, you know," and Ensui raised his eyebrows in surprise when he realized the man sounded  _fond_.

"And then she cock-blocked you after you refused to train her in tracking," he drawled. "She's a vicious little thing," and he knew he sounded just as smitten as his older brother did when talking about her or Shikamaru.

Kakashi sighed. "So how much will I pay for this one?"

Ensui tightened his hand on his glass.

"That depends on your definition of 'pay for,'" he said lightly. "I'm guessing she'll be as good as her word. You won't hear a peep out of her unless you ask her a direct question from here on out."

Kakashi thumped his forehead on the table with a soft  _clang_ , and Ensui lost all semblance of amusement.

"There a reason you've been giving Mayu a hard time?"

Kakashi lifted his head. "Of course there is - you can probably even guess what it is, but I don't intend to talk about it."

Ensui tapped his fingers on the bar in thought before shrugging.

"Fair enough, but, if you intend on fixing what you broke, you'd better be ready to give her the real reason. That girl will see straight through your bullshit." he then turned in his stool to look straight at Kakashi, who turned his face so he could meet his gaze. "Don't let her Academy scores fool you - she's a genius on a level with Shikamaru and his father, though with different areas of strength."

"And whose idea was it that she keeps her Academy performance so subpar?" Kakashi said in a sardonic tone, and Ensui shrugged before downing his beer.

"Don't know what you're talking about," he said as he stood from the stool and turned to walk away before pausing and spinning back around. "Oh, and Kakashi?"

"Hmm?" the other man spun to face Ensui and was met with a strong punch to his uncovered eye that sent him sprawling out of his stool. They both knew he could have dodged, but Kakashi also knew he deserved it.

"That's for leaving her injured in the dark for hours and making her cry, you asshole. You fuck up and get her killed, my brother and I will tear you apart."

Kakashi just sighed and remained laying on the sticky floor, wondering what Tsunade had been thinking when she saddled him with three baby ninja.

000

The next day Mayu was lying sideways on the couch with her foot propped on a pillow, Shikamaru sitting on the floor next to her head while she leaned over him so she could see what he was sketching in his notebook.

"I think if you were able to use your momentum from this move - you know the one where you leap into the air and then kind of pinwheel..."

"Right, yeah I know which one, how could I forget? I gave myself a concussion when I landed on my head the first time I tried it."

He tilted his head back to give her an amused half grin. He'd insisted on staying home with her since Yoshino had plans to be out of the house most of the day, and Mayu felt more thankful than guilty about it. Her eyes lingered on the hoop earrings he'd put in the day after he'd become a genin. She secretly thought they made him look older, and she was a little struck by it every she caught sight of them.

"Anyway, I thought you could send the twins into a kind of corkscrew move - with those sharp antenna, you would do serious damage if you get them going so fast that people will be hardpressed to get out of the way. Then, after you land you go into that backflip - you could use that to pull them back into a ready position..."

They were interrupted by a knock at the front door. Shikamaru sighed, but stood up and handed the notebook and pen to her. "I'll be right back."

He disappeared into the hallway, and she flipped through the pages to study the rough sketches Shikamaru had put together of the series of movements they'd learned in stages one and two of the Deadly Dance Style. Mayu blinked as she heard a familiar loud voice.

"We just want to talk to her for a minute! We feel bad..." Naruto said, and Mayu groaned and flopped over on her back, then winced.

"She's not available," Shikamaru said in a bored voice. "Kind of how you two weren't available yesterday. You know, when your teammate was injured in the forest."

"Shikamaru! It's fine!" she called and struggled to sit up and look less like somebody who had fallen out of a tree like an idiot the night before.

Her lips quirked when she heard Shikamaru muttering to himself, and the shuffle of footsteps coming closer to the family room. Shikamaru slouched in first, moving to sit on the end of the couch by her feet, followed by an uncharacteristically meek Naruto gripping the stems of some wildflowers in one hand. Close on his heels was a scowling Sasuke carrying a...basket of oranges. Mayu exchanged a look with Shikamaru that clearly communicated  _What the hell_?

Unsurprisingly, it was Naruto who stepped forward first, face determined as he shoved the flowers at her. She carefully took them from him - they were actually pretty and had a nice fragrance.

"I'm very sorry!" He blurted and bowed his head low. He stayed in the bow as he continued talking.

"You're my teammate, which means I'm supposed to look out for you. But, I didn't say anything when Kakashi-sensei was kind of a jerk, and I didn't stick around to make sure you'd gone home, and you ended being injured without help from your comrades. I don't deserve another chance, but, please consider it! I won't let you down this time, I promise!"

Mayu gaped at him in shock. "Will you stand up, please," she finally muttered.

He did so, and she saw that his big blue eyes were shimmering with tears and couldn't help her small twitch. Was this how people felt when she gave them The Eyes?

"Naruto..." she began, then hesitated.

Her plan had been to keep her distance from her team. She would protect them and work with them to complete missions, as was expected of her, but she wouldn't try to get attached again.

Mayu hadn't expected a sincere apology, though, and was now feeling a little lost. She scrambled to order her thoughts. Sasuke was standing to the side, looking incredibly uncomfortable, and Shikamaru was giving Naruto a thoughtful look. He gave her a little tilt of his chin when he saw her looking at him, which she took to mean  _Your choice, I'll back you up no matter what._

She decided to go for blunt.

"You never saw me as a teammate before, why should I believe you will now? Your guilt will fade eventually, you know."

Naruto looked shocked for a minute before blurting, "I saw you as my teammate!"

Mayu shook her head. "No. You didn't. You see Sasuke as a worthy rival, but I was just...there." She shrugged. "You wouldn't even take the time to spar with me, because you don't take me seriously as a part of the team."

Naruto looked at the ground, lips pursed, and Mayu watched his indignant expression fade as he reviewed the last few weeks in his head. He sighed and slumped.

"It might have seemed that way..."

"It was that way," Mayu snapped. "Don't try and soften it or lie to me, Naruto. I'll always be able to tell."

"Okay, fine!" Naruto yelled. "But I didn't  _mean_ to do it - I didn't even realize I was! Sasuke's just a really big jerk, okay? And I was so excited to have a teacher like Kakashi-sensei and I got caught up and it won't happen again." He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're hard to read you know," he mumbled. "Even when you and Shikamaru had me over for dinner while we were students, you didn't talk to me. And I could tell that you were forcing it once we were a team and I just figured you didn't like me much."

Mayu blinked at him in surprise. He was more observant than she thought if he noticed all that.

"I...like you just fine," she said carefully. "I'm not great with people, but I was trying to make an effort with you since you're my team. That's probably why it seemed a bit forced."

Naruto bit his lip and narrowed his eyes. "Well, how about I promise not to avoid you, and you promise not to pretend to be something you're not. That first day went pretty well, right? We passed Kakashi-sensei's test for a reason, believe it! We'll be the best team ever."

And just like that, most of the awful pressure she'd been feeling in her chest eased, and she couldn't help but return his smile with a small one of her own. The moment was ruined when Sasuke stalked over and set the basket of oranges down on the coffee table with so much force that two of the fruit bounced out and rolled across the table and onto the floor.

"Sorry," he said flatly, then crossed his arms over his chest and turned his face to look out the window.

Mayu blinked in shock, then studied him for a moment before she burst into laughter. He scowled harder, probably not used to apologizing or being laughed at.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just...who made you come and apologize? I'm guessing it was your mother, what with the oranges," she said, gesturing to the fruit.

Sasuke sighed and deflated.

"Your mom stopped by and had breakfast with my family," he muttered.

Mayu groaned and slapped her hands over her reddening face. "Every time I think this situation can't get more embarrassing, it does. I can't believe she told your dad I fell out of a tree!" she wailed.

Sasuke smirked. "She didn't, she just politely mentioned that you were doing fine after your training accident, even after laying out in the dark forest all alone for so many hours. And that she's sure I'd 'want to know.'" he shivered.

"Your mom's kind of terrifying," he said grudgingly, and Shikamaru made a sound of acknowledgment.

Mayu sighed and lowered her hands. "So your mom made you come."

"Hn." he agreed.

Mayu studied him for a bit.  _He really is sorry_ , she realized as she took in his averted eyes and fake-relaxed posture.

"Eh, it's not really your fault. I'm sure you both thought Kakashi-sensei knew where I was," she said grudgingly.

Sasuke gave her a sharp look, then shrugged.

"We're officially ninja now, so there's no excuse," he said.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Naruto blurted, "Kakashi-sensei had a black eye when he came to tell me we wouldn't be meeting for a few days since you were injured."

Mayu's eyes widened in shock and darted to look at Shikamaru, who was still slouched at the end of the couch and staring pointedly at the far wall.

Mayu closed her eyes and said, "Ensui-nii or dad?"

Silence, then, "Ensui-ojisan," Shikamaru admitted.

"I thought I told you guys to let me handle it," she said in a low, angry tone.

He held up his hands. "Hey, I didn't even know until afterward."

"What is this?" Sasuke asked, pointing to the sketches in her hand, bored with their discussion of 'who punched sensei.'

She explained what they were working on, and he actually looked interested.

After studying the sketches for a moment, he said, "You can do all of these movements?"

Mayu scowled at him. "Yeah, I can get dressed and feed myself in the mornings, too," she grumbled.

Sasuke humphed and looked at her ankle.

"You'll have to show me once you're better. Then we can...help you perfect the movement with the puppets," he said grudgingly and looked to the side.

Mayu's lip twitched. "Alright," she said. "There's katas too, though the puppets won't fit well into those."

"You should come by one morning before your team meets up and watch her and Yoshino spar. It's pretty fun to watch," Shikamaru said with a yawn.

Mayu shot him an amused look. "Yes, it must be so exciting to get that reaction from you."

But Naruto and Sasuke both  _did_ look interested, and she thought she might actually end up with an audience one morning.

"Do you need anything before we go, Mayu-chan?" Naruto asked a bit later after they'd sat huddled around Shikamaru while he came up with her 'Puppet Katas,' as Naruto started calling them.

"Um...actually...I do need some supplies for some projects I wanted to work on while I'm staying off my feet for a few days..."

"Hey, you can count on us!" Naruto yelled, pumping a fist in the air while Sasuke grumbled, "Us?"

Mayu gave them a doubtful look before shrugging.

"Shika-kun, can you run upstairs and grab my wallet?"

He gave Sasuke and Naruto a suspicious look - as though they might end up losing Mayu in the sixty seconds he'd be out of the room - then shrugged and stood, lazily making his way to the stairs. Mayu ripped a page out of her notebook and quickly jotted down some items before holding it out to Sasuke, who grabbed it between two fingers like it was distasteful.

He read it over, and she watched with some satisfaction as his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You cannot be serious," he said, and Naruto scrambled behind him to read the list.

"Dead last, get out of my space," he said through gritted teeth as Naruto yelled "Hydrochloric acid?! Where do we even  _find_ that - hey!" Sasuke had reached over his shoulder and pushed Naruto away by the face.

Shikamaru walked back into the room, tossing Mayu's wallet to Sasuke, who caught it easily.

"I wrote down where you can go to find that stuff," Mayu said easily.

She brought out The Eyes, figuring with the bandages on her arms and her wrapped ankle they could only be more effective. "But don't feel like you have to go. I'm sure I'd be fine alone for a while if Shikamaru goes..."

Shikamaru snorted as Naruto snatched the list from Sasuke and hugged it to his chest.

"No, Mayu, we've got it! Don't worry about us!" Then he was grabbing Sasuke's wrist and dragging him out the front door.

They returned a couple of hours later with two large bags and a much lighter wallet. Mayu was sitting on the porch with Shikamaru playing shogi, sitting sideways with her ankle propped up.

Kiba had stopped by, Akamaru at his heels, while they were gone.

"I heard you had a training accident last night," the Inuzuka had said as he plopped down next to Mayu on the couch. "I also heard that your sensei's walking around with a black eye after Ensui-san punched him in the face at a dive bar. Oh, and that Yoshino-sama accidentally-on-purpose knocked a bucket of fish onto his feet this morning at the market."

Well, the last part was news to Mayu, anyway.

Mayu had sighed at him. "Your clan are a bunch of gossips, I swear. And no, I don't want to talk about it. Tell me about your team," she'd demanded.

As expected, Hinata was meek but kind of a badass when she actually built up the courage to fight properly. Shino was proving a difficult person for Kiba to get along with, but Mayu had a feeling they'd work it out eventually - Kiba could be hard to dislike once you spent some time with him.

After about an hour, Kiba had taken off with a, "Let me know if you need me to kick the Uchiha's ass!"

Mayu hoped that was the last bid for gossip she'd get on the whole situation but somehow doubted it.

"Hey, guys, how'd it go?" Mayu asked mildly as Naruto came bounding up the steps, bags in hand.

"The idiot knocked over a display of beakers," Sasuke said in a flat voice.

Mayu frowned in concern. "That must have been...expensive.".

Naruto blushed and rubbed the back of his neck but didn't say anything. Sasuke snorted, then shrugged.

"I just said it was me - they'll charge it to the Uchiha."

"That was...nice of you," Shikamaru said suspiciously.

"It would have been a pain if Team Seven became known for wanton destruction of property," Sasuke said, looking disgruntled with the praise, then confused when Shikamaru started chuckling.

"Oh man, are you in for a bad surprise with Mayu, then," he said mildly before moving a piece on the board. "You did hear how she met Kiba's mom, right? Dad's spent more on cleanup after she blows up, melts, discolors, or obliterates things than on her food and clothes over the years."

Mayu glared at him. "I am not that bad," she hissed, ignoring Naruto's loud laughter.

Shikamaru smirked at her. "Uh huh." He then looked over at Sasuke and Naruto.

"Mom got back a few minutes ago, and wants to know if you two will stay for dinner." He watched Mayu's next move with interest.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged nervous looks, for once in complete agreement on something. Of course, it would be that they both found Yoshino terrifying. Mayu sighed.

"She's not upset with you - Shika told her you apologized, and she liked the flowers and oranges, so you don't need to worry about her poisoning you."

"Could she do that?" Naruto blurted with horrified interest.

"Once dad and I didn't come home for a week because mom and Mayu were bonding over poison making," Shikamaru said in a distracted voice as he studied the board, missing the way Sasuke and Naruto's face seemed to lose all color.

000

The next morning as Shikamaru was getting ready to leave the house to meet his team, Mayu came thumping down the stairs as quickly as she could on her crutches, two large manilla envelopes clamped awkwardly between her crutch and side. She was still in pajamas, and her hair was in an off-center bun. Her eyes had that crazed look that the Nara household had come to associate with her staying up all night working on a project.

"Shika! Wait, wait!" her crutch slipped off the end of a stair and she flailed as she tipped forward with a little _eep._

Shikamaru scrambled forward and grabbed her shoulders to steady her, wincing as a crutch thwacked him on the shin.

"I need you to drop these off for me before you meet your team," her muffled voice said from where her face was awkwardly squished into his sternum.

He sighed and pushed her back onto her feet before helping her down the stairs.

"Mayu, I don't have time..."

" _Please,_ Shikamaru, these are important! It'll only take a second, I promise! Mom won't let me leave the house for another day. She's being completely unreasonable." Her eyes widened and her lower lip stuck out a little, and he groaned.

She brightened. Obviously, she had won.

"This one just needs to go to Akinobu-sensei. They're plans for a new desk...tell him I want two percent of the profits, and I need an advance - well, I've included my demands inside. He'll moan and groan but ignore him. The second is for the blacksmith - the one at the edge of the market? The post-it on the front is for you - don't let him quote higher than that! Tell him I'll pay when I pick up the product in a week. One week! Don't let him tell you he can't finish, because that man is a total - "

He put a hand over her mouth to stop her frantic babbling. "Mayu. It's fine, I've gone with you enough times to be able to handle the blacksmith and Akinobu-san. But I need to go now - Ino is already going to be a pain when I'm late."

He felt her smile beneath his palm and lowered it.

"Thanks, Shika, you're the best!" she leaned forward to peck his cheek. "Have a good day! I think Naruto and Sasuke are coming over again today to help with the Puppet Katas - guilt sure is a useful emotion," she said in an overly cheerful tone.

"That's not a nice thing to use against your teammates..." he muttered, but she was already clattering past him on her crutches towards the kitchen.

Shikaku stepped out of the doorway as she neared it.

"Morning papa!" She said, and he grunted in response, still not awake.

Mayu went to go around him, and somehow got tangled in her crutches and would have face planted into the doorjamb if Shikaku didn't reach out and catch her by the back of her t-shirt.

"Mayu, slow down," he chided as he set her back on her feet.

Mayu just grinned at him and swung her way into the kitchen, making Shikaku sigh in defeat.

Shikamaru shrugged at him as they walked to the front door together.

"She's Naruto and Sasuke's problem today," he grumbled, ignoring the pointed look his father gave the folders in his hands.

When Sasuke and Naruto arrived at the Nara house a few hours later, a harried-looking Yoshino opened the door, then sagged in relief.

"Oh thank goodness you're here!" she said, and both boys straightened in concern.

"What is it? Has something happened? You can count on us to help!" Naruto said with a fist pump.

Yoshino's lip quirked. "The only thing that's happened is that my daughter doesn't do well when she's homebound, and she's horrible at using her crutches. I already heard two ominous-sounding explosions coming from her lab, though I'm assuming she's fine because she opened the door and yelled, 'Don't worry, mom, I'm still alive!' each time, so." She sighed. "Please just go and keep her out of trouble. I need to run some errands. She's in the shed in the backyard."

Naruto blinked rapidly as he processed her words, but Yoshino was already past them and heading down the path towards Konoha's center before he could answer. They stood in silence before exchanging looks and slowly walking around the house and hopping the fence into the backyard. The shed was in the back corner and seemed ominously silent.

Naruto studied the door before reaching out to give it a tentative knock. For a moment it was quiet before they heard Mayu respond, strangely muffled and slurred.

"Uh..who is it?"

"It's Naruto and Sasuke! Your mom said we should...help you out," Naruto answered, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Again, silence, before Mayu called back, "Uh, well, I could use some help, actually. Come in."

Naruto slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Sasuke followed him, looking around with interest at the shelves full of glass implements. Then his eyes fell on Mayu, who was sitting in a stool in front of one of the benches, foot propped up on a space she'd cleared on a shelf in front of her. There were various instruments and materials spread in front of her, and she was bent forward, cheek pressed against the table top, looking extremely affronted.

"Uh, everything okay Mayu-chan?" Naruto asked, and she sighed.

"Obviously not," she mumbled, and Sasuke raised his eyebrow when he saw she was blushing.

"Mayu, are you...stuck to the table?" he asked as he took in the knocked over beaker behind her and the puddle of clear liquid her face was sitting in.

"I...maybe a bit," she said grudgingly. "I was working on an adhesive and, well. I was up all night drawing out some designs. I just put my head down to rest my eyes for a minute while the adhesive sat up. When I woke up, it had tipped over, and..." she sighed, then narrowed her eyes at Sasuke, who had turned to face the door, shoulders shaking.

"Are you..." Mayu said suspiciously.

Sasuke made some choking noises, and she gasped. "You are! You're  _laughing!_ This isn't funny!"

Then to her horror, Naruto joined in loud guffaws that drowned out Sasuke's quieter laughs, who now had a hand against the door and was leaning against it for balance.

Mayu awkwardly threw her hands up in the air, then settled in for a sulk.

"Fine, well, when you guys are ready to help your  _injured_ and  _helpless_ teammate, you let me know. I didn't even know Sasuke was capable of laughter," she said petulantly, which seemed to set them off more.

About fifteen minutes later, the boys were wiping their tears with the back of their hands.

"Okay, Mayu, we're ready to help you," Naruto said.

"Finally," she muttered, but her lips were quirked up as she took in Sasuke's bright eyes and flushed cheeks. 

 _So he does act like a human sometimes_.

"I think I know a solution that will break down the adhesive without burning off my face," she said cheerfully, ignoring Naruto's squawk of alarm.

"Oh! And, you should both avoid using chakra in here."

She gestured vaguely behind her at four round, corked vials holding clear blue liquid. "Unless you want to die in a fiery death."

"Shouldn't you have told us this  _before!_ " Naruto asked in horror.

"Idiot - you shouldn't use chakra around unknown chemicals, anyway," Sasuke scoffed.

"Really? Why?" Naruto asked in interest, and Mayu groaned.

"Okay, Naruto, your job is to go inside and...make some sandwiches. I'll talk Sasuke through creating this," she said in a horrified voice.

"But I want to watch!" he complained.

Mayu narrowed her eyes at him.

"Fine," she grumbled. "Go sit by the door, and sit on your hands. Don't touch _anything_."

Naruto watched in interest as Mayu calmly talked Sasuke through collecting the materials and chemicals he would need. To his credit, he was calm and attentive, and the end product was just as good as something she would have made. He carefully used a q-tip to apply the liquid to her cheek, helping her slowly peel herself from the table, and Naruto asked fascinated questions about everything in his line of site. Mayu was almost a little thankful for her injury as she was hit with the thought that  _this_ is what Yoshino had meant about meshing with a team.

When Shikamaru slumped home that afternoon, exhausted from team practice, it was to an empty house. He shed his jacket and tossed it on the couch, knowing his mom would yell at him later but too tired to care.

"Mayu? Mom?" he called, making his way through the house.

When he didn't find anybody, he decided to check Mayu's lab. When he stepped out onto the back porch, however, he stopped to look at the tableau in front of him, amused.

Sasuke and Naruto were sitting over a notebook, heads together, arguing over...projectiles?

"Idiot, if she does that there, then she'll run the risk of hitting allies."

"Well, not if we know they're coming!" Naruto argued.

There were sheets of paper spread across the backyard, and lying in the middle of the chaos was Mayu, still in her pajamas with her head pillowed on Naruto's discarded jacket, fast asleep. He took in her slack face and the puddle of drool forming on her makeshift pillow and snorted before sticking his hands in his pockets and idly walking down the steps and across the lawn, stepping over messy sketches of puppets in mid-flight and stick-figure Mayu's leaping through the air. Sasuke gave a grunt of acknowledgment as he came up beside them.

"Hey, you guys look like you had a fun day," he said with a smirk as Sasuke got a haunted look on his face and Naruto motioned for him to be quiet.

"Don't wake her up!" he hissed, but it was too late.

There was a rustle of paper from Mayu's direction and a sleepy, "Shika?"

He turned and made his way over to where she had sat up, unselfconsciously wiping at the drool in the corner of her mouth. He crouched down in front of her.

"Hey," he said with a half smile as he took in her messy hair, clumped and sticking straight up where it'd fallen out of the band on one side. He frowned when his eyes landed on her left cheek and reached out to run the back of a finger against the reddened skin.

"What happened?"

He raised an eyebrow as her other cheek flushed to match and she looked away with a mumbled "nothing," and muffled laughter came from where her teammates were sitting. He didn't comment.

"Missed you," she mumbled sleepily and flopped against his chest.

He yelped and lost his balance, falling back to land on his butt, and she followed, curling against him and sprawling across his lap. He sighed and shifted until he wasn't in danger of falling over, and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Looks like you kept busy," he drawled, looking around the yard.

His eyes fell on Naruto and Sasuke who were staring at Mayu in disbelief.

"She's been a nightmare all day, and now she's acting like a sleepy kitten," Sasuke grumbled, and Shikamaru smirked at them.

"You're all sweaty and dirty," Mayu complained but didn't move.

"I told you Ino would punish me for being late," he said with a sigh. "It was a total drag."

"I'm going to dye that girl's hair orange one day," Mayu grumbled. Then, "Oh!"

She sat up suddenly and flailed out of his lap.

"Shika! Sasuke had such a good idea. Just...let me find it..." she awkwardly crawled across the lawn, picking up sheets of paper and then throwing them over her shoulder and muttering to herself when they weren't what she was looking for. At one point she bumped her ankle against the ground and hissed.

"Mother fu-"

"Okay, that's enough," Shikamaru said in a firm voice, and she paused and looked back at him with wide eyes.

"But, Shika," she whined. "I need to find..."

"Sit," he said in a firm voice. "Tell me what you're looking for and I'll find it."

He rolled to his feet and groaned as his muscles protested. "Then, I'm going to shower, and you and I are relaxing the rest of the evening. And tonight you're  _sleeping_ , got it?"

She sat down and crossed her arms over her chest, slumping into a pout.

"Dull," she muttered but didn't argue.

Sasuke and Naruto were blinking in shock at his Mayu-wrangling skills.

"Sasuke, you know the idea you had for Baru 2.0's shell? With the senbon? Do you know where..."

"Hn," he said, and grabbed a sheet next to him and held it out to Shikamaru, who grabbed it and studied the diagram.

"Oh," he said. "This is a good idea... with this, she'll be able to scatter enemies when they get too close..."

"Yeah, and I can coat the senbon in that knockout poison mom and I made, remember?" Mayu said eagerly from where she was sitting. "Do you think she'll let me go to the woodshop tomorrow?"

Shikamaru hummed distractedly from where he was studying the hastily drawn plans.

"Yes - she probably doesn't want to risk you burning the house down if you're forced to stay another day." He smirked as Naruto snickered. "I'll help you get over there and set up in the morning, then I'll pick you up in the afternoon. Oh, and Akinobu-san says you're a damn crook and gave me your advance. The blacksmith tried to overcharge you, but dad was with me and gave him The Look - you know the one - and your stuff will be ready to pick up in five days."

"Akinobu-sensei is so grumpy!" Mayu said gleefully.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and crossed to where she was sitting, then knelt down to pick her up.

"We're going inside, and we're both getting cleaned up. Don't think I didn't notice you have god-knows-what clumped into your hair," he said. "Naruto and Sasuke, will you pick this up and bring in her crutches?"

Mayu beamed at him. "Aw, Shikamaru, you're so nice, carrying me inside. My hero!" she cooed and fluttered her eyelashes - badly - and he thought he might actually be doomed when he thought it was adorable instead of disturbing.

"Ah, Sasuke, can you grab that solution we made from my lab? I'll...probably need it to get my hair clean. And, you two can stay for dinner if you want!" she called over Shikamaru's shoulder as he started walking away.

They were all in the family room, Mayu lounging sleepily on the couch watching Sasuke and Shikamaru play Shogi, her hair still wet from her shower, and Naruto talking at her in a loud voice about ramen, when Shikaku and Yoshino came home. When they entered the room, Mayu was shocked to see Kakashi trailing behind them, as relaxed-looking as ever.

Her eyes jumped from one to the other before she sat up and said over Naruto, "Something's happened."

Shikaku stopped and blinked at the four preteens now staring at the adults.

"Ah, I...didn't realize your teammates would be here too, Mayu-chan," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's probably best that they're here, anyway," Kakashi said in a bored voice behind him, and Mayu stiffened.

She had been hoping to avoid seeing him until the next team practice - the sight of him made her want to curl up in embarrassment, but she shoved that feeling into a 'deal with later' box and wiped the emotion from her face as well as she could as Kakashi continued to talk.

"It could affect them as well if we're right."

The three adults exchanged looks while Naruto said, "Right about what? What's going on?" in his loud voice.

Shikaku sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Her team should know."

Mayu stiffened. "So this is about me," she said flatly, and Shikamaru shot her a worried look.

"Let's all go into the kitchen," Shikaku said with a sigh.

Mayu shook her head when Shikamaru moved to help her up and motioned for her crutches before her eyes flickered to Kakashi for a moment. He didn't argue - he obviously knew she wouldn't let anybody carry her around while Kakashi was watching. He grabbed the crutches from where they were leaning against one of the armchairs, leveling a glare at Mayu's sensei as he did, who just gave him an infuriating eye smile in return.

Mayu struggled to her feet, then fumbled with the crutches. Unlike that morning, she was careful on her way to the kitchen, not wanting to fall in front of her sensei, and annoyed with herself that she even cared. When they were settled around the table, it was Kakashi who started talking, looking completely at ease in the kitchen with his swollen black eye - seeming completely unconcerned that the brother of the man who gave it to him was sitting to his immediate right.

"Sometimes," he said in a serious voice, "when you're a ninja you meet unsavory people, and these people decide to become your mortal enemies..."

"Right," Yoshino cut in, "How about I take the lead here." Kakashi slouched, even his hair drooping into a pout, but didn't argue. "A few weeks before your graduation, Kakashi, and his team returned from a mission with two jounin level prisoners. Their affiliation was unknown at the time, but they've been causing some...issues for Suna and Konoha for a while."

 _What does this have to do with me?_ Mayu thought, eyes flickering over to Shikaku, whose pinched lips and furrowed brow spoke of the level of tension he was holding.

"This morning, the two nin escaped from custody," she said bluntly.

"Okay..." Mayu said. "So, what does this have to do with..."

"Another prisoner escaped as well," Shikaku said gently. "He was in the same cell block - we think it was just an issue of opportunity, not that it was part of the plan to have him escape as well."

Mayu blinked. Another prisoner escaping that would somehow put her in jeopardy and put that look on Shikaku's face. It could only be one person. Mayu groaned and tipped her head back.

"Seriously? That guy is like a cockroach, I swear to god."

Yoshino's lips twitched. "Yes, he does seem to just keep popping up where he isn't wanted."

"Watana," Shikamaru said in a flat voice to her right.

She glanced over and saw his eyes had taken on that sharp quality she'd come to equate with him losing his temper. His fists were clenched and for once he wasn't slouching.

"Wata-what?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke was still slouched next to him, but his eyes were interested.

"Watana," Shikamaru spat. "He tried to kidnap Mayu when we were kids." He looked at his father and ignored Naruto's sputtering. "Why are you worried? The smart thing for him to do would be to run as far from Konoha as he could."

Shikaku sighed and ran a hand down his face, and Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest and somehow managed to look even more relaxed, while Yoshino got an expression on her face eerily similar to her son's.

"He didn't...do well in captivity. His mind deteriorated, and he became focused on revenge for a situation he didn't believe was his doing."

Mayu snorted. "Seriously? What, did he start carving my name into the walls or something? Muttering revenge scenarios in his sleep?"

She looked at the adults' faces her and gaped. "Wait, oh my god he  _did_. Gross! I was like, six when I met the guy! We spent a total of an hour and forty-five minutes together. What a creep," she said, sitting back and crossing her arms with a huff.

Sasuke finally spoke. "So you think he'll be coming for her, and you want us to know so we can protect her."

"Like I need you to protect me from such a pathetic little twerp," Mayu said just as Kakashi said, "So you can protect  _yourselves._ I'll deal with Watana."

Mayu blinked when, for just a moment, she spotted a deep intensity under his relaxed mein, but then it was gone again. She huffed in annoyance - this guy was almost as hard to read as Ensui when he had his walls up.

"All signs point to him having left the village," Shikaku assured. "Ensui's taken a team to track him and the two missing-nin."

"So then why all the panic?" Mayu asked, curious.

Kakashi shrugged. "If he attacks, it will be while we're out of the village on another mission. Eventually, we'll be taking C-ranks."

He reached into his flak jacket and pulled out three mugshots. "Memorize those - it's the escapees. If you see them, retreat, do not engage."

Mayu hummed as she picked up Watana's photo, but didn't respond other than that. If he came for her, she wouldn't retreat. After all, last time they had met she'd made a promise, one that she fully intended to keep.

000

Her ankle was finally deemed healed by Yoshino, and Mayu - and everyone around her - let out a breath of relief. Mayu assumed Akinobu would be lighting incense at the closest shrine when he found out since she'd spent two days straight limping around his shop.

The next morning Yoshino dragged her out of bed and down the stairs to do her stretches. Mayu hissed as her muscles protested after days of inactivity, but eventually started to limber up.

She and Yoshino set out on a steady jog around the Nara field, increasing their speed with every loop until they were sprinting the last two. 

 _Ugh, speed training,_ Mayu thought to herself as she slowed to a walk after their last lap.

Yoshino was huffing and holding her side next to her, but there was a smile on her face.

"Ah, I think I let myself go a bit when I retired to take care of Shika," she said, breathing in deeply and closing her eyes. "It's so nice to have a reason to get back into shape." Mayu studied her mom as she caught onto her wistful tone.

"You know," Mayu said slowly, "I bet if you spent a few months in medic-nin classes, you'd catch up with more modern practices and techniques in no time. Then, you could start working at the hospital if you wanted."

Yoshino inhaled a shocked breath, and Mayu looked away to give her some privacy as they sat down in a spot cleared of rocks and sticks and did some stretches.

Finally, as they were standing up and getting ready to spar, Yoshino said, "That's not a...terrible idea. I  _have_ been a bit bored now that you and Shika are genin. And...I could just work part-time so that I could be around for your training and keep you fed."

Mayu smiled. "I think if you want to do it, you should! Then, Shikamaru and I would never have to bother with the hospital!" she said cheerfully, earning an unamused look from Yoshino.

"Well, we'll see. Now, less talking and more sparring!" Yoshino called before she aimed a kick at Mayu's head, who made a noise of protest and dropped back into a roll.

She stood and spun on her heel to block a punch aimed at her back, returning Yoshino's' fierce grin as she shot out a low kick aimed at her knee. Yoshino easily evaded with a neat backflip, and Mayu took the opportunity to take a few running steps forward and leap into a spinning kick, aiming for where she expected Yoshino's head to be once she landed.

The kick didn't connect - instead, Yoshino grabbed Mayu's leg and used her own momentum to fling her across the field. Mayu spun in the air so that she landed in a crouch facing Yoshino, feet skidding and flinging dirt in the air around her.

Yoshino was already racing towards her, and Mayu pumped chakra into her feet and sprung forward, meeting her mother in a series of punches blocks and kicks, grunting when one connected with her ribs, and grinning when she scored a hit with a kick to Yoshino's thigh.

At some unspoken signal, they spun away from each other, then began carefully circling one another, waiting for an opening. Mayu put on a burst of speed and leapt towards Yoshino, who grabbed both of her wrists in her hands, rolled onto her back, then planted her feet on Mayu's stomach and sent her flying end over end through the air.

Mayu was able to barely control her fall to prevent injury, somersaulting on the ground a few times and coming to her feet. Knowing Yoshino would press the advantage, she already had her hands up to prepare for an attack. She grabbed Yoshino's fist as it came towards her, and using the woman's momentum against her, flipped her over her hip and sent her to the ground. She followed her down, sending a punch at her face, but Yoshino had already rolled out of the way.

Mayu growled in frustration and dashed after her. They continued for another fifteen minutes or so, twisting and flipping and sending each other soaring through the air, dirt, and debris flying around them as their feet, which never stayed in the same place for longer than a few seconds, kicked and spun as they left the ground.

Finally, Mayu found herself face first in the dirt with the side of Yoshino's hand pressed to her neck like the edge of a blade.

"Yield," Mayu gasped, and Yoshino flipped neatly off her back before helping her up.

Mayu was sweating and gasping for air, and over the roar of blood in her ears, she heard Naruto's voice calling from down by the backyard. She blinked as she saw that Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on the fence with Shikamaru, who seemed to somehow be keeping his balance despite being mostly asleep. Mayu gave a little wave back.

"Awesome, my team just saw me get my ass kicked," she muttered, and Yoshino laughed and followed her down to the fence.

Mayu groaned dramatically and flopped against Shikamaru, whose eyes popped open in alarm as he pinwheeled his arms for balance. Finally, when he was sure he wouldn't fall, he wrinkled his nose and pushed a finger against her forehead until she was forced backward.

"If I show up to practice smelling bad, Ino will yell at me," he said glumly.

"Hey, that was pretty cool!" Naruto said. "I've never seen anybody flip so much through the air when they were fighting!"

Sasuke grunted, but also looked interested.

"Sasuke wants to know more about it, mom," Mayu said, ignoring Shikamaru's protests and demanding he help her over the fence.

Yoshino quirked her lips up into a small smile.

"Oh, it's a family technique that I've taught Mayu," she said, and casually hopped over the fence. "Your father's familiar with it - the Hashino Deadly Dance Style. Mayu is very good - she'll surpass me soon enough," she said, unconcerned with the genin following her into the house like a row of ducklings. "Are you all staying for breakfast?"

Since nobody was crazy enough to turn down Yoshino's cooking, they were all staying for breakfast. Mayu excused herself to shower while Yoshino prepared the food and the boys slumped around the kitchen table.

When Mayu returned to the kitchen, still shoving pins in her bun to keep it in place - and really, why wouldn't Yoshino just let her cut it? - she caught the tail end of Naruto saying something in a worried voice. "- won't Mayu mind?"

"Won't I mind what?" she mumbled around the pins in her mouth.

Naruto looked down at the table, unsure, and Mayu cocked her head to the side as she grabbed another pin from her mouth and shoved it roughly into her messy bun. Yoshino tutted and went to stand behind her, smacking her hands out of the way and removing the pins.

"Yoshino offered to help him with his taijutsu. He's worried you'll be upset," Sasuke said in a bored voice, but Mayu could see he was interested in her answer.

"Uh...why would I be upset about that?" Mayu asked, studying Naruto's slumped form.  _Oh_.

"Hey, Naruto," she said, hitting her hand on the table until he looked up in shock and ignoring Yoshino's scolding as she messed up her bun with the sharp movement.

"You better be ready for misery, because Yoshino's a major slave driver!" she ignored her mother's indignant noise behind her. "I have to say, I'm a little relieved at the thought that she'll have somebody else to yell at and beat on." Naruto's face was slowly lightening into his signature grin, and Mayu fought a smile of her own.

"Your team is so weird," Shikamaru muttered, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

That morning Kakashi was only an hour late. Sasuke and Naruto had made a point to spar with Mayu, though lightly since she was sore from that morning. Sasuke, of course, won, but it wasn't as easy as it usually was - she had even gotten him with a throw that sent him sailing ten feet across the clearing. She finally forfeited with Naruto - while he couldn't land a hit, none of hers really kept him down for long, and his stamina was worlds better than hers.

"Man, you two are gonna be some heavy hitters," she said from where she was laying in the grass, enjoying the morning breeze.

"Believe it!" Naruto said with a cheer.

Sasuke grunted. "You'll probably be pretty scary once you get further along with your puppets," he added on grudgingly, to her surprise.

She blushed, annoyingly, and he smirked at her. Luckily Naruto cut in.

"We'll be a totally scary team!" he cheered, and Mayu snorted.

"You already terrify  _me_ ," Kakashi said in a bored voice from behind them. Naruto jumped about a foot in the air and yelled, Mayu let out a tiny _meep,_ and Sasuke twitched.

"We're going to concentrate on training today, so no missions." he lowered his book enough to eye Mayu. "How's your ankle?"

Mayu shrugged. "Yoshino's cleared me for duty, sensei," she said politely, and he hummed.

"Great, start with twenty laps around the market, then I want three hundred situps and seventy-five pushups. You have an hour - if you're not done by then you'll do ten more penalty laps." He then gave an eye smile and a little finger wave after setting down a familiar alarm clock and disappeared.

"I hate him," Sasuke said in a flat voice, and then they were scrambling to their feet and racing for the market.

They made it in time - barely. Naruto ended up cheering Mayu through the last twenty pushups, and if she could have moved she would have punched him. As it was she just leveled a half-hearted glare from where she was sprawled next to Sasuke. How did the kid have so much energy? Oh, right, he was housing a construct of chakra the size of a mountain.

The alarm went off, and Kakashi appeared before them again.

"Tree walking!" he said in a bright voice. "It's recently come to my attention that you need to work on that."

"Hilarious," Mayu muttered, and he beamed at her.

"Come, come!" he encouraged them, moving towards the forest.

Naruto helped a groaning Mayu and Sasuke to their feet and they shuffled along behind the bobbing head of grey hair. Mayu ignored Kakashi's half-hearted explanation of tree walking, taking a few moments to recover from their 'warm-up.'

Finally, Kakashi was up a tree giggling at his porn, and Mayu was watching Naruto rocket off the tree as he overdid the chakra. Sasuke was a little more graceful, executing a flip to land lightly on his feet when he used too little. She bit her lip, and slowly pushed chakra into her feet and hands, and slowly started crawling up the tree.

"No hands, Mayu-chan!" the hated cheerful voice said from behind her.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes, blocking everything out and breathing in and out until all she could feel was her chakra, running through her body through her tenketsu points. She took a deep breath, and when she breathed out she removed her hands, increasing the chakra flow to her feet just a bit until she felt secure. Then, biting her lip in concentration, she slowly peeled one foot from the tree, allowing the chakra to release her hold on the tree slowly as her foot lifted, and making sure the grip was still firm on the opposite foot.

She ignored the voice telling her how  _dull_ this was as she continued to slowly move up the tree. Soon, it was starting to feel more natural, and she was able to pull back a bit and open her eyes, worried she'd step off the tree or hit a branch if she didn't. That would make yet another great impression on Kakashi. She'd moved up the tree about a dozen steps, and the angle of the light told her it'd been an hour or so.

More confident now, she moved forward at something faster than a snail's pace, and fifteen minutes later was sitting high up in a branch. Down below, she watched Naruto and Sasuke struggle to beat the other to the top. She huffed out a breath, and leaned her sore, tired body against the trunk, settling in for a nap.

The next day Kakashi put them through another round of conditioning and then told the boys to go back to tree walking.

"Mayu-chan, since you've already got it down, you and I will be working on tracking today," he said in a cheerful voice.

Both Sasuke and Naruto paused in their trek towards the trees and looked warily between the two. Mayu felt her chest go cold with anger and a bit of that annoying hurt, but forced it down into a little box in her mindscape and wrapped it in chains, wiping all expression from her face.

"I thought we agreed that you were right, and we didn't have the time to add in a special training regime just for me," she said.

"I've rethought my position," he said, and a small wooden box appeared in his hands.

"Right, well. I think I'll skip a day of sniffing feces or dead rodents or whatever it is you have in that box, thanks. I'll just be over there working with my chakra threads." She turned on her heel to walk away, but Kakashi appeared in front of her, still looking cheerful but somehow exuding menace.

"This isn't a request. You found and correctly identified three of the samples last week, you know. Very impressive for somebody your age, so I've decided I should take you on as my tracking protege."

Mayu gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do about a direct order.

"Fine," she said and snatched the box out of his hand.

She plopped down cross-legged right where she had been standing, and he sat down across from her after shooing the boys off.

"This," he said, reaching out and removing the lid to reveal about a dozen of the dreaded vials and a long row of rolled up pieces of cloth, each neatly labeled with different scents ranging from  _Pine_ to  _River Algae_ , "is a scenting kit. People use it to teach dogs tracking."

"I'm not a dog," she pointed out, and he just shrugged.

"Which is why I won't be using meat bones to encourage you along. Now, I want you to take this home with you and get familiar with the scents, but to start with, I'm going to choose one of these..." he plucked out a cloth labeled  _Fox_ , "and then lay a trail for you to follow."

She obediently leaned forward and breathed in the musky smell of fox until she felt certain it was committed to memory, then gave a small nod. When he disappeared, Sasuke and Naruto sidled over to her. "Hey, is he being a jerk again? 'Cause if he is..."

Mayu waved them away. "Nah, I think he's just trying to keep my dad and Ensui from filleting him with their shadows."

They hemmed and hawed but finally left, leaving Mayu staring down at the scent box, wondering what could have possibly changed to make Kakashi suddenly willing to play nice. 

_Ensui must have punched him pretty hard._

When he returned, she was surprised that he didn't disappear again, but instead followed along behind her as she sniffed her way through the forest. In the end, she found the cloth hidden in some brush after an hour.

"Good job Mayu, Ensui was right, you've got some potential," he said in a bored voice as he turned a page.

Her traitorous heart lifted at the praise, though she could still tell by the way his body was angled away from her and his eye stayed firmly on the book that he wished he were anywhere else.

"Thank you, sensei," she whispered, because what else could she really say?

The next morning Naruto lost his patience with D-ranks. After a screaming match with Tsunade that ended with an empty sake bottle embedded in the wall ( _how did she do that without breaking the bottle?),_ Tsunade gave in. She gestured at a hidden ANBU, and then pulled out a scroll.

"Okay, we have a C-rank escort mission for a bridge builder to Wave - STOP COMPLAINING BRAT! YOU WANTED A C-RANK AND YOU HAVE ONE!"

The smell of sake and an unwashed man hit her nose, and Mayu had to fight not to gag.

"Ah yes, let me introduce you to your client, Tazuna."

Mayu turned to study the old man that the ANBU had escorted in. He was dressed simply in a brown yukata and holding a bottle of sake in one hand. Her eyes narrowed as she took him in and he started to bluster about having a bunch of kids assigned to him.

Mayu cut Kakashi off in the middle of his explanation of genin teams.

"You're lying," she said flatly.

The man stiffened. "How dare you..."

"You're lying about why you hired us, and how much danger you're in."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tsunade said from the table as Naruto yelled out a "what?" And Kakashi remained silent and watchful.

"You're drunk in the middle of the day - not because you're an alcoholic, though that's what you want us to believe. You're trying to hide your fear by drinking. Smart - it dulls your reactions and covers your scent. But I can see the signs. Nails, bitten to the quick, dark circles under your eyes indicate you've missed sleep. You haven't bathed but your clothes are good quality if a bit dirty.

"You won't meet anybody's eyes and you're trying to distract us with bluster. So, the question is, why are you  _really_ hiring a team of ninja, and what should the mission rank actually be set at?"

There was silence, then Tsunade's voice, deceptively calm, broke it. "Well, Tazuna, is she right?"

Mayu tuned out the long, boring tale of woe that the bridge builder told, though of course at the end Naruto was moved into demanding they took the job and helped him out.

"I guess we could just assassinate the crime lord," Mayu mused, then cringed at the look the adults gave her.

"What?" She said defensively. "We all know there's a whole unit for it!"

She subsided at Naruto's puppy eyes with a sigh.

Finally, Tsunade gave in to Naruto's speech about 'doing the right thing and using our powers for good,' or something like that.

"Fine! I'll send a couple higher level shinobi with you - but I have a few asks in return. Go wait in a conference room for me and we'll hash out the details," she said and motioned for Shizune to show the crying man out.

"Well that was gross," Mayu muttered. "Maybe you should make him shower firs-ouch!"

She gaped at Kakashi, who must have been the one to slap the back of her head but was now innocently looking out the window.

Tsunade just ignored them, once again rifling through the pile.

"Aha!" she said triumphantly. "This one requires no interaction with the client, so there's no way Mayu can ruin it for everybody like she did my life."

Mayu glared at the woman and ignored her teammates' interested looks.

"Okay! A merchant's wife was robbed, and he's hired us to get her jewelry back - they're heirlooms or something. Last known tip says the small group of bandits is in Grass, next to the border of Earth Country." She leveled them with a serious look. "Under no circumstances are you to cross into Earth Country, got it?"

Kakashi nodded seriously and took the mission information out of her hand.

"Yes, Hokage," he said and bowed.

They filed out after their jounin sensei, who opened the scroll and hummed to himself.

"Okay, we're looking at three days of travel there, two to three days to locate the bandits and take the jewelry back, and another three back. Pack for two weeks just in case. We'll meet at the front gates at dawn," he said with an eye smile, then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Mayu sighed as two sets of eyes turned to her. "How did you know all that stuff about Tazuna, Mayu-chan?" Naruto asked.

Mayu shrugged and started walking towards her house.

"I'm good at reading people," she said simply. "You two want some smoke bombs?" she asked, and both nodded. "Great, I'll bring some explosive tags, too."

"Yes! Our first C-rank. We'll be the best jewelry recovery team ever!"

Mayu and Sasuke shared a look at Naruto's exuberance before they parted at the end of the road.

Shikamaru pouted all the way through dinner when she announced she'd be gone for one to two weeks.

"But, what about Watana?" he pointed out. "Aren't we worried about him attacking you?"

Mayu raised an eyebrow at him. "That loser? Please, he might have been able to push us around when we were seven, but we're genin now. He tries, and Bukimi will ram a fang up his -"

"Yes, Mayu, thank you," Shikaku said. "There's also the fact that one of our elite jounin will be with her the whole time. Even Watana isn't that stupid. Just stay close to your sensei on this trip until Ensui drags Watana back to his holding cell, okay?" he said in a mild voice that actually said  _stay with Kakashi or you will regret it so much._

"Got it, papa," she said with a smile, then nudged Shikamaru in the side.

He grunted but didn't come out of his pout.

"Come on, you know I can't say no to orders Shika-kun," she needled. "I need your help packing! What if I forget something important, you know how I am," and brought out The Eyes. He made the mistake of looking over and somehow slumped even more.

"Fine," he muttered.

Mayu flopped her feet on the bed, watching in interest as Shikamaru went over the carefully lined up piles for the third time.

"Okay, you have two changes of clothes," he muttered, though he blushed as he caught sight of some of her underthings sticking out under the neatly folded pile.

"That will go in your large scroll along with your bedroll, medkit, and rations. Extra poisons and projectiles for the puppets, along with a repair kit in a carousel scroll. Bukimi is also in the carousel, along with extra smoke bombs and a small trap kit in the fourth. You have two empty storage scrolls left for emergencies. Kunai and tool pouch filled with the usual. Baru 2.0 and Kichi are in your small pack."

His hand fluttered with stress, and Mayu rolled her eyes.

"Come here, Shika," she demanded, and with a sigh he stood and walked over to the bed, flopping down next to her.

She rolled over on her side so she could study his face. He was tense and unhappy, and she huffed out a breath of air, then reached over and tapped his nose with her fingertip.

"Don't you trust me?" she said in a quiet voice, and his eyes darted over to her.

"It's just," she continued, "this is my first out of village mission, and you're making me feel..." she  _oomphed_ as he tugged her over against him.

"I do, I just...last time you left the village without me..."

Mayu hummed. "Back then, I didn't have any of the tools or training I do now. And Sasuke and Naruto will protect me, too, I think. I know they messed up before but they're better now."

"And Kakashi?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"He may not like me much, but I'm his responsibility and his comrade. He'll protect me," she said with confidence.

It was true - she doubted Kakashi held love for every ninja in Konoha, yet he was known for always bringing them home. How he personally felt for her was neither here nor there.

"Hey, let's pack this up, okay? Then, you should sneak in here and stay with me tonight," she said. "You can go back after my alarm goes off."

He raised an eyebrow at her but didn't argue.

Mayu woke up to her alarm with a groan and snuggled back into Shikamaru, rubbing her cheek where his hair had tickled it. She traced his forearm with a finger and was surprised to see that it was starting to become defined with muscle. It was different than when they were younger - he was taller than her now, if just by a few inches, and he was broader and less...soft. But in other ways, it was the same. He still treated her like a body pillow and slept with the same easy, even breaths he always had. With a sigh, she dragged herself out of bed.

She moved easily around the room getting dressed in the dark, then padded down the hall to the bathroom, brushing her hair and pulling it back into a lopsided bun. When she exited Shikamaru was leaning against the wall, watching her through sleepy eyes, hair still down and messy around his shoulders.

"Mom's up - I just heard her go downstairs. I think she wants to send you off."

Shikaku came out his room, looking just as sleepy and miserable as his son. He grunted when he saw them both, but didn't seem surprised that Shikamaru was up, as well. Mayu sighed in exasperation.

"I said goodbye to everyone last night," she muttered, but couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips.

She clattered down the stairs into the kitchen, where Yoshino was finishing pulling four wrapped rice balls from the fridge.

"For your team - you'll need breakfast!" she said, hands fluttering in a way that told Mayu she was nervous. Then she caught site of Mayu's hair and sighed. "Sit down, let me redo it."

Shikamaru came downstairs, dressed, as Mayu was hugging her pajama-clad parents, patiently listening to Yoshino's lecture on safety procedures while out of the village. Finally, she was geared up and looking expectantly at Shikamaru.

He shrugged and grunted out, "I'll walk you to the gate."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise but shrugged. One last goodbye to a grumpy Shikaku and they were walking down the path, Shikamaru a silent shadow beside her, hands in his pockets, customary slouch in place.

She reached out and gripped his wrist. He tipped his head towards her, then removed his hand from his pocket and laced their fingers together. The sky was just starting to lighten when they turned onto the street with the gates standing open at the end. She could barely make out the two small figures of her teammates, already there. Shikamaru stopped suddenly, and she turned towards him, head tilted in question.

"I'll stop here," he said and she knew he meant  _I don't want anybody else to see me upset._

"Alright," she whispered, and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She buried her nose in his neck as he tugged her into a tight hug and let out a shuddering breath.

"I promise, I'll blow up anybody that tries to keep me from coming home," she joked.

He stepped back so that he was looking at her face. His lips quirked up.

"You'd better," he muttered, then surprised her by leaning forward and brushing his lips on her cheek. "Bye Mayu," he whispered, then turned and walked away, hands in his pockets and shoulders slouched.

She watched him go until he was out of sight, hand on her cheek and a soft smile on her face, until Naruto's voice calling her name dragged her attention to the gates, where the relaxed figure of her sensei was now standing. Excitement filled her as she realized that this was it - her first real assignment as a ninja. She grinned, and waved back, breaking into a jog.

She was amused to see that Sasuke's mom had also sent breakfast along, and Kakashi chuckled as well and warned them not to eat too much. He started when Mayu held out his rice ball.

"Well, this one is yours," she said and didn't miss the way he slowly reached for it, as though shocked Yoshino had thought of him. 

 _It's hard to stay mad at him when I'm reminded of how lonely he is,_ she thought to herself.

They checked out at the gate and then started walking down the road, munching on their breakfast as Mayu passed Naruto and Sasuke their smoke bombs. She hesitated, then said in a small voice, "Kakashi-sensei? I...brought some for you too, if you want?"

He stared at her for a moment before giving her an eye smile.

"My cute little genin, thinking of me?" he held a hand out and wiggled his fingers, and she set a bag of them in his palm. "Um...the color of the ball is the color the smoke will be. To activate, you need to put pressure on it."

She ran through the details of how it worked and thought he actually looked a little impressed when he pressed her on how she made them.

Finally, Kakashi motioned them off the road.

"We're going to travel by trees. It should be easy enough after the first couple of hours - just leap from branch to branch, using chakra to propel yourself and stick your feet when you land."

Mayu's eyes brightened as she remembered soaring through the trees with Ensui when she was six and on the way to meet Tsunade for the first time. She hurried up the tree, the boys not very far behind.

"I'll take point. Mayu and Naruto, you'll flank, Sasuke will take the rear position. Move out."

The first few jumps were a little awkward, with all three of them activating the chakra in their feet either too soon or too late, but Kakashi kept the pace slow until they figured it out, and soon Mayu was  _flying_ through the trees with ease. She had been right - doing it on her own was exhilarating.

Eventually, as her eyes scanned the trees and part of her brain dedicated itself to looking for threats, her mind began to wander to other subjects.

Unsurprisingly, it drifted to this morning - the way Shikamaru had looked in the dark hallway with his hair down, earrings glinting in the light filtering to the hallway from the bathroom as he leaned casually against the wall. The way he'd held her hand as he walked her to the gates, the look in his eyes when he leaned forward to kiss her cheek -  _oh shit,_ she thought, realization jolting through her and making her miss the branch in front of her.

"Mayu!" Sasuke yelled, alarmed, as she plummeted to the earth, twisting to grab a branch on her way down and barely missing.

She was saved from an untimely death-by-splatter when her wayward sensei snatched her out of the air.

"Uh," she said weakly as he set her on her feet. "Good reaction time, sensei."

"Mayu," he chided, "what were you doing?"

She cringed as Naruto and Sasuke landed lightly beside them.

"Sorry, sorry. I had a thought about a chemical reaction that I think might -"

"Let's leave the science brainstorming for times that we're not flying through the air, hmm?" he suggested with an eye smile, and she felt her cheeks go red.

If only he knew what she was  _really_ thinking about that shocked her into missing a branch, he wouldn't be so amiable.

"Right, sorry about that," she said with a nervous laugh, ignoring Sasuke and Naruto's suspicious looks as they took to the trees again.

 _I wonder if it's possible to fall in love when you're only twelve? s_ he thought miserably.

The answer was obviously yes if she was an example.

000

Kakashi talked them through setting up a secure camp - something they'd all learned at the academy, but could always do with some review. Mayu gathered firewood and set up their fire pit while Naruto and Sasuke set traps around the perimeter. They were all exhausted from traveling all day - something they weren't used to - but kept their complaints to a minimum. They were all too aware of Kakashi's sadistic tendencies by now.

Mayu unclipped her storage scroll from her belt, then unrolled it and fed chakra into the seals that held her cooking supplies. She grabbed a small pan and a few packages of stew, then wandered over to the creek they were camping next to for water to boil. They sat down around the fire and ate their meals, the boys keeping their bickering to a minimum for once.

"Naruto, you'll have the first watch," Kakashi said lazily. "Then Mayu, you'll take the second, Sasuke the third. Tomorrow we'll change the order, and who does what tasks for set up. We'll be up with the sun, so better get to sleep," he said, then disappeared into a tree.

Mayu quickly washed up the dishes and resealed them, along with the wrappers from the meal, then unsealed her bedroll and fell asleep, too tired to worry over realizations of affection.

They continued like that for another two days, with nothing exciting happening other than Mayu's muscles being sorer than she could ever remember them getting. If Sasuke's grumpy expression was any indication, he was feeling the same. Naruto, of course, was always fully recovered by morning. Mayu hated him just a little.

"I vote we start doing endurance training a few times a week," Mayu said weakly from where she was walking next to Sasuke, who grunted in agreement. "We could run along the village walls after practice."

They had left fire country just that morning and were now traveling down a road that was surrounded on all sides by waves of Grass as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful but became a bit dull to stare at after a few hours.

Half a day of travel and they had crossed the length of the tiny country and were setting up camp outside of the small border town that their targets were residing in. Kakashi laid out the information on the bandits.

"Okay," he said. "Our intel says that these are just a group of normal bandits - they haven't committed murder as far as we can tell, they just attack merchants on the road and steal their valuables. We want to keep them alive, so aim to incapacitate if you're forced into an altercation. The plan is to sneak in and steal the jewelry back - without engaging. The first step of the plan is to find the hideout. Any suggestions?"

Mayu studied the descriptions of the bandits and hummed as she spotted one with dark black hair and grey eyes. "I do, sensei, but I'll need a few things."

000

Mayu walked down the dusty road in her sky blue yukata and sandals, eyes purposefully wide and nervous, every inch the girl who had accidentally wandered into the less savory parts of town. As she passed a bar that served those less savory parts, she made a show of vacillating at the door before meekly moving towards it, covertly signing to her watching team that she was going inside.

The bar was mostly deserted, but for a group of men -  _criminals, not part of a large organized group, but respected around the underground._

She identified the leader, a rough-looking blonde man with a sword leaning against his chair. Four other men and one woman sat at the table with him, playing a card game. The bar had two occupants, low-level thugs for a local crime ring if their slumped postures and tattoos on their necks said anything.

Mayu walked slowly to the bar stool closest to the five criminals at the table. She fumbled a bit as she climbed up on the stool, making what she knew was a cute little  _mmph_ before settling into place. The bartender, an old grisly man, raised a disbelieving eyebrow before making his way over to her.

"Bit young 'ta be a customer, ain'tcha?" he asked in a clear Earth Country accent.

Mayu let her lower lip tremble and made sure her voice wobbled as she said, "Um, I think I'm lost," and started at the laughter that caused behind her.

The bartender smirked.

"You think?" he asked with a snort. "Where are ya supposed to be kid?"

Mayu sniffled a little. "I - I don't know. I'm looking for my uncle but - but - I've never met him before."

One tear fell from her eye and dripped down her cheek, and all humor fell from the bartender's face and was replaced with concern.

"You sayin' you're here alone?" he asked gently.

Mayu heard a disbelieving snort from the communicator in her ear, hidden behind her hair, which was down.  _"_

 _It's disturbing how good you are at this,"_ Sasuke muttered, but was shushed by Kakashi.

Mayu ducked her head to hide her humor and nodded.

"My papa...he...he..." she let a little sob escape and knew she was now the center of attention. "He told me once he was...gone...I should come and find my Uncle Juji. He said I'd find him in this town, and a nice merchant let me ride with him until we got here. But now..."

The bartender's eyes flicked behind her to exchange a concerned look with the group sitting there. She heard shuffling, and then the man she had identified as the leader of the small group sat down next to her. She turned her wide tear-filled eyes to him, and he visibly flinched back, causing snickers in her ear and a sigh.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked gently.

"A-Aiko."

"Well, Aiko-chan, my name is Daiki. Can you tell me what your uncle looks like? Maybe my crew can help you find him."

She widened her eyes at him. "R-really? Would you?"

He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and she realized that criminal or not, he was serious about helping her. She almost felt bad about playing him.

"Sure. Do you have a picture?"

Mayu slumped and shook her head.

"I saw one once, but it was lost in the f-fire." she made a show of bravely swallowing back tears, and felt everybody in the room soften even further. 

 _The criminal underground, everybody_ , she thought, starting to enjoy herself.

"I saw a picture once. He looks kind of like me - our eyes are the same color, and his skin is pale. I got my hair from momma, though."

"It's very pretty hair," Daiki said solemnly, and she blushed.

"T-thank you! I like yours too. It's very shiny," she said, and his crew - and hers - snickered.

Daiki just smiled and thanked her politely.

"Well, Aiko-chan, I can think of one person that fits that description. Why don't I take you to see him? His name isn't Juji, but most people in this town don't use their original names, anyway."

Mayu let her eyes widen with hope, and she gave him a bright smile and took his hand as he held it out to her. He helped her off the stool before turning to his crew.

"You stay here. I'll be right back," he ordered, ignoring the woman rolling her eyes at them and muttering about soft men.

Kakashi's voice came to life over the intercom.  _"Get ready to move out,_ " he said.  _"Mayu, Daiki is Samurai trained. Proceed with caution."_

She had noticed that he held himself like he was trained, but hadn't been able to place the type by the way he held himself and moved. Certainly not a shinobi. She tilted her head to show she understood and clung to the large warm hand around her own as he led her out of the bar and down the street.

She padded next to him, making sure to look around with interest, prattling on about the 'merchant' she'd traveled with.

"Kashi-san is very tall and kind of weird, and he only has  _one eye_ \- he says he lost it fighting bandits, but Aimi, his wife, says he lost it running with scissors -" Naruto gave a loud laugh in her ear at this - "but he made sure I was safe. He said if I don't find Uncle Juji I could stay with him and his wife. But I had to try to find him since papa told me to..." she continued to prattle on, the man next to her making noises of interest until they came upon an old, dilapidated warehouse. 

 _Ugh, it's always a warehouse,_ she thought as he reached up and knocked in a pattern.

Mayu shifted closer to Daiki and behind him as the door opened a crack, revealing a man in dark overalls and missing multiple teeth.

"Ah, Shouja, is Maki available? I need to ask him a few questions," Daiki said easily, but Mayu saw the widening of the man's eyes as he took in the guest.

"Um...has Maki done something...wrong?" Shouja asked in an uneasy voice.

"No, nothing like that. I've just got someone interested in meeting him," he said, nudging Mayu out from behind him. "Can you please go get him?"

Shouja gave her a suspicious look but disappeared inside the warehouse.

When he returned it was with a large, black-haired man with pale skin and grey eyes that Mayu recognized from the grainy pictures of the bandits.

"What do you need, Daiki?" he said in a gruff voice, and Daiki looked down at Mayu.

"Is this him, Aiko-chan?" he asked softly, and she allowed her whole body to slump and tears to fill her eyes as she shook her head sadly.

"Ah, that's too bad," he said, but she could see he was actually relieved he wouldn't be handing her over to the unkempt bandits. He explained the situation to an unimpressed Maki, then led a slumping Mayu away.

"Do you know where your merchant is?" he asked, herding her towards the side of town where the market was.

"Um..." she said uncertainly, and Kakashi chose that moment to call her name.

"Aiko-chan! There you are!" he said in a reedy voice, and she turned to see her sensei walking towards her in a green yukata, grey hair covered by a bandana and face half-covered by a scarf, with a black eye patch over his Sharingan.

"Kashi-san!" she called, and let go of Daiki's hand to throw herself at him, sobbing.

"We've been so worried," he said. "Aimi was beside herself when she turned around and you were gone."

He looked up at Daiki and shuffled nervously as Mayu pulled back, who was watching in amusement. Mayu had to admit he pulled off harmless merchant well for one of the world's most deadly shinobi.

"Sorry, I just wanted to try and find Juji, then got lost. But don't worry! Daiki-niisan helped me! But," she continued sadly, "I don't think Uncle Juji is here."

"I'm sorry Aiko-chan, but you can stay with Aimi and me, if you'd like." he then turned to Daiki. "Thank you for taking care of her. We don't have any kids of our own, and Aiko..."

Daiki waived off his offer to pay him for his time, and instead patted Mayu's head.

"Be careful, kid," he said gruffly before wandering away.

Kakashi took 'Aiko's' hand and led her away. It was big and warm, just like Daiki's. They were able to slip into an alley and then onto the roofs after a few minutes, making their way out of town and back to camp.

Once there Naruto and Sasuke teased her about her innocent girl act and she just rolled her eyes before going to change behind a bush.

"Good job, Mayu-chan," Kakashi said with an eye-smile, and she gave him a small smile back, chest warm.

"Thanks, sensei," she said.

An hour later Mayu was crouched on the pane of a window at the warehouse, peering into the dimly lit room. She knew Sasuke was on the other side, and Naruto and Kakashi were on the roof.

"Three adult men, no formal training," Mayu whispered. "The floor plan is open and clear apart from their supplies and some old crates. I can see a pile of loot on an overturned crate and..." she sucked in a small breath as a pile of blankets rustled, and a small head emerged.

"There...there's a kid in there!" she hissed.

 _"Copy,"_ Kakashi said over Naruto's alarmed rambling in the background.  _"Continue to watch. Can you hear anything?"_

"No...give me a second, though," she muttered, and worked at the window until it slid open with a creak, freezing in place, but the men sitting in a circle playing card games didn't notice.

Carefully, she slid inside, being careful that her pack with the Beetle Twins didn't snag. She then pushed chakra into her ears and gritted her teeth.

"The child is crying, and...I think he's tied up," she whispered.

Sasuke's voice came over the comm.  _"Confirmed - my angle is better. He's probably around four, wearing nice clothes - hostage, I would guess."_

Mayu's hands fisted at her sides, and she focused her hearing on their conversation.

"...just saying, if Daiki's crew finds out we're dealin' in kids..." Shouja muttered.

"He ain't gonna find out, is he? Boss went out to get the money from the kid's old man. Once that's done, we'll return him to the owner, no fuss," Maki answered.

Mayu relayed confirmation that the boy was a hostage. 

 _"We're going to save him, right Kakashi-sensei?"_ Naruto said confidently over the line, and Kakashi hummed in response, then,  _"Another bandit incoming. Over."_

A moment later, the door burst open, and a furious man with bright red hair barged into the room, ignoring the greetings of his men to cross to the child. He picked him up by the scruff and shook him.

"Your dad thought he could get away with hiring ninja to get you back," he said into the screaming face of the blonde boy. "Thinks that as an advisor to the Daimyo he holds some cards. What he doesn't know is that we had some ninja partners of our own," he sneered, and Mayu swore softly.

"Maybe he'll be more willing to listen when I send him your fingers," a knife appeared, and Shouja scrambled over to the man.

"Now, wait a minute, I didn't agree to hurt no kids! You said we'd just hold 'im until we got the ransom!" the other man said, waving his hands in the air.

"Sensei! They've got ninja partners - good enough to kill the shinobi the man hired to retrieve his son. He - he said he's an advisor to the Daimyo, don't know which country. I - sensei, he's going to cut off the kid's fingers!"

_"Mayu, Sasuke, Naruto you're to protect the child. We've got three incoming shinobi - chunin and jounin level."_

Mayu was already launching herself from the window towards the man who was now waving a knife in the air and arguing with his subordinate. He had dropped the little boy, who was trying to scramble away with his feet and hands still bound. 

 _"You're to leave the ninja to me,"_ Kakashi's voice was saying as Mayu sent her chakra threads to pluck the boy from his spot, pulling him towards her.

He screamed as he was pulled through the air, drawing the attention of the two men, who stared at her in shock for a moment as she grabbed him and made for the door, pumping chakra into her legs for speed. They tried to follow, but when Sasuke landed crouched in front of them, kunai in hand, they faltered. The other two bandits scrambled after her, and she threw two kunai at them, one after the other, with the arm not holding a struggling and crying boy, putting chakra behind the throws. One went down with a kunai in his leg, the other grunted as a kunai was buried into his shoulder.

Naruto appeared at her shoulder, and they were almost to the door when it slammed open and two shinobi launched into the room, a bloody Kakashi following close behind,  _not his blood_ , and Mayu skidded to a stop, leaping backward as a hail of kunai came at them. Naruto, however, had frozen in place. Mayu yelled at him to move as she retreated, unable to help due to her passenger. One kunai flew so close that it tore a line in his arm, and then Sasuke was there, deflecting them with the kunai in his hand.

"Dead last, _move_ ," he said, then grabbed ahold of Naruto and tugged him back to join Mayu.

Trusting them to watch her back, she knelt down and set the boy in the corner.

"Listen, I know you're scared, but we're here to save you, okay?" his wide green eyes stared up at her.

"Okay, so I need you to stay right here, in this corner, can you do that?" she said as she pulled off her pack and zipped it open.

She glanced over to where Sasuke and Naruto were crouched defensively in front of them, watching Kakashi exchange blows with two tall men. The bandits were lying on the ground with various injuries - they had been easy to take care of in comparison.

Finally, the shinobi retreated a few feet away, and Kakashi was standing in front of his students, talking to them over his shoulder.

"Let me take care of these two - I already dispatched the third," he said in a calm voice, and one of the men laughed. They were wearing Iwa hitai-ate with a scratch through the symbol. 

 _Missing-nin, jounin level_.  _We're so fucked._

"You think you can take care of us so easily?" he sneered. "You're good, but we're legendary for our partnership attacks. We were on Iwa's elite assassination team before we took off on our own, after all."

Mayu narrowed her eyes, and she moved forward a bit.

"Sasuke, Naruto," she said, and they angled their heads towards her. "Sasuke, you cover me - I'll use my puppets to keep them at a distance. If they get close, you can push them back. Naruto - create some clones, and you'll form a ring around the kid as last defense. We can't outrun them, so we'll have to hold them back if they get past sensei."

They nodded, and she turned and smiled at the boy.

"My friends Baru and Kichi are going to help protect you, so don't be scared of them, okay?" she said as six Naruto's came into existence around them and she lifted her puppets from their bag and sent them skittering in front of her, Sasuke in the defense position at her side.

Taking their movement as some signal, the three elite ninja burst into motion. The one who had spoken - a huge man with blonde hair and a scarred face, spit what looked like rock bullets at Kakashi, forcing him to dodge out of the way. Sasuke grabbed her and pulled them both clear, calling a warning to Naruto, who snatched up the boy and dodged to the side, his clones moving with him. The bullets hit the wall where they'd been standing, tearing chunks out of it, and the other shinobi, shorter with gravity-defying brown hair, yelled a warning to his partner to be careful with the merchandise.

Mayu gritted her teeth, and she and Sasuke repositioned in front of Naruto and his charge again, watching as Kakashi slammed his hand down, creating an earth wall between his students and the threat.

They stood, tense, listening to the booming sounds of explosions and metal against metal for the next forty-five seconds or so. Movement at the corner of her eye had Mayu swinging her puppets around and launching them towards the blonde ninja, and she blinked in shock as Buri's antenna made contact, piercing his chest. With a look of surprise, he disappeared in a fall of rocks, and she swore as she realized it was a clone.

She turned back towards Sasuke just in time to see him go flying and hit the wall, dazed. Mayu inhaled and sent Kichi toward the blonde ninja - the real one, this time, releasing a spray of acid. He jumped back and hissed as some hit his pants and ate through the material, burning his skin.

"Little shits," he muttered, and launched himself towards Mayu, so fast she could barely track him.

Mayu reached into her pouch for her fire-starting solution, which she'd secretly started calling a Mayu Cocktail, but Kakashi appeared in front of her before she could use it, sending the missing-nin flying with a kick.

"Retreat with the kid, I'll hold them off," he said, then was gone.

"Naruto - carry him, I'll help Sasuke," Mayu said, but Sasuke was already up and next to her.

They burst out from behind the wall, Mayu and Sasuke flanking Naruto, his clones spread around them.

The brunette appeared in front of them, and Sasuke shaped his hand into a circle and brought it to his lips after yelling, "Fire Release: Great Fire Ball!" and launched a huge ball of flame at the nin, forcing him to leap back and out of the way.

Mayu sent Baru after him and activated the new mechanism she'd put into his shell at Sasuke's suggestion. A hail of senbon exploded from little-drilled holes, and the man was forced even further into retreat. They sped past him and Kakashi spun into the space between them, sending a streak of lightning at the man. Mayu didn't see whether it connected or not, as they were almost to the door. However the blonde was once again in front of them, and he easily dodged Kichi's lunge and dispatched of Naruto's clones, moving through them like they were butter.

Once again, Kakashi drove him back, this time releasing a gale of wind when he dropped down from a flip in front of them, slicing open the other ninja's arm. The blonde gave a hiss of pain and retreated as the wind tore through the walls. "

They're strong," Kakashi said in a calm voice, and he was bleeding from a cut on his arm and that his Sharingan was exposed.

"Down!" he yelled, and they obediently hit the deck as he flashed through some hand signs and a huge dragon made of flame whooshed over their heads, followed up by the earth bullets that the other man had used on them to start the fight.

"Go," he said, voice strained as he leapt over them back into the fray.

Mayu pursed her lips, not wanting to leave him on his own, but knowing they'd just get in the way if they stayed.

"Come on," Sasuke said, obviously thinking the same thing as Mayu, but Naruto wavered.

"We can't leave him!" he said.

"We have to," Mayu said. "Kakashi-sensei is strong, and we don't have a chance against them. We have to get the boy to safety - he can't defend himself."

Naruto clenched his fist but nodded, and they took off for the exit, dodging pieces of the ceiling that were falling as whatever was happening behind them rattled the old building. Mayu was almost to the exit when something hit her from behind moving so fast that it sent both of them crashing through the door and into the street.

She and the thing - person - that had hit her skidded across the ground, and she gasped in small breaths of air as she attempted to struggle to her feet. Sasuke was beside her helping her up before turning to Kakashi, who had been the thing to knock her through the door, and  _ow_ , she didn't want to do that again. Naruto leapt over to her other side, the trembling and crying boy in his arms, and they fell into a half circle behind Kakashi, who had splinters from the door in his hair and was listing to the side.

Mayu's mind raced as the two shinobi advanced on them. She'd dropped Baru and Kichi in the confusion of being launched through a door, so they were no help. Eyes narrowing, she moved her hand behind her leg and carefully extended her chakra threads into her tool pouch.

"Kakashi no Sharingan, somehow I expected more of an effort to take you down," the brunette said with a grin. "Though I guess having to worry about collateral damage slows you down."

He motioned towards Mayu, who glared back at him and tried to ignore the throbbing on the right side of her body where she'd taken most of the brunt of the impact. He was right - they were  _all_ trying to avoid collateral damage, them with the boy and Kakashi with his genin.

Mayu carefully pulled out two vials of her Mayu Cocktail, and let them hang behind her leg at the end of the chakra threads as the brunette continued to talk.

"How about you hand over the boy, and we'll let you and your students go," he said in an easy voice.

Before Kakashi could answer, Mayu was flicking her fingers and sending the vials flying at the men, who jumped backward to avoid being hit. The glass shattered the liquid sprayed across their legs, starting on fire as it was exposed to air. They cursed and turned their attention to putting out the flame, and Kakashi  _moved._ One second he was in front of them, and the next he was standing behind the blonde and had put a kunai through the side of his throat.

For a moment everything stopped, and then the brunette roared his fury and attacked Kakashi. Mayu grabbed the boy from Naruto.

"I've lost my puppets, you two cover now," she explained and took off down the street, which had emptied of bystanders when they realized something was going down. Smart people.

She was pulled from her musings when she heard Sasuke scream Naruto's name, followed by Kakashi's anguished  _"No!"_

With a feeling of dread, she skidded to a stop and turned her head, then gasped at what she saw. Down the street, Kakashi was still frantically fighting the Iwa nin, and standing a few feet from her was Sasuke, eyes wide as he stared at Naruto's back, which had the tip of a sword sticking out of it. Standing in front of him, holding the sword, was a dark-skinned woman with green hair, teeth bared in anger.

_There was a fourth shinobi, probably out of range of Kakashi when this started. She must have attacked Sasuke from behind, and Naruto jumped in front of it..._

Mayu watched as Naruto dropped to his knees. The woman opened her mouth to say something, but with a scream of rage, Sasuke was on her, moving with more speed than Mayu had thought he was capable of. The woman struggled to defend against his kicks and punches, but it was obvious she wasn't at the same level as her companions, and Sasuke was...well, he was suddenly at high chunin level with his taijutsu.

She caught a flash of red as she ran to Naruto's side. 

 _He activated the Sharingan, that explains it_.

Naruto's eyes were closed, and he was bleeding profusely from the wound the sword had left when the woman pulled it from his chest as she defended from Sasuke's attack. A moment later, she heard a gurgling sound, and Mayu glanced up to see that Sasuke had killed the woman.

He was breathing heavily and staring at where the kunai had entered the woman's heart with his red eyes. The little boy was crying next to Mayu where she set him down, and she was frantically putting pressure on Naruto's wound, not realizing her eyes were filled with tears.

"Oh no," she whispered. "Don't die, don't die, come on."

Kakashi appeared next to them, probably having killed the other shinobi, adding his hands to hers. His Sharingan eye, still exposed, was dripping with tears but he remained silent.

"Will it save him?" Mayu asked frantically, and Kakashi's gaze snapped to hers. "The jinchuuriki, they have increased healing and stamina, will the Kyuubi save him? Is it enough? I don't have enough data to know what he can come back from," she said quickly, ignoring Sasuke's sound of shock from where he had knelt next to her.

As if in answer, a red cloak appeared around Naruto, and Mayu gasped and jumped back, Kakashi following. Sasuke stayed where he was, and reached a tentative hand towards him.

"Don't touch him!" Mayu warned. "If that's bijuu chakra, it'll be poisonous to you."

"Biju?" he whispered, as they watched the wound in his chest slowly closing before their eyes. "You mean Naruto is..."

He was cut off as Naruto shot up, a growl in his throat. Sasuke stared into his eyes, his own having faded back into black at some point, and Mayu stopped breathing because he looked...feral. His pupils had become slits, his teeth had grown, and his face looked elongated and somehow sharper. After a moment, the red faded, and Naruto swayed in place.

"What..." he said, "what happened?"

Kakashi breathed out a sigh of relief, then promptly passed out.

Mayu meeped as he hit the ground, then started as a familiar, disbelieving voice from behind them said, "Aiko-chan?"

000

They were above the bar where Mayu had first met Daiki, watching closely as a healer looked over Kakashi and the little boy.

"He'll be fine," the man assured. "Just chakra depletion - he needs a day to recover. The boy will be okay physically. I'll take him with me to the police station."

Mayu narrowed her eyes. "I'll go with you," she said.

"You can trust him," Daiki said, then pointedly added " _Mayu-chan_."

She rolled her eyes. Daiki had heard a rumor that the group of bandits had kidnapped a kid - something that wasn't okay in 'his town.' He had arrived just in time to help Kakashi dispatch of the last missing-nin, though Mayu had missed that part while she was busy trying to keep Naruto's blood in his body.

"I told you it was nothing personal. Besides, I ended up saving a kid, and I know you don't approve of dealing with children in your town," she said easily.

Daiki  _humphed_ , but didn't disagree.

"You all can stay here tonight, and tomorrow you and I can take the boy to the authorities - he'd just end up sleeping in a cot in the sheriff's office if he went tonight anyway. This way he'll be comfortable," Daiki said, gesturing to the bunks.

Mayu nodded and they settled into sleep. Naruto had lost consciousness again right after Kakashi and was still sleeping, so she and a brooding Sasuke agreed to split the watch.

She went first, and by the time she woke him was dead on her feet. She'd barely done any fighting, but the adrenaline crash and bruises from her lost fight with the door were pulling at her.

The next morning Daiki shook her awake and led her and the sleepy boy downstairs and out into the morning air.

"So, you're a ninja," he grumbled as they set off down the street, and she hummed in agreement.

"You were very helpful in finding our mark, so thanks for that!" she chirped.

He glared at her, but it didn't hold any heat. They stopped to grab some pork buns for breakfast before continuing on until they came to the sheriff's office.

Four hours later, Mayu exited the building with a dramatic groan. Daiki grinned and shrugged.

"Paperwork," he said. "Makes the world go 'round."

It turned out the boy's father was the friend of the Daimyo from Earth Country, and they had sent out messengers post haste to let the man know they had recovered him. He was taken away by the mayor's very nice and very pretty wife and seemed relieved not to be hanging out with ninja and criminals anymore. When Daiki moved in the direction of the bar, Mayu waved him off.

"I need to go get our stuff from where we were camping - I'll meet you back there," and leapt to the rooftops before he could complain.

She made her way to their camp slowly, taking the time to decompress and sort through everything that had happened. Their team must have the worst luck - seriously, two missions assigned in a row with bad intel. She was pretty sure their C-rank had turned into an A-rank at the end there.

She wasn't sure what it meant that leaf shinobi had saved the son of an important Earth Country politician. It was either very good or very bad, knowing the tensions between the two countries. She entered their campsite and moved to where they had hidden their things, disabling the traps.

"You've grown since the last time I saw you," a voice said from behind her, and Mayu spun, hand going to her kunai pouch, eyes wide in alarm.

Standing on the other side of their site was Watana, looking much worse for wear than the last time she'd seen him. Scars now littered his face and hands, and he had lost weight. His hair was long and unkempt, his eyes were too wide, and he looked completely unhinged.

"I have," she said, drawing a kunai and palming her comm, which had also been in her pouch, as she did so.

She switched the kunai to her other hand and moved as though to tuck her hair, still down, behind her ear, turning her face away in faked nerves while she placed the comm in her ear and switched it on.

"Guess that means I'm not easy pickings anymore," she said and went into her ready stance. "I'm actually kind of looking forward to this. After all, last time we met I made a promise," she said in a soft voice.

He threw his head back and laughed.

"Oh, Mayu, I might be worried - after all, I am just a paperwork ninja, as I believe you said once - except for one thing."

His eyes flickered to something behind her, and she flipped away, landing so that she could keep Watana and the other two ninja that had appeared in her sight.

"You have got to be kidding me," she said flatly. " _More_ unexpected missing-nin?"

A short woman with a pixie cut and wide black eyes with a sword strapped to her back was standing a few feet from a tall, dark-skinned man with the same eyes and hair, a chain attached to his hip.

"You're the missing-nin that escaped with Watana," she said slowly, dread pooling in her gut as she realized the trouble she was in.

Her only hope was the comm, now hidden behind her hair. Eventually, her team would come looking for her, and when they did, they'd turn on the comms - then they'd know that she had been taken. She just had to stay alive until Kakashi woke up and could track her. How long did it take to recover from chakra exhaustion? She had no idea.

"That's right - they have an interest in your sensei, after all. When my contact in Konoha told me the news of who your sensei was it seemed...serendipitous," he said with a giggle.

Mayu leveled him with an unimpressed stare, but before she could answer felt a rush of wind behind her and a voice saying "Enough talking," before a sharp pain hit her in the back of the head she and fell to the ground, landing hard on the side of her head that the comm was located on.

She heard an ominous  _crack_ from the comm, and then a cloth with a pungent smell was being held over her mouth. She struggled, but it was no use against the large man holding her down. As the edges of her consciousness faded, she knew she was in trouble - big trouble.

000

Mayu was awoken by the unpleasant sensation of somebody backhanding her across the face. She moaned in pain and cracked her eyes open. Her hands were pulled back painfully and tied together, and she was slumped back against what was probably large boulder. She grimaced in distaste as Watana's furious face appeared before her. Between that and her aching head, she had to fight down nausea.

"Ugh, don't you ever brush your teeth?" she muttered and got another slap for her effort.

She reeled in pain - he'd used chakra for that one. A large hand landed on his chest and pushed him back a few feet. Mayu swallowed down bile before turning to her savior - the large black man that had knocked her out.

"Where is he?" the man said in a calm voice, eyes promising death if he didn't like the answer.

"Who?" she mumbled, honestly confused.

"Kakashi! Where is he!" Watana screamed at her. "Until that shit for brains shows up, I don't get paid, and I'm not allowed to kill you until after he's dead!"

Mayu's lips quirked when she realized it was the last part that he was really upset about. A girl could get a complex. Watana saw her amusement and dove for her but was held back again, this time by the woman, who seemed to just appear in front of him, she moved so quickly.

"It's been two days, and he still hasn't come," the man said.

Mayu just shrugged and looked around her in interest.

"Did you drug me or something?" she said and swallowed when she took in the terrain.

"Uh, are we in Earth Country?"

"We did, and we are," the man said gruffly. It seemed that he wasn't much of a talker.

"Where is Hatake Kakashi?" he said again, and she shrugged.

"Maybe he's not coming," she said as she studied the patch of earth they'd stopped at.

It was dry and arid, and she could tell by the thin air that they had increased their elevation by a couple thousand feet. The ground was littered with boulders, and everything seemed grey and dusty. She could see her things piled on top of a boulder across the way.

The man grabbed her by her hair and yanked her head back to face him.

"You'd better hope he comes soon, or else the Iwa ninja on their way to collect him will just have to make do with you, instead."

Mayu swallowed as she saw he was completely serious.

"All this just because he locked you up for a few months?" she muttered, then regretted it when he hissed in anger and slammed her head back against the rock before standing.

"He killed my brother," he growled out. "Hatake Kakashi is going to die slowly and painfully at the hands of the Tsuchikage, and you're going to be the bait that leads him to me."

Mayu didn't reply, instead willing her ears to quit ringing. "I'm going hunting, Natsu. Watch the girl," he growled and stalked off, Watana skittering off behind him.

Mayu waited until she was sure they were gone before slowly turning numb fingers towards the hem of her shirt, feeling along the edges until she came to the hard mound sewn into the hem. Keeping one eye on the girl, who was fiddling with her pack, she picked at the hem until she was able to pull the tiny butterfly knife from where she'd sewn it into her shirt - a trick Sherlock had taught her as a way to get out of sticky situations where she was tied up. Mayu had bought a large pack and spent a day sewing them into her and Shikamaru's shirts the week before they became genin.

She had just pulled it out and flipped it open to expose the blade when the girl, Natsu, walked towards her, water in hand. Mayu eyed it suspiciously.

"I'm not going to let you drug me again, so don't even think about it."

Natsu rolled her large, pretty eyes, and took a deep swig from the bottle.

"There, see, I'm still awake."

This time, Mayu accepted the water, gulping it greedily. When Natsu pulled it away, Mayu cautiously looked her over. She could see she wasn't exactly thrilled about kidnapping Mayu but had no intention of going against the leader.

"What's your boss' name, anyway?" Mayu asked as she started sawing at the ropes again in small movements so as not to draw attention to what she was doing.

She paused when she thought she heard a crackle in her earpiece, but when nothing followed, assumed the damn thing really  _was_ broken from her fall. She needed to design some that would hold up better if she ever got out of this.

"He's my brother, not my boss." she hesitated, then, "his name is Katsu."

At Mayu's raised brow the woman chuckled. "Our other brother's name was Hatsu, so."

"The brother that my sensei killed," she said, watching as the girl's hands tightened on her water bottle and she looked away.

"You aren't angry about it, the way Katsu is," she noted neutrally, and Natsu shrugged.

"Sure I am, but not at your sensei."

She sighed and sat down across from Mayu. "I know my brother must seem like an awful person, but...he loved Hatsu so much. We left Kumo because Hatsu was too good, too talented for his age, they were  _destroying_ him."

Mayu raised her eyebrow at this apparent retelling of a life story but decided to let it play out. Free information was free information, and the poor girl must be starved for normal contact if she only had Watana and Katsu for company. Natsu ran a finger around the edge of her bottle, and Mayu squinted as the sun became lower in the sky and sent rays across the clearing.

"Life as missing-nin is...difficult. We were barely getting by when a man offered us a contract. Pretty easy stuff - terrorize a few towns in Fire and Wind Country, play with the border patrols...stir up trouble, in other words."

"What man?" Mayu asked, curious, and Natsu just shrugged.

"Black hair, black eyes...he wore a mask over the bottom half of his face, but I think he was attractive. Nondescript clothes. Anyway, the pay was good, and we're trained in evasion." She gave a self-depreciating smile. "Not against somebody like Hatake Kakashi, though. We didn't expect Konoha to care about a few border towns enough to send an elite team, but I guess it's different from Kumo that way."

She ran a hand through her hair. "Hatsu tried to fight instead of surrendering after Katsu and I were taken down. Like I said, he was a prodigy, so the only choice he really left your sensei was death. That's one scary assassination jutsu your sensei has," she said sadly.

Mayu blinked but didn't mention she had no idea what jutsu that was.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei is pretty scary in general. But...you said you're not mad at him?"

"No," Natsu shook her head. "I'm mad at Kumo, for making it so we had to run. I'm mad at the man who played my brother into taking that stupid job. I'm mad at myself for not ever having the courage to tell him no..." she trailed off.

Mayu cocked her head to the side. Maybe she could work with this.

"Like now? You know Kakashi will wipe the floor with you," Mayu said.

She glared. "He doesn't have his elite team behind him this time, and Katsu may not be a genius, but he's strong, and so am I. Katsu...our brother was precious to him. He was the youngest, and always so kind. Losing him was like losing his heart," Natsu said wistfully. "For both of us. Now, I just have Katsu left, and he's the most precious thing in my life, and even if I'm not happy about it, I'll do anything he asks. I can't be his heart, but I can be his weapon," Natsu said sadly.

"You don't think he loves you just as much as he did your brother?" Mayu asked, though she could read the answer in the other girl's face, who just shrugged.

Mayu pressed a little harder on the rope. It was reinforced with wire and was taking a long time to slice through with her tiny knife.

"Natsu," Mayu said gently. "What do you think the Iwa nin will do to your brother when Kakashi doesn't show up?"

Natsu's eyes snapped to hers and narrowed. "Why wouldn't he show up? Everybody knows his reputation for never leaving comrades behind, and you're his student."

Mayu sighed, then decided to take a chance here. If she could convince Natsu and Katsu to just let her go...

"Three reasons why he won't come. The first is that he was injured on our mission, and might not be capable of coming if he's even awake yet. The second is that we were ordered not to cross into Earth Country." Natsu's eyes widened but she continued talking.

"The third is that he won't endanger my teammates that way. They're...important to him."

"And you're not?" Natsu asked.

Mayu shrugged, and answered - why not tell her? She needed Natsu to accept that Kakashi wouldn't be coming for her, or they'd both end up dead - Mayu after some quality time with Iwa T & I, most likely.

"No," she said bluntly. "Not outside of being a comrade. He barely tolerates me, has never been comfortable with me the way he is with my teammates."

"Why?" Natsu asked, honestly curious and looking a little affronted on Mayu's behalf.

"Sensei...he lives in the past. My teammates remind him of people he loved once. I'm just kind of...an extra, I think," Mayu said with a shrug, trying to look unaffected. "So, you see, I don't think he's coming, and I doubt the nin on their way will be impressed with you not delivering on your promise to hand over Hatake Kakashi."

Natsu bit her lip in thought, but before she could answer Watana appeared in front Mayu and slammed a kunai into the meat of her thigh. Not expecting it, she screamed.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" he hissed, as Natsu cried out in alarm and stood.

"It hurt when your Nara dog did it to me, too. Since you're so convinced Hatake isn't coming, I guess that means I can do what I want with you. I've been imagining this," he said, spittle flying in her face. "You have no idea -"

Katsu appeared and sent Watana flying across the clearing with a throw of one muscled arm. He looked at the kunai in Mayu's leg with a slight frown.

"I told you to watch her, Natsu," he growled. "Could you be any more useless?"

"S-sorry brother," she whispered, looking down.

Mayu gritted her teeth past the pain, and with a few more swipes of her knife, sliced through the rope binding her.

Sweating, she slowly extended ten chakra threads across the ground, hoping they wouldn't notice the glow in the low lighting. She really needed to learn how to suppress the chakra enough to hide them from view.

She inched them along until they reached the pile of her things, and slipped them into her tool pouch. With one more deep breath, she burst into motion, rolling away from Natsu and Katsu and coming to her knees as she swung the strings, exploding tags attached at the ends while feeding chakra into them to activate and slammed them haphazardly on the ground in the general vicinity of the three ninjas. She was blown backward by the force of the explosion.

Adrenaline pumping through her system, she had barely hit the ground before she was rolling back to her feet, eyes squinted against the smoke and dust in the air, heading for where her bag was. She sobbed out in pain as the movement jostled the kunai in her leg, and reached down to tug it out - she was pretty sure it wasn't next to any major arteries. Hopefully.

The rock with her things piled on came into view through the fog of dust and smoke, and she swiped at her weapons pouch, then scrambled behind a boulder. Reaching into the bag she pulled out the last vial of Mayu Cocktail and peeked over the rough surface of the rock.

"Where is she?" Katsu roared from about ten feet away, disoriented and bleeding, while Natsu picked herself up off the ground.

Mayu's eyes went over them until she spotted - yes, there. Watana, standing with his back to her, searching the area. Her senses filled with fury and she found herself standing from behind her cover.

"Hey, Watana!" she yelled, and pulled back her arm and threw the vial as hard as she could.

Which, considering she was a kunoichi now, was pretty damn hard. He spun around, mouth open to say some - probably awful - thing, and was met with a face full of fire. He screamed as the glass shattered and he went up in flames.

Mayu didn't have even a moment to celebrate her triumph when something slammed into her and bore her down into the dirt. She struggled as Katsu pushed his weight onto her, and wrapped his huge hands around her neck. She struggled against him, but he seemed impervious to her blows, even when they drew blood and she broke one of his fingers trying to pry his hands from her throat.

"Fucking Konoha shinobi - I'm going to send you back in  _pieces,_ " he screamed, face red with rage. "Screw sending Kakashi to Iwa, I'll let him live with the fact that he abandoned his precious -"

His weight was lifted off of her suddenly, and she sat up, gasping for air and clutching her throat, disoriented. She rolled to her knees, and looked up, then rubbed her eyes when she saw a broad back in standard Konoha gear, with a familiar poof of grey hair sticking above it.

"Ka-Kakashi-sensei?" she rasped (being choked wasn't great for the vocal chords, it turned out). "You came?"

"Mayu-chan, such little faith you have in your poor old sensei," he said in a mild tone, and she blinked because he actually sounded a bit...hurt?

"Now, you stay here while I have a talk with the nice man about the proper way to treat my cute little students. Sasuke, Naruto, protect her."

Then he was gone, disappearing into the smoke, and was replaced by Naruto's worried face. Sasuke was standing guard over them, but she saw him glance at her every once in awhile as though to make sure she was still there.

"You...you really came," she whispered.

Naruto scowled as he gently tipped her face to study the bruises. She probably looked like a trainwreck after all the slapping around she'd been through.

"Of course we did!" Naruto said. "We're a team, believe it! Kakashi was really worried about you when he woke up, you know."

Mayu swallowed as she heard the clash of metal on metal, and felt a wave of heat hit her as somebody let loose a fireball, followed up by the crackle and flash of lightning. The smoke was starting to clear, and Mayu could see two figures - one large and one tall and lanky - fighting from about thirty feet away.

"There - there's another kunoichi here somewhere - Nats-"

The girl in question blurred in from the right, and Sasuke, Sharingan activated, stopped her advance with a kick that she blocked, but still sent her skidding back. She paused and studied them.

"Guess you were wrong about Kakashi coming for you," she said in a calm voice.

"Guess I was," Mayu replied, staring back at her.

Naruto stood and turned to face the girl.

"Why are you doing this?" he yelled. "You admitted you don't blame Kakashi-sensei, yet you allowed your brother and Watana to hurt Mayu!"

Natsu blinked. "How do you -"

Mayu groaned. "You could hear me through the comms, couldn't you? I thought they were broken," she said and cringed a little as she remembered the things she'd said about Kakashi.

Ugh, she must have sounded pathetic.

Natsu recovered, then shrugged. "Like I said, Katsu is my most precious thing, so I'll do what I can to support him, no matter what I personally feel."

The girl sprung into action again. Mayu gritted her teeth as she watched her team take the girl on. She was fast and strong, but between Naruto's stamina and clones and Sasuke's Sharingan, they were managing to hold her back.

"Well Mayu is precious to us, so we won't let you hurt her!" Naruto shouted as he leaped over Sasuke's back and sent Natsu flying with a punch.

Mayu blinked back tears at that and concentrated on pulling out explosive tags and waiting for a chance to blow somebody up.

Kakashi was still fighting with Katsu, who was screaming at him.

"You killed Hatsu! My only brother!"

"He left me no choice," Kakashi said calmly from across the clearing. "You were attacking citizens of the Land of Fire. I offered him a chance for surrender, and he refused. Will you do the same, or will you preserve your life and that of your sister?"

"I'll never surrender to you," Katsu said in a low tone, and Kakashi sighed.

"I thought you might say that."

The sound of a thousand birds filled the clearing. Natsu jumped away from where she'd been re-engaging with Naruto and screamed.

Kakashi's arm was encased in blue lightning, and he became a blur, heading towards Katsu. 

 _He's dead,_ Mayu thought, but then Natsu was gone, and reappearing in front of her brother, Kakashi's hand sticking through her chest.

Everything stopped for a moment, Kakashi and Katsu frozen in shock. Finally, Kakashi removed his hand and jumped backward, and Katsu fell to his knees next to his sister.

"You idiot," he whispered to her lifeless face. "You could never do anything right, could you?" he said angrily as tears filled his eyes.

"Hey! Don't talk about her like that!" Naruto yelled, and Mayu was shocked to see tears in his eyes, too. "You're the one that messed up - she was only doing this because of you! Because you were precious to her..."

"You think I don't know that? She was always doing everything for us...without Hatsu, we lost our heart, but she...she was always the glue that held us together."

He reached out with a trembling hand and touched her cheek.

"Please," he whispered. "After I'm gone, bury me next to her."

Then he was blurring at Kakashi again, and Mayu watched, shocked, as they threw each other around the clearing, though it was obvious Katsu's heart wasn't in it anymore. Finally, Kakashi drove a blade into the man's chest. 

Kakashi carefully laid the man down, then turned and returned to them, kneeling down in front of Mayu.

"Where are you hurt?" he asked in a gruff voice, and she blinked in shock at him.

"I..." her thoughts felt sluggish, but she knew there was something, something she needed to say. "I..."

"Mayu-chan?" he asked in concern. "Are you dizzy?"

"Iwa!" she blurted. "There are Iwa nin coming!"

"That's right," Naruto said in a worried tone. "That guy - Katsu - said they were on their way."

"I can't believe the stupid comm was working the whole time," Mayu muttered, slumping down. "The output must have been what was broken..."

"Focus, Mayu," Kakashi said sharply. "Naruto, Sasuke, take these scrolls and seal the bodies into them, then grab Mayu's things. We're leaving before Iwa -"

"Before we what, Hatake Kakashi?" a light voice said, and her teacher closed his eyes for a moment before turning to face a new threat.

"Don't I feel special! They sent the famous Smash Team to bring me in," he said lightly, standing and moving to put himself in front of his students.

Mayu bit her lip. She knew that Kakashi had to be about spent - he had been unconscious only two days before from chakra exhaustion, and had probably pushed himself just to get here - where he had then fought a jounin level missing-nin. She suddenly felt very guilty for doubting him but decided to dwell on that later.

The woman who stepped into the clearing was tall and curvy, with dark brown tresses that fell to her waist. Her companions were two hulking giants of men, and Mayu was surprised suddenly that it was still light out, though the sun was casting long shadows across the earth - it felt like forever ago that she noticed the low position of the sun while talking to Natsu. What felt like hours had probably only been about half an hour.

"Naruto, Sasuke," she said in a low voice. They cocked their heads at her. "I've got smoke bombs and exploding tags. With my chakra threads, I can plant ten around them. We'll have to give Kakashi support where we can - choose wisely, don't get in his way or make him feel like he needs to do something stupid to protect you. My leg is hurt, so I'm stationery..."

"We're only here because some missing-nin kidnapped my student," Kakashi said calmly, looking so bored Mayu was surprised he didn't pull out his book. "As you can see, we've taken care of them. Is there any way we can just...forget this ever happened?"

The woman snorted and drew the sword at her hip.

"'Fraid not, Hatake. If you surrender now, though, we'll let your kids go. We could care less about a few baby ninja."

Mayu was horrified when she realized he was considering it. He tilted his head, and the woman smirked, then leaned forward, about to take a step, before she just...stopped.

"Shadow Possession Complete." Mayu had never been so happy to see her nii-san as she was in that moment.

"Let's see if we can't talk this through, hmm?" Ensui said as he stepped out from behind some rocks, holding his hands clasped in a sign in front of him.

"Way I see it, you're still outnumbered," the woman hissed from where she was being held.

"Sure about that, now?" Ensui drawled, and a huge dog appeared as well, a tall Inuzuka woman with wild hair and a fierce grin following.

On the other side of the campsite, an Aburame appeared, air buzzing around him with insects.

"As I was saying," Kakashi said in a mild tone, though his posture had eased a bit with relief, "we were minding our own business on a mission in Grass -"

"Grass?" The woman blurted and then sighed.

"I don't suppose you're the same team of Konoha nin who saved the Daimyo's godson?" she asked in a long-suffering voice.

"We were, actually!" Kakashi said, and Mayu just knew he was eye smiling.

"We're done here," the woman said in a flat voice. "The Tsuchikage has been foaming at the mouth at the thought of owing Konoha for anything. We let you go, we call it even, got it? So you can tell your Hokage not to expect any favors in the future."

Kakashi nodded amiably.

"Got it," he said, then looked to Ensui, who released them, and without fanfare, they turned on their heels and ran.

"You trust 'em?" The Inuzuka said in a mild voice.

"Hell, no," Ensui drawled.

"Ensui-niisan," Mayu said. "You - how are you here?"

He crossed over to her in long strides, squinting at her in the fading light.

"Damn, sweetheart, they did a number on you. I was tracking these jokers, remember?" he said in a soft voice. "Though it looks like your team did the job for me, huh?"

He ran a gentle hand down her arm and she swayed a bit, starting to feel dizzy.

"I burnt that weasel Watana alive. Told him I'd kill him for hurting Shika," she muttered, leaning into him.

"Megu, I think we need your expertise over here," he said, and the Inuzuka was suddenly kneeling next to her.

"I smell blood, girly," she said, and Mayu pointed at her leg.

"The little twerp stabbed me with a kunai," she said dreamily. "Said it was revenge for the one you got 'em with, nii-san," and Ensui swore.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he mumbled as Megu ran a glowing green hand over her leg.

"It's not deep," the woman said. "Your mesh musta absorbed most of the force"

"'S not your fault Ensui-nii. I think...I'm going to go to sleep now."

She ignored his protests and did just that.

000

When she woke up, she was in a bedroll, and there were quiet voices around her. She was also surrounded by trees again instead of rock.

"Thank god," she muttered, drawing the attention of Naruto and Sasuke, who had been bickering over the last bit of stew next to the fire.

Naruto jumped up and ran to her, while Sasuke followed at a more sedate pace.

"Mayu! You're awake!" Naruto yelled, and she winced.

"Awake, and in pain," she groaned. "Help me up, I'm one big bruise."

Two sets of hands helped her into a sitting position, and she swayed a bit in place.

"How long was I out?"

"Half a day," Naruto said. "We buried Natsu and Katsu next to each other, well, Ensui used an earth jutsu to do it quickly. Sensei passed out again, so Ensui carried him on his back and Megu carried you. They wanted to get back into Fire Country right away, in case Iwa came back with backup."

Sasuke handed her some water, and she gave him a thankful look before taking a few gulps. No matter how many times she got the crap beat out of her, it never became more pleasant.

"You scared the hell out of me, kid," Ensui said from behind her, and she winced.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"I've been tracking Watana and the siblings with my team for two weeks - they're damn good at evasion. Imagine how surprised I was when Baken picked up your scent along with theirs in Grass country, and we followed it straight over the Iwa border, with your wayward team right on your heels."

Mayu cringed. "I'm sorry - it's just. Kakashi-sensei and Naruto were injured, and somebody had to stay with them while somebody got our stuff and...I wasn't really thinking about Watana," she admitted. "I just wanted the rest of our medical supplies..."

Ensui sighed. "Not your fault - not anybody's fault really. Your teammates told me about your C-rank turned A-rank - no wonder your teacher was wiped after."

She nodded and ran a finger across the bandages on her thigh.

"Megu said that'd be fine, but we need to get it checked out as soon as we're home," he said in a stern voice, and she nodded again as he stood to go talk to the Aburame about the watch schedule.

That night she tugged her sleeping roll next to his, and he raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, though he did sigh a little when Sasuke and Naruto ended up scootching closer as well. She was drifting on the edge of sleep when a thought hit her, and she sat up with a gasp.

"Oh, shit!" she yelped.

Ensui sat up next to her, kunai in hand, looking around their campsite frantically. She was peripherally aware of the others doing the same.

"What is it?" Ensui finally asked, when he couldn't sense any danger.

Mayu looked at him with wide eyes. "Shikamaru is going to  _kill me!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It sure is hard being a sad, socially awkward super-ninja.


	6. Chunin Exams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Kakashi POV, everybody's creepy, Mayu ruins evil plans without even trying, and Shikaku is a troll.

Mayu was sulking - she could admit it. But if she had to ride on someone's back because Ensui and her team had decided she was too injured to run, why did she end up on the tiny, bony girl while Kakashi got to be carried by Ensui? So unfair.

She turned her head to glare at the man, who had taken to smugly eye-smiling at her whenever he caught her looking, and her thoughts stuttered to a halt. Was her sensei...sniffing Ensui? He was! She had turned her head just in time to see him angle his face and take in a discreet whiff.

She thought about it for a second and then shrugged. All the Nara men she knew did smell amazing unless it was Akinobu-sensei coming off a bender. It was a mixture of the spicy shampoo and soaps that the clan made from some herbs in the forest and whatever magical combination of pheromones they seemed genetically predisposed to expelling. So she couldn't blame Kakashi for partaking in the amazing cocktail that was Ensui's scent.

Mayu opened her mouth to call him out on it anyway because she was bored, but a change of wind knocked some of Megu's ridiculous hair into her face, and she ended up choking and sputtering for the next thirty seconds. After she had extracted the hair from her mouth, she settled in for a good brood.

Ensui had Megu only do the minimum amount of healing to conserve her energy in case any of Team Seven's 'fucking horrendous luck, what the hell, Kakashi?' followed them and they ended up 'attacked by a rabid bear or something.' That meant the wound on her leg was stitched up and any traces of infection were burned out, and her concussion was taken care of, but her bruises were still firmly in place. The ones around her throat were particularly sore, and though she had no mirror to see them with, the way Naruto's eyes swam with tears when he looked at her, and Ensui's pissed off mutterings about bringing Watana back to life so he could kill him told her they were probably pretty intense.

Which meant if she didn't get to the hospital before any other Naras saw her, she was going to be faced with some very angsty family members. Including Shikamaru. She grimaced to herself as she thought of him.

Romantic interest wasn't something she'd dealt with as Diana Holmes - she'd always been too smart for her peers, and too aware of exactly what people were thinking when they looked at her. It didn't exactly make for a romantic encounter when she could tell when she was annoying somebody (which was often) or when they were more focused on her breasts than on what she was saying.

Plus, she'd only been seventeen when she had died, and other than a ridiculous crush she'd nursed for Anthea for about six months after she'd turned fourteen, there hadn't been a lot of time for her to explore that side of life. That had simply been her hormones focusing on the only non-family member that she had any semblance of trust in. Anthea had been beautiful, deadly, efficient, and completely untouchable - the perfect combination for her past self's fourteen-year-old brain.

Shikamaru was...different. First of all, she'd loved him in some form since she was six years old. This felt more...innocent than the fantasies she'd harbored of Anthea, that ran more along the lines of 'you saved me from the evil men who had me tied to a chair in my underwear, let's make out.' Mayu just thought Shikamaru was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, inside and out, as corny as that sounded. She couldn't actually imagine ever being with anyone else - who could ever keep up with her?

Mayu scowled at her annoyingly sappy thought process. Why was she even stressing about this? Nothing had really changed - she was still completely devoted to him, he was still her favorite person, and neither of them was going anywhere. They were both too young to really contemplate anything else, so worrying about it was worse than useless. And it was painful listening to her own angst, she wasn't really built for it. Decision made, she pushed all hormone-driven preteen drivel to the back of her mind cave, and told it firmly to stay put.

They had finally stopped for the night, and Megu gingerly set Mayu down on a log on the edge of the clearing they'd chosen before giving her a once over. "Will I live?" Mayu asked in an annoyed voice, tired of all the fussing, which prompted a cackle from Megu.

"Grumpy little thing, ain'tcha? You're fine. Look like you just came from a fightin' ring, but you'll heal up."

"Reassuring," she muttered as Ensui set a bored-looking Kakashi next to her. Megu ran a green palm over him and proclaimed him well enough to survive another night, as well, before they left them to go set up camp.

Mayu didn't miss the fact that she'd been set up - they were far enough away from everybody else that any conversation they had would be private. She'd been dreading this moment since she woke up on the correct side of the border.

Mayu looked down at her feet and clasped her hands in her lap, but she could feel Kakashi's gaze on her. Finally, he sighed, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He looked as uncomfortable as she felt, and for a moment she hoped he would stay silent. Alas, it was not to be.

"So, Mayu-chan," he said, and she tilted her head towards him so he would know she was listening. "I think we have a few things to talk about." She made a strangled noise of agreement and waited for him to continue. And waited. Finally, she sighed and turned to look at him, and was met with an eye smile.

"Ah, that's better," he said, and she glared. "I think we should probably start with clearing the air." he cleared his throat and shifted. _He's so bad at this,_ she thought to herself. It was a little disorienting, watching somebody who took on multiple extremely strong ninja on his own in the past four days have such a hard time talking about his  _feelings._

 _I'm going to have to help him out, or we'll be here all night_. She huffed. "You came for me," she said bluntly, then waited.

"Of course I did." He was looking at her steadily, and she swallowed back her guilt.

"You heard my reasons for thinking you wouldn't," she responded and gritted her teeth when her voice wobbled.

"They were stupid reasons," he said harshly, and she bristled.

"They weren't," she hissed. "You've made it clear from almost the very beginning that you can't stand the sight of me. Even after you decided training me was easier than dealing with my family, which, sorry about them, I really have no control over their actions -" she shook her head and forced herself to stay on topic. "Anyway, you may have noticed, but I'm pretty good at reading people, and every time you're around me, you wish you weren't. You favor Naruto and Sasuke because of...personal reasons, which is fine. But, why would I think you'd drag your two preferred students into enemy territory when you're injured and exhausted for the student that you...that you..."  _hate_ , she didn't say, but knew they both heard.

May decided not to hold back her thoughts - it was too late to preserve her pride in this, anyway, and she wouldn't let him get away with pretending she'd had no reason to believe he wasn't coming. "I tried so hard, you know! I made myself be quiet, and I was polite and did  _everything I could_ to prove I was good enough. And you-you used my stupid insecurities to humiliate me and then you left me alone when I needed you. Do you have any idea how I felt when I was sitting in that forest, unable to walk, in the dark, knowing you weren't coming? The man who's revered for never leaving a comrade behind. And yet you left me." Mayu swiped her hands across her eyes, annoyed at her tears. "So, yes, I didn't think you were coming, but can you blame me?"

Mayu ignored the pointed not-looks she was getting from the rest of their party - they'd probably heard at least part of that since she had raised her voice. Kakashi, for his part, looked like she had reached into his chest and ripped out his heart. She bit her lip but didn't take any of it back. She did add on something else to the end in a quiet voice. "You did come, though. So, thank you."

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his hair. "I knew from the moment Tsunade-sama assigned me your team and I passed you that it would be tough for me. I don't...form many attachments, for reasons I probably don't need to say out loud to you. I was prepared for working with two people who would remind of...things I'd lost. But I miscalculated," he muttered, and she scrunched her brow in confusion.

"Miscalculated...?" she asked.

"Yes. Naruto and Sasuke, they're easily distractible. They didn't try to get close to me...but you. From day one you were trying to form bonds with us, and no matter how much of a jerk I was, you didn't give up."

Mayu blinked at him. "So...the puppet, on the first day? The forcing me to do boring crappy training while you helped the boys? The constantly being late...that was all some convoluted plan to make me hate you so that I wouldn't...what? Become attached?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Ah, well, yes," he eye smiled at her. "Except the being late part. That's pretty normal for me."

Mayu gaped at him, mind racing as all of his actions from the past month began adding up to a very different picture. "So you don't hate me," she said in a flat voice.

"Nope!" he chirped.

"You just wanted me to stop trying to turn my genin team into some sort of family," she continued, and he nodded amiably.

Mayu blinked a few times, then had a thought that had her slapping a hand over her mouth to stop her laughter. Kakashi gave her a strange look while she got herself under control. "Sorry, sorry," she gasped. "It's just...I realized that we can basically blame my family for this. Which is hilarious because they're the ones that were so affronted by the fallout."

"Oh?" he said, and she nodded.

"Yep! They all insisted that I give you guys a chance, and went on and on about bonds and second families. Usually, I'm horrible at making friends, you know." she said.

"I would never have guessed," he said wryly, ignoring her glare. He then sighed. "Well, it was a stupid plan on my part anyway," he said in a mournful voice. "It turns out cute little genin are just too much for any heart to resist." he reached out and set his hand on her head. "When I thought Naruto was dead after that woman stabbed him, I realized he was precious to me whether I wanted him to be or not. And when I woke up and realized you'd been taken..." the air around him darkened. "I knew that I had to get you back. And not only because you're my comrade."

Mayu swallowed and looked away. "Oh," she said in a small voice. "Well, despite you being a monumental jerk these last few weeks, I've decided that you're not so bad either," she muttered, feeling a blush tint her cheeks. She glanced at him and saw he was beaming at her, and the exposed portion of his face also looked suspiciously red.

"Well!" he said, clapping his hands together. "I'm glad we've got that all figured out. Now, on to the next topic. Let's talk about all these secrets of mine and Naruto's that you seem to have figured out," he said cheerfully. She gulped at his slight air of menace.

"Uh...what do you mean?" she squeaked out.

"Well, you know about his status," he said, though he didn't say the word  _jinchuuriki_ out loud. "And also that both he and Sasuke are related to people I knew in the past."

Mayu's eyes darted around, looking for an escape. Damn that stupid comm, anyway! "You know, I'm gonna see if Ensui needs some help cooking dinner - eep," his hand wrapped around her arm to stop her from standing and hobbling off.

"Mayu," he spoke in a voice that said  _I'm talking to you as your commanding officer._ She sighed.

"I heard about your team - an Uchiha, a medic, and the Yondaime. I know that they...didn't make it." Mayu bit her lip and eyed his tense posture, but didn't offer comfort. She had a feeling he wouldn't react well to that. "So, it made sense that you might feel some...responsibility to Sasuke, since he was probably related, however distantly, to the person who gifted you your eye." he flinched, and she cringed, and said, "Sorry. I just...I can't help but put things together."

Kakashi sighed and loosened his grip so he could pat her arm. "Continue," he said in a bland voice.

"I...figured out the stuff about Naruto...a while ago. It wasn't that hard once I paid attention. The last name Uzumaki, the way the villagers treated him, some even called him a demon, you know. Idiots," she spat, and Kakashi hummed in agreement. "Anyway, I suspected his parentage after I noticed he looked a lot like -" she was cut off as Kakashi slapped a hand over her mouth and shook his head.

"We'll talk about that part later, in a more secure location," he said with a sigh, and she nodded. "I don't have to tell you, I hope, that this is a secret. Even from him."

Mayu thought about that for a moment, then met Kakashi's eye. "I won't lie to him," she said. "Not about this. If he asks, I won't lie."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "This is dangerous for him, Mayu," he said in a warning tone, but she refused to budge.

"I think we've proven that our lives are dangerous in general," she said, and crossed her arms, tipping her chin up in the air.

Kakashi sighed explosively. "The Hokage has a soft spot for you," he said, and Mayu snorted at that, "but even she won't be able to overlook you spilling an S class secret," he said bluntly.

Mayu thought about that, then shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to live with that."

Kakashi dropped his face into his hands, mumbling about idiotic baby ninjas. Finally, he raised his head. "Okay, if he asks, don't lie. Tell him you've been ordered, by me, not to tell him, and that he should come talk to me about it," he said.

Mayu narrowed her eyes as she thought that through. Finally, she nodded. "Okay, I can live with that."

He gave her a sardonic look. "Wonderful. Now, one last thing," he said, and she wrinkled her nose. "You knew about Watana being a threat, and went off on your own anyway," he raised his hand to stop her from speaking, "I know why you did it, but it was still stupid. It put yourself and your team in needless danger. I'll come up with a fitting punishment for you later," he said and looked way too pleased with that. She grumbled, but couldn't really deny that she'd made the wrong call.

"Great! So, tell me about these Puppet Katas of yours," he said with an eye smile, and she blinked at him.

"How do you even know about that?"

"Sometimes," he began in a solemn voice, "when you're an elite ninja..."

"Ugh, never mind," Mayu said, then sighed. "Have you heard of the Hashino Deadly Dance Style?"

000

Team Seven limped into Konoha exactly ten days after they had left it, Ensui, Megu, and the Aburame whose name turned out to be Goro by their sides. Kakashi and Mayu had refused to be carried through the gates, and so entered on their own two feet.

They turned over the jewelry, which Daiki had recovered for them along with Mayu's puppets while Kakashi was still asleep, to the missions desk with a promise to hand in reports by the end of the next day. Tsunade was busy with the council and couldn't see them, but Kakashi had warned them they'd probably have to give a verbal report due to the change in mission status halfway through.

Kakashi herded his wayward genin to the hospital, ignoring their grumbling. In the ten days they'd been gone all of them had been thrown around, one student had been stabbed through the chest, another had activated a bloodline limit, and the third had been drugged, kidnapped, smacked around, and stabbed in the leg. He might not be the world's best teacher, but even he knew a check in at the hospital was the right thing to do.

In the end, Mayu was the only member of the team admitted due to the fact that she'd been drugged heavily along with getting a concussion. Kakashi walked the boys home before ambling back towards the hospital so he could chat with (intimidate) her doctors.

Mayu had been...unexpected. For twelve years, Kakashi had succeeded in keeping people at arm's length. Bonds, he'd discovered, were generally confusing and painful, and he was self-aware enough to know he'd only hurt somebody who got close to him. So Kakashi accepted Konoha as his precious thing to protect, a mantle that he tried to carry as well as he could after Minato-sensei died. He understood that the people of the village  _were_ Konoha, so even if he couldn't attach himself to them individually, he never let them die and never left them behind if it was at all possible.

So when Tsunade had put her foot down and gave him three bumbling, socially awkward children to raise into a competent ninja, with two of them being remnants of the people he'd loved the most and lost, he had come up with a plan. A very simple plan to protect his heart and theirs. It was easy to distract Naruto and Sasuke from anything emotionally charged with him. For one, they were pretty focused on each other and their ambitions. They both easily accepted his asshole persona, much as most everybody else did, as an indicator not to get too close.

What he hadn't planned for was a tiny, determined girl with too much intelligence and a burning need to do the opposite of what he wanted her to. Mayu swept in and started looking up at him with those wide grey eyes like he was important, and he had panicked. Sharingan no Kakashi didn't panic much, but when he did it was usually followed by one of his epic failures, few and far in between and catastrophic in nature.

So he'd pushed harder, tried to make her hate him by pretending he favored the boys and ignoring her. Kakashi had thought his heart might melt when she started following him around in some misguided attempt to impress slash annoy him into taking her seriously. He had been reluctantly impressed as she kept her cool each time he pressed, determination clear even through her dejection.

Kakashi had known things weren't jelling with his team, and that it was a dynamic he had created but hadn't really  _understood_ until he had watched her square her little shoulders and take her hits stoically during his first 'tracking' lesson. He'd been so sure she'd give up after an hour - the exercise really had been way above her level. So he'd dismissed the boys and gone home, and none of them had thought for a moment that their teammate would still stubbornly be out trying to sniff out hidden urine samples. Kakashi knew he had embarrassed her and hurt her feelings, and figured that would be that the next day. Mayu would back off before either of them became too emotionally compromised.

And then Shikaku had shown up on his steps well after dark, tension, and worry in the lines of his body, asking if he'd seen Mayu anywhere. At that moment, as fear and adrenaline and  _not again_ had flooded his system, Kakashi had an epiphany. It was too late - he was already compromised by his students. And, as was a pattern with him, he had already let them down, and he had ended up having to watch as somebody else cleaned up his mess. Mayu had been alive, but Kakashi had finally gotten what he'd wanted right as he realized he didn't actually want it - she had given up on him. On top of his own shame, he'd had to watch his other two students struggle with their own guilt over their actions.

Luckily, Ensui had literally punched him out of his sulk, and given him hope with a few words: 'if you want to fix what you broke...' Which indicated he could actually fix it. So he'd started trying to awkwardly right his wrongs, and was incredibly proud when he discovered that Naruto and Sasuke had started to mend the rift on their own without needing guidance from him. They would be a good team.

And Mayu had seemed to be thawing towards him again as he'd complimented her on work well done and started seriously training her. When Naruto was stabbed and he thought his student would die, Kakashi was once again hit by how much he cared about his little group of misfits after such a short time. He hadn't wanted it, but when he realized that he had a little family, a true team, Kakashi promised himself that this time, he'd protect them. Then he'd passed out - and when he woke up, it was to a frantic Sasuke saying Mayu was gone, and when they'd turned on the comms...

Every slap he heard Mayu take as they raced across the Iwa terrain - and he was so, so proud when neither of his students even twitched at directly disobeying an order from the Hokage to save their teammate - felt like a blow to his own body. What was worse was hearing the confidence in Mayu's voice when she said  _'Three reasons why he won't come...'_ and listed them off with such fake nonchalance that his heart had clenched. She called herself an extra, and Kakashi had the revelation that there were things he had to protect in his students other than their innocence and their lives - he had to protect their hearts. Apparently from his own bumbling idiocy.

Then Mayu had screamed, and all thoughts other than getting there and killing the three ninjas holding her had scattered. He never wanted to come upon a scene like the one that met him when he finally arrived at where Mayu was being held again. Smoke and fire riddled the area, and Mayu was on her back, frantically fighting against the huge man, Katsu, who was screaming in her face, his hands wrapped around her slim throat.

Kakashi shuddered and was pulled out of his dark thoughts by the sound of yelling voices, and he jerked when he realized they were coming from Mayu's hospital room. Barely a thought and he'd sped to her door, relaxing when he saw Mayu sitting propped up in her hospital bed, bruises stark on her tiny face and neck. Her face was twisted into a petulant scowl that Kakashi had a feeling he'd be seeing more of now that she was done acting the sweet, accommodating genin.

The object of her glare, a preteen, gangly Nara who was starting to grow into the tall, broad-shouldered but otherwise lean physique his clan favored, was the target of her ire. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and Kakashi shuddered a bit - an angry Nara was never good for anybody.

"What do you mean, you were  _kind of kidnapped but only for a second?_ " the boy exclaimed and Mayu's eyes darted away from him.

"Mayu-chan, I'd hardly quantify two days as a second," Kakashi said, unable to resist stirring the pot as he leaned against the door. "Though I guess it didn't feel like a long time to you since you were drugged most of the time." Shikamaru whipped around, and Kakashi eye-smiled at him, the perfect punishment for Mayu wandering off on her own coming to him. Best of all, it didn't require any extra work from Kakashi. "Don't look so upset, Shikamaru-kun. Her team rushed in and saved the day, despite injuries from fighting four high-level ninja unexpectedly only days earlier. Bad intel, you know. Poor Mayu wouldn't have wandered off on her own if the rest of her team hadn't been in a sad way, I'm sure."

He watched in fascination as the boy's face reddened, and his eyes darkened in rage. Kakashi shivered and wondered if maybe he wasn't being a little unfair to his poor little student when Shikamaru spun back around. "You wandered away  _on your own_?! Mayu, did you not listen to anything dad said?"

Mayu looked torn between genuine remorse and anger when she answered. "Shikamaru, I'd just watched half my team come close to death, and the remaining member was basically in shock. I didn't have time to worry about some chunin level ninja who shouldn't even have known where I was! I'm a kunoichi, not some victim!" she yelled back.

"Maybe if you stopped and thought before doing something stupid, Watana wouldn't have been targeting you in the first place!" he yelled back, and Kakashi shifted uncomfortably when Mayu flinched. Maybe he shouldn't have given his input on this one.

"If I hadn't 'done something stupid,' I'd be dead or worse, and a megalomaniacal sociopath would still be trying to run Konoha! It's not my fault Watana is - was - crazy, or that we have some kind of mole helping prisoners escape and blabbing my movements to -"

"Mayu," Kakashi said sharply, before sticking his head out the door to check out the thankfully empty hallway. He increased his hearing with chakra application for a moment, but only heard the steady heartbeat of somebody sleeping in a room down the hall and the footsteps of a few people two hallways away.

Mayu was looking sheepish when he came back into the room with a stern look. "Sorry, Kakashi-sensei. I don't filter well on painkillers."

He sighed. "We'll work on it - a ninja should be able to keep her mouth shut no matter what the situation," he said sternly. She nodded miserably, staring down at her bruised knuckles, and he sighed, caving to the pitiful sight she made. "It's fine, Mayu-chan, you've had a hard couple of days. Has your doctor come by yet?"

"No," Shikamaru answered for her, still tense but seeming a bit calmer. "Dad went to find someone." Mayu twitched a little, and Kakashi had a feeling Shikamaru wasn't the only one that had given her a stern lecture. "A nurse came by and took her blood and vitals, though."

"Shikamaru-kun, could you give me a moment with my student?" Kakashi asked in a light voice. The boy turned a glare on him, and he curved his eye into a smile in response. "There are a few things I wanted to discuss with her. It'll take just a moment."

"Go on, Shika," Mayu murmured, still not looking at the boy. Shikamaru slumped and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Fine," he muttered, and slouched out of the door, dejection in every line of his body. Kakashi closed it after him and then went to sit in the chair next to her bed.

"What did you need to talk to me about," Mayu said in a small voice. Kakashi sighed, then reached out to ruffle her hair, earning a scowl.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing, Mayu-chan," he said cheerfully. There was an awkward pause, and then a shrug.

"I'm okay," she said. "My family isn't happy with me, but..." her hand clenched in the blanket covering her legs. "They act like it's my fault! I'm not the one who made people corrupt, you know. I just got caught in the middle. And even now, after all these years, I'm still paying for it."

Kakashi sighed and looked out the window to gather his thoughts. He was bad at this, he knew, but he also knew he had to try. "Well, your family is worried about you. It's hard to see people you love hurt. They aren't really mad at you, just the situation." he fidgeted at the talk of love and family but bravely continued on. "As for the rest...your intellect is probably always going to land you in trouble, Mayu." He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to comment. "It's the same for anybody who stands up for what they believe in. You're going to keep making enemies, but that's the reality of the life you've chosen. Being exceptional is...not easy."

Kakashi felt his cheeks heat and, as always, was glad for the mask. Mayu was staring at him in shock. Finally, she said in a quiet voice, "You think I'm exceptional?" There was a careful hope in her eyes, and Kakashi stared at her, wondering how somebody so bruised and dirty could still be adorable.

He looked out the window and shrugged. "Sure." A brilliant smile overtook her face, and he twitched. Kakashi rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, then decided to hell with it, and returned her smile with a real one of his own.

He then cleared his throat. "There's something else." Mayu cocked her head to the side, still glowing from his compliment, and he wished he didn't have to bring her down with the next subject. "Watana, he was your first kill, right?"

Mayu stilled in shock, then her eyes widened. "Uh...yes?"

"I was just wondering how you...felt about that," he said lamely, and inwardly cringed. Mayu actually looked a bit amused at his discomfort, the brat.

She shrugged and joined him in looking out the window. "Honestly, I just feel relief and...I don't know, a little satisfied."

Kakashi hummed, and studied her, waiting her out. "I mean, he hurt Shikamaru, the first time he tried to take me. And then he put my team in danger. I guess...I know it was the best choice, and I don't feel sorry about it. Is that...bad?" Mayu asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "No. Everybody has different outlooks on these things. As a kunoichi, you'll need to make decisions on who lives and who dies. And you'll need to find your own ways of dealing with it without losing your humanity. Remember, though; it's important not to start disregarding life too easily. That's a hole that's much easier to avoid than to climb out of." And how he wished he wasn't speaking from experience.

Mayu nodded, and seemed lost in thought for a few minutes before speaking. "I think...if it had been Natsu, or even Katsu, I would have felt...worse about it."

Kakashi nodded easily. He himself was regretting the girl's death. "There are some enemies you can sympathize with - that is the problem with all of our enemies being human. It will especially be hard for you as a member of the police force," he said bluntly.

Mayu's eyes snapped to his one gray one. "You...you really think I'll be accepted?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Of course you will be. Uchiha Fugaku may be a stuck up, overbearing stick in the mud but he's not an idiot. I'm guessing you'll have different departments fighting over you once you hit chunin." Kakashi leaned back a little as she turned her wide eyes to him, looking like Gai right before he burst into manly tears of joy. Luckily, they were interrupted by the door banging open and Tsunade herself entering the room, yelling about idiot genin who couldn't go even one month without falling face first into trouble.

As Mayu meekly submitted to an exam and Yoshino, Shikaku, and Shikamaru filed into the now-cramped room, Kakashi backed out into the hall. He stuck around long enough for the assessment - she'd be staying overnight due to the concussion paired with so long being drugged with an unknown substance. Her leg would heal up fine, and Tsunade was already working on the bruises on her face and neck.

Three days of rest and then she'd be back on her feet. With a sigh of relief, Kakashi left to run one last errand before heading home to bed - one he dreaded. Genin were such a pain.

Uchiha Fugaku was sitting in his office at the Military Police Force building looking over a case file with a frown on his face when Kakashi sauntered in fifteen minutes later. His expression didn't change when he saw who it was, but his face did lose a bit of color and he stood faster than he normally would. "Sasuke -?"

"He's fine, Fugaku-sama," Kakashi said. "Though I do need to talk to you about something that happened on our mission."

Fugaku relaxed minutely before sitting down and gestured for Kakashi to do the same across from him. Kakashi shut the door, knowing that the seals etched into the walls would keep their conversation private, and sat.

He had already decided not to beat around the bush, so skipped the pleasantries and fell into his 'report' voice - slightly bored but efficient. "We were assigned a C-rank mission to retrieve stolen jewelry from a group of bandits. Intel said they were civilian, no truly violent crimes on record. We discovered that the intel wasn't up to date once we approached the target for recon. The bandits were working with four missing-nin, a mix of high chunin and jounin level. They had kidnapped the godson of Earth Country's Daimyo and were holding him for ransom." Fugaku's hand tightening on his pen was the only indication that he was upset. Kakashi had a feeling that whoever had put together that Intel was going to be in for a sad surprise.

He continued on as if he hadn't seen the tell. "My team was able to protect the child and fight off the enemy ninja. However, while retreating as I fought off what we believed to be the last man of the group, they were ambushed by a kunoichi. Naruto ended up taking a sword in the chest that was meant for Sasuke." Fugaku actually jerked at that, and Kakashi realized he was concerned. _That's right, he was friends with the fourth,_ he thought to himself. "Naruto's fine. His...healing rate is better than average." Fugaku nodded his head, understanding what Kakashi wasn't saying, and relaxed.

"Sasuke didn't realize at first that it wasn't a mortal wound," Kakashi said carefully, and Fugaku closed his eyes for a moment.

"He's activated the Sharingan," the older man said in a flat voice, and Kakashi nodded his head amiably.

"Yes. He also killed the woman who stabbed Naruto. His first kill, I'm assuming." Sasuke's father looked suddenly tired, the lines of exhaustion on his face deepening.

"I understand. Thank you for letting me know, Kakashi-san."

It was a dismissal, and Kakashi was almost gleeful to share the emotional rollercoaster ride that the C-rank-turned-A-rank had become. "One more thing," he said, and he thought Fugaku might do something as undignified as slumping. Of course, he just motioned for Kakashi to continue.

"I assume because of your station as clan head and chief of police that you know the history of Sasuke's teammate, Nomaka Mayu, and the current threat from Watana Chiko?"

Fugaku inclined his head, looking interested in the direction the conversation had gone. "Is she...unharmed?" the man asked carefully, and Kakashi was a little surprised that he seemed more than moderately concerned about the answer.

"She's currently at the hospital, but Tsunade herself checked her over and she should be fine. While the rest of us were recovering from the events of the mission, Mayu was taken by Watana and the two missing-nin he escaped with."

Fugaku straightened, his eyes zeroing in on Kakashi, who continued blithely. "I was still asleep from chakra exhaustion for the first twenty hours she was missing. By the time we were able to follow they had taken her across the Earth Country border. She had managed to turn on her comm without them realizing it, so we could hear most of what they were doing and planning. They kept her drugged the first two days, but woke her about twenty minutes before we were in position." At this point Kakashi paused, wishing he didn't have to go over it again, but knowing how important it was that Fugaku knew how much of a cluster the mission had been. The Uchiha all had...questionable mental health, and Tsunade had been working with the clan head for the past four years on ways to mitigate the more mentally painful aspects of their doujutsu, no matter how much she had to drag the stoic clan kicking and screaming into the light.

"They tortured her," Fugaku stated, voice devoid of emotion.

Kakashi shrugged. "Beat her up a little. Watana lost it and stabbed her in the leg with a kunai. For the most part, she handled it well, but we heard it all through the comms." Kakashi's lips quirked a bit. "We also heard her blow up the whole damn encampment two minutes before we got there. She even killed Watana."

Fugaku grunted a little in surprise, and Kakashi nodded as if he'd said something profound. "All three of them did well." He flicked his eyes to Fugaku. "Sasuke protected his teammates more than once. Defeated a ninja above his level with a newly activated Sharingan. Showed good teamwork with Naruto and Mayu. He'll go far."

Fugaku inclined his head, and Kakashi figured that response was as enthusiastic as it would ever get with the man. Kakashi wondered for a moment if he was that stoic in bed.  _Nah, it's always the quiet ones..._ his eye glazed for a moment in contemplation, before a clearing throat drew his attention back to Fugaku.

"Well," Kakashi stood. "I'll let you get back to work, then!" he said cheerfully, and with a little finger-wave, disappeared in a swirl of leaves, enjoying the slightly annoyed expression on Fugaku's face as he did.

000

Mayu slipped out the window, gingerly climbing down the outer wall of the hospital to avoid re-damaging her recently healed thigh. She had to appreciate Tsunade's skill, despite her less-than-stellar bedside manner. Mayu adjusted her storage scroll, which somebody had helpfully put in a small cupboard in her private room, then patted it fondly. It was thanks to finding it that she'd been able to wear something other than a hospital gown-and-sheet combo home.

Knowing that she was setting herself up for yet another scolding, but not particularly caring, Mayu limped off towards the Nara compound. Mayu had snapped at about the fifth lecture from Yoshino and told the Naras crowded in her hospital room to go home already. She refused to feel guilty when she remembered their stricken faces - she wasn't a kid anymore after all. Well, depending on your perspective. Then she'd waited until the hospital quieted down for the night before initiating her escape plan.

While she didn't exactly hate hospitals, they also weren't a good place to get some actual rest. Between the nightly rounds from the nurses, the constant beeping of machines, and the occasional moan of pain or flurry of activity, a good night's rest was impossible. And she really, really needed a safe, comfortable place to decompress.

When she got to the Nara clan gates, Mayu turned right instead of heading left towards her house, making her way down to an apartment block created specifically for members of the Nara clan who were living the single life. She took her time going up the three flights of stairs before she found herself in front of the apartment she wanted.

With a sigh of relief, she unlocked the door, pumping a bit of chakra into the knob to disable any traps. Ensui had keyed both Mayu and Shikamaru to his wards last year in case they needed to get in. His traps were all on the side of 'deadly' and killing his brother's children wasn't something he wanted to have to deal with.

"Ensui-nii?" she whispered before slipping in, wanting to give him warning that somebody was entering - though he had probably known she was there before she was done climbing the stairs.

"Mayu-chan, you're supposed to be in the hospital," Ensui's tired voice said as a lamp switched on, illuminating a small living room and kitchen area, with Ensui standing next to the couch.

She shrugged. "I'm feeling okay, and I couldn't sleep there. Could I please stay on your couch?"

Ensui studied her and then shrugged. "Alright. Go on and jump in the shower. I'll grab you something to sleep in."

And this was why Mayu loved Ensui. After she was showered and wearing one of his overly large t-shirts and a pair of his loose shorts, he bullied her into a nest of blankets and pillows on the couch, then sat down across from her and gave her an enigmatic look. She fidgeted for a moment, before finally sighing and giving into the inevitable. He knew something was bothering her, and he expected her to get on with telling him about it.

"If Naruto wasn't...what he is, he'd be dead," she said in a quiet voice, and Ensui jerked in surprise. Mayu traced a line over the scar tissue on her chest and gave a humorless smile. "If he scars, he'll have one to match mine, you know." She regretted bringing it up when a shadow passed over Ensui's face.

"Dad and mom and Shikamaru keep...keep  _scolding_ me like I'm some kid who didn't follow the rules. But things went really, really wrong Nii-san. Sensei and Naruto almost  _died_ , and Sasuke...he was really shaken up. I wasn't thinking about mortal enemies or rules. I was thinking about getting my team through what had happened. I just..."

"Was doing your job?" Ensui gave her a wry smile. "Don't worry, sweetheart, they'll catch up. When you first came to us, you were this tiny little thing that seemed to jump from one troublesome situation to another, and your eyes were so damn sad sometimes that...we couldn't help but want to wrap you up in foam." she bristled at his description, and he chuckled. "We know you're tough as steel, kid, no need to get worked up. They just want to protect you from hurt - they'll clue into the fact that you're all grown up soon enough."

Mayu huffed. "Shikamaru..."

"Is really stupid for a genius sometimes," Ensui said bluntly, shocking Mayu into a giggle. "Sometimes us boys are pretty idiotic when our people are threatened," he said with a shrug. "He'll come crawling over here looking like a kicked puppy tomorrow when he realizes he was bein' a jerk."

Mayu studied his face, a mixture of pain and fondness. She wanted to ask, had wanted to for a while, but she knew whatever was the cause of Ensui's pain was something she should leave alone. She already had a pretty good idea of the general story, anyway. "Think I should make him sweat for a bit before I give in to the Nara Pout?" she said instead, just to hear his small bark of laughter.

"Oh sweetheart, of course, you should."

000

The next morning Mayu was drifting in and out of a comfortable doze as Ensui moved around his kitchen, making tea and omelets. She buried her face in a pillow that smelled like Ensui's spicy shampoo when there was a knock at the door. If she ignored them, they'd go away. That's how these things worked, right?

Ensui sighed when he saw she had no intention of moving from her spot on the couch and went to open the door. Mayu tensed when she recognized who was at the door and shoved her face further into the pillow.

"Mayu," Shikamaru's soft voice said from beside her. She stubbornly ignored him, and he sighed. She listened to the rustle of fabric and the thump of his body as he sat down next to the couch. Then a tentative hand was on her shoulder. "Mayu, please," he said, and she really couldn't resist turning her head to study him with one blurry eye when he used that sad voice.

Annoyingly, something in her relaxed when she saw his earnest expression, but she knew better than to let this go. They'd both be miserable if he treated her like someone who couldn't take care of herself every time she was injured in the line of duty. He moved his hand to her cheek, and she leaned into a bit but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry I acted like an idiot," he whispered. "I know it wasn't your fault, and I shouldn't have been mad at you."

"Even if it was, it's not your job to decide that," Mayu replied after a moment. "Kakashi-sensei had already spoken to me about it."

Shikamaru swallowed and nodded. "You're right," he said simply, and Mayu couldn't help but appreciate his lack of excuses. "It won't happen again, I promise."

Mayu sighed, and his face was so hangdog that she had no choice but to reach out and tug him towards her. His lips quirked up into a pleased half smile, and then he was lifting the blankets and gently rearranging them until he was on his back and she was on her side, back against the couch and head resting on his shoulder. She relaxed into the heat and hummed happily when the hand attached to the arm wrapped around her started running through her sleep-knotted hair.

"Kept my promise," she murmured sleepily against him.

He made a humming sound to let her know he was listening. "I told you I'd blow up anybody that tried to keep me from coming home," she said smugly, and he jerked in surprise.

"What..." he asked faintly, and she tipped her head up to give him a grin.

"Let's just say Watana's last moments weren't pleasant. Also, I'll need to avoid barbeque for awhile," she said, wrinkling her nose as she remembered the not-so-great smell of burning human flesh.

His eyes widened and for a moment they stared at each other. Finally, he got over his shock and a small, fierce smile appeared on his face. She returned it, finally feeling something settle in her after the past awful week.

The next morning Shikamaru was sitting with her on a blanket in the yard showing her some formations he'd been working on while she was out of town for their Epic Partnership ("Seriously, Mayu, we aren't calling it that."). Naruto had shown up at the door with Sasuke in tow, looking nervous, and Yoshino exclaimed in delight before pulling the boy out into the field. Sasuke was working on his own katas a few feet away but listening with half an ear to Yoshino.

"I had a friend who was a lot like you, Naruto-kun, and she had a very distinct fighting style that worked well for her. Fast healing, strength, and a lot of energy combined with a fairly compact form," Yoshino said and looked so sad for a moment that Mayu's eyes narrowed with suspicion. She shared a look with Shikamaru and knew he was thinking the same thing she was.

"I worked really closely with her team as a medic, and used to spar a lot with her so I'm pretty familiar with the style - enough to at least get you started," she said cheerfully. "I'll give you a starter lesson today, but you'll need to double check with your sensei that working with me on the side won't mess up whatever plans he has for you. He's free to come over for dinner anytime your team's not on a mission to talk about it. Now, this is a bit of a brawler style - a lot of powerful jabs, kicks, and punches that are a bit of a mix of other styles. My friend was brutal in close combat," she said with glee.

"Hey, your friend sounds pretty cool!" Naruto said, and Yoshino gave a small smile.

"She was, yes." she agreed, and Naruto sobered for a moment before giving a serious nod.

"I'll do her legacy justice, believe it!" he promised, and Yoshino laughed.

Shikamaru and Mayu went back to their discussion. "Right, so this is if we're overwhelmed by stronger forces and need to make a path of escape," he said. "I think if you used that poison powder to force them back, and then peppered the area with exploding tags that were heavy on light and sound to disorient them, we could -"

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked over their shoulders. Mayu quickly explained and had to blink at Sasuke's unimpressed glare.

"Shouldn't you be thinking up formations for your  _actual_ team?" he drawled. "This would have been useful on our last mission - possibly something for a scenario where we had to protect a client from multiple stronger opponents, or extract a team member from a hostage situation?"

Mayu sighed. "Well, yes, but it's actually Shika who's good at this stuff, not me."

"I'll help you guys out with it," Shikamaru drawled, "but it would involve letting somebody from another team in on your skills and weaknesses," he said. Mayu gave him a surprised look - after all, he was volunteering to add hours of work to his schedule. "What? If it keeps you safer, of course, I'll do it," he huffed, cheeks reddening a bit. "Plus, you already supply my team with exploding tags and smoke bombs, so it only makes sense to help yours out, too."

Sasuke hummed. "We'll have to talk to Naruto, but I doubt he'd mind. It's not like you don't already know everything about Mayu, anyway." Mayu blinked at him in shock before smiling at him. He'd come so far in such a short amount of time - already including even Naruto in team planning activities.

He seemed to understand what her look meant because he let out a disgruntled "Hn," and went back to his morning exercises. In the background, Yoshino had sent Naruto tumbling across the ground with a powerful jab to his sternum, and Mayu took a moment to be thankful it wasn't her.

Three days later she was declared healthy enough to go back to practice and found herself longing for her chemistry lab as the world's harshest critic took it upon himself to 'help her' perfect her puppet katas.

"You were two seconds late on the spin," Sasuke stated. "Do it again."

"What!" Mayu wailed. "But I've done it five times! Can't we just move on..."

"No," he said and narrowed his eyes at her. "Do the movements through the spin ten more times while Naruto and I spar, then I'll come back and watch again." He deactivated his Sharingan and turned his back on her protests.

"You're a monster!" she yelled at him but found herself leaping into the first somersault anyway, using her strings to tug the beetle twins out of her backpack as she rolled so they landed lightly in front of her in their ready position when she came to her feet. She moved into an airborne spin, and they followed, abdomens facing out, as she triggered their acid spray - which was actually salt water while she practiced - creating a stream of liquid that formed a twisting shield around her. Her feet lightly hit the ground, and she pushed off into a backflip, pushing Buri forward, sharp antenna ready to pierce anybody unlucky enough to be in the way, while Kichi followed to land in the guard position by her feet.

She then moved into the corkscrew spin that she kept messing up, creating an intricate pattern of whirling chakra strings from her outstretched hands as she forced both puppets to follow her lead, triggering Buri's release of senbon with a click, though nothing actually released since she hadn't filled the senbon holders under his shell. She landed lightly and winced a little as Kichi clacked awkwardly when she came out of the spin. Okay, so maybe Sasuke had a small, tiny point.

With a sigh, she started the pattern again after replacing the puppets in her pack. She had finished her sixth run when Kakashi's voice spoke from up in a tree to her right. "Aw, Mayu-chan, you look so cool with your Deadly Dancing Puppet Technique."

"What - how did you even hear that name?" she groaned, cheeks growing red. He eye smiled at her from the top of his book instead of answering and called Naruto and Sasuke over from where they were beating the hell out of each other and calling it sparring.

"Today I picked up two D-ranks for you! I thought you'd like something nice and relaxing for our first day back." he ignored their groaning and shooed them into the direction of a catering company that needed them to wash a mountain of dishes after an event they hosted. After Kakashi refused to let them use Naruto's shadow clones - and who could blame him, that many Narutos close to crockery was asking for trouble - they set up a system where Naruto washed, Mayu rinsed, and Sasuke dried.

"Shika wants to know if you two want to come over tonight," she said with a yawn. "To talk about formations."

Sasuke grunted and Naruto enthusiastically agreed.

"My mom wants you two to come over for dinner this week," Sasuke finally grumbled as they were walking to their next destination - dog walking for the Inuzuka. "You too, Kakashi-sensei."

"You - you mean like, with your family?" Mayu squeaked out, earning odd looks from her teammates.

"Uh...yes?" Sasuke said.

"So...I guess your dad would be there, huh?" she played with her fingers and looked at the ground, her cheeks flushing red and then draining of color when Sasuke nodded. "But - but what if Fugaku-sama hates me?" she cried.

"What," Sasuke said, while Naruto patted her shoulder with a confused expression.

"No way would he hate you!" he said cheerfully. "You're awesome Mayu-chan!"

"You think so?" she asked, eyes going wide and imploring. "It's just...Fugaku-sama is so distinguished and accomplished! Naruto," she said, turning to him with bright eyes and grabbing onto his hands with her own, "did you know he's considered the best investigator Konoha's ever seen? He's a  _legend_ ," she breathed, barely noticing when Kakashi tripped over his own feet and Sasuke gave her a look of horror. Naruto's eyes brightened at her words, and he started peppering her with questions about 'the great Fugaku-sama.'

"Maybe we should skip dinner," Sasuke grumbled, and Kakashi nodded from where he was hiding behind his book.

Later that week Kakashi had barely poofed into existence at the bridge and given his customary 'Yo,' when he had three wide-eyed genin tugging him to sit under a tree with them.

"What's this all about?" he mused as Naruto shoved a sheaf of papers under his nose.

"We want to know what you think of these formations we came up with!" he said excitedly. "Shikamaru helped us, and if you approve, we want to practice them today with your help."

Kakashi hummed as he went through them, and Mayu saw his eyebrow twitch in surprise. "Shikamaru-kun did these, hmm?" he said, and Mayu nodded.

"Yes! Isn't he so smart?" she said, and actually clasped her hands under her chin.

"You're so creepy," Sasuke said in an exasperated tone, but she ignored him. They had spent two afternoons with Shikamaru. On the first day, he'd had them to spar against each other, humming and taking notes before sitting them down and asking question after question about their capabilities, chakra stores, and comfort with various techniques and weapons. The next day, he'd come up with a few scenarios that they went through and adjusted after he talked through them. He had then laid his head in Mayu's lap and fallen asleep as Sasuke and Naruto argued over a few of the strategies.

"Well, I was going to have you do endurance training -" he ignored Mayu and Sasuke's horrified looks, "-but maybe we'll work on this instead. Hmm, let's start with...this one!" he said cheerfully, pulling out the scenario Shikamaru had purposefully sketched out to recreate their disastrous mission.

"Right!" their sensei said and bit his thumb before summoning a large dog wearing a vest with a henohenomoheji on one side and the leaf hitai-ate on the other.

"Oh! I didn't know you had summons," Mayu said.

"Amazing, something you didn't know," Kakashi drawled. "This is Bull, he'll be your client today. Bull, you're a terrified, helpless little child being protected by my cute little students from my evil kidnapping self," he said.

"Right," the dog said, and flopped on its belly. Naruto gave the dog a doubtful look, but Kakashi was already forming a sign and creating a shadow clone.

"Begin!" he called, and Mayu squeaked in surprise as Sasuke dove for Bull, snatching him up and grunting at the weight as he leapt backward.

"Remember the formation!" Mayu yelled as she jumped into a backflip and smoothly pulled the beetle twins from her pack. Naruto had already created four clones to slow Kakashi down as he joined them in a sloppy approximation of their 'starting' positions.

The three of them exchanged a determined look as Kakashi-clone dealt with the Naruto-clones and real-Kakashi leapt for them.

Mayu collapsed on the couch that evening with a pained moan, ignoring Shikaku's amused huff. "Tough team practice?" he said wryly, and she flapped a hand at him.

"Kakashi-sensei's a  _monster_ ," she said, and gratefully accepted a glass of water from Yoshino, doing a double take after she drained it and handed it back.

"You - that's a medic's uniform!" she exclaimed as Yoshino nervously adjusted the hem of the shirt.

"Yeah...do you think it looks okay?" she said nervously. Shikaku grunted in reply, making Yoshino slump and Mayu send him a surprised look. Usually, he was ready with a compliment to cheer his wife upon the very rare occasion that she showed self-consciousness. His lips were an unhappy slash on his face, though that was the only indication that he was upset.

"You look amazing!" Mayu said to break the uncomfortable silence. "So professional. But, I didn't realize you'd already done the training - and so fast!"

"Ah, well, I wasn't sure how it'd go, so I signed up a month ago and have been doing them during the day when you're at practice..." Yoshino tapered off.

"And you passed! You're a medic now! Wow, are you going to the hospital then?" Mayu gushed, forgetting her tiredness and jumping off the couch.

"Yep!" Yoshino said, seeming to gain back some of her confidence. "My first shift...I'm a little nervous," she admitted.

"You'll do great, I know it," Mayu said firmly.

"You will. The patients won't know what hit them," Shikamaru's lazy drawl said from the door, and Mayu brightened.

"You're home! How was practice?" she asked, and he groaned and collapsed onto the couch much like Mayu had a few minutes ago.

"It's pretty cool that you're going back to work, mom," Shikamaru said. "Mayu and I will take care of dinner, so don't worry."

The dark cloud around Shikaku seemed to grow, and Yoshino sent him a nervous look before forcing a smile on her face. "Thanks! Well, I'd better go before I'm late. I love you!"

They waved her off, and she'd barely shut the door and gone down the porch steps before Shikamaru was sitting up and glaring at his dad. "What's your problem," he said bluntly. "Mom was really excited, and you made her feel bad."

Mayu twitched in surprise - she'd never heard Shikamaru use that tone on his father before. Shikaku slapped the paper he'd been reading down and gave his son a narrow-eyed look. "Don't use that tone on me," he said. Mayu studied his face as Shikamaru huffed.

"It's not like you're the type to think women should stay home and do housework, so why are you so worked up?" he sounded honestly confused.

"You're worried about her," Mayu said slowly, causing both of them to look over at her. "But why? The hospital isn't any more dangerous than other buildings in Konoha."

Shikaku huffed and slumped down, running a hand over his face. "Good field medics are difficult to come by," he finally said, and both children jolted in realization.

"But...she's not approved for fieldwork," Mayu said.

Shikaku flapped a hand. "She was one of the best before she retired. Her team could trust her to take care of herself and her patient. It's probably only a matter of time before the Hokage asks her to get certified for fieldwork."

Mayu swallowed and Shikamaru slumped in his seat. "Well, is that something you think she'd be...interested in?" she asked.

Shikaku studied her for a second before letting out an explosive sigh and leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. "It wasn't something she excelled at, it was something she loved. I think she's missed it," he said by way of answer.

"Well then, I guess we'll just have to support her, the way she's always supported us," Shikamaru said in a steady voice next to her. Mayu considered that for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, it's not very fair to ask her to be okay with our dangerous lives and then tell her she's not allowed to have one," Mayu said with a sigh. "Besides, she's supposed to be super terrifying. Even Tsume-san says so."

Shikaku chuckled and lifted his head to look at them fondly. "You're right. I'll apologize for being a jerk when she gets home," he said lazily.

"With flowers!" Mayu demanded, and Shikamaru snickered from his spot.

"With flowers," Shikaku said with a sigh and stood up with a groan. "While I'm doing that, I have a special task for you two," he said with a grin, and both of them stilled in fear. That grin never meant good things for them. He tossed a folder on the table, and Shikamaru slowly reached out to grab it. Mayu looked over his shoulder as he opened it and saw a picture and short description of a mid-level chunin.

"I'm assisting Inoichi in training his intelligence team in evasion," Shikaku said smugly. "I thought this would be a good opportunity to have you put all that theory on capture and soft interrogation I taught you to use. I asked him to hide a blue envelope somewhere within Konoha and keep it a secret from anybody below chunin level. See if you can get the information from him."

Mayu blinked. "Um. Does he know he's being used as a training exercise?" she asked, and Shikaku gave them another one of his knife-sharp grins. "You have two days to deliver the envelope to me."

"Right," Shikamaru said and collapsed back on the couch. "Is it too late to go back on our promise to make dinner?"

000

Mayu and Shikamaru darted through the house, running into each other and cursing as they tried to find all their gear. "I'm so late," Shikamaru groaned. "Ino's going to kill me."

"Ino! You should try dealing with Sasuke when he's in a pissy mood!" Mayu said in a panic, hopping up and down as she pulled on a sandal then dropping to her knees to pull another one from under the couch. "At least Ino just nags - Sasuke will probably use his Sharingan to subdue me and then drown me in the creek!"

Shikaku snorted at their antics as he deftly spun around Shikamaru, who was in the hallway sloppily wrapping bandages around a thigh. Mayu ran up and started pulling his hair back for him, careful not to pull it, and he gave her a grateful look as he strapped on his kunai pouch.

Okay, so life with Yoshino as a strong, independent working woman was turning out to be a bit of an adjustment for all of them. Luckily, she was still preparing bentos for their lunches ahead of time, including extra in Mayu's so Kakashi and Naruto could share, something Sasuke's mom had taken to doing as well.

Mayu raced into the kitchen and grabbed their bentos and two apples for their breakfast before heading out the door, giving Shikaku a kiss on the cheek as she passed. She tossed Shikamaru his apple and box when they separated at the gates, and took to the trees to speed her way to the meeting spot.

"I'm sorry!" she wailed as she dropped down next to Naruto and Sasuke, who was looking unimpressed. "Mom started taking shifts at the hospital and it's so hard to remember to set our own alarms." her face fell into a pout which only increased as her messy bun came apart and half her hair fell into her face.

"Yoshino-san started working again?" Naruto said. "That's great!"

Mayu nodded enthusiastically as she pulled the pins out of her hair and redid her bun with more care than she had the first time. "Mm! But, it turns out the three of us are really bad at taking care of ourselves," she admitted sheepishly.

Sasuke snorted, and she glared at him. "Can we please get to work now," he muttered, and Mayu rolled her eyes but indicated that he should take the lead.

An hour later Kakashi arrived right as Sasuke sent Mayu flying with a well-placed kick. He easily plucked her from the air, then set her down and patted her head. "Watch your left when you try to use that move with the twins, Mayu, hm?" he said, and she nodded, wiping sweat from her brow with her arm.

"Do you think you could show me how? I know I leave it open but I'm having trouble covering it and engaging with Kichi," she explained.

He hummed. "Try twisting your body further to the right," he suggested, moving behind her and adjusting her stance. "Then, move your elbow down instead of up - you should still be able to activate if you practice a bit. Here, Sasuke, Naruto, recreate what just happened..."

Ten minutes later Kakashi was satisfied with her ability to block, and she beamed up at him as he complimented her fast correction. "Well, today I thought I'd teach you..." he trailed off, eye going mysteriously wide, and the three of them leaned forward in interest.

"Water walking!" he said.

Before they could reply, they were interrupted. "Nomaka Mayu," a voice growled, and they all turned to see a furious Yamanaka Inoichi stomping towards them. She _meeped_ and quickly darted behind Kakashi, who had gone into what his students now interpreted as his 'ready to kick ass' slouch. Naruto and Sasuke moved up to flank him, keeping Mayu behind them.

"Yo, Inoichi," Kakashi said, but the other man ignored him in favor of leaning to the side so he could glare at the small girl cowering behind him.

"You want to tell me why I found one of my people tied up in Nara forest after he'd been missing for thirty-six hours?" he barked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Um...what?" she squeaked.

"Hey, don't go around accusing innocent people!" Naruto yelled.

"Innocent?" Inoichi said in a dangerous voice and stepped forward. He paused when Kakashi straightened.

"What is this about, Inoichi-san?" he asked, and his voice wasn't bored anymore.

"Apparently yesterday morning one of my chunin level interrogators was subdued and taken to the Nara forest by two figures cloaked in black," he said. "They started interrogating him about some envelope Shikaku-san asked him to keep safe. When he wouldn't answer, they left him there, returning only long enough to interrogate him and give him water."

"Well, two black cloaked figures doesn't exactly tell me how you came to the conclusion that my student was involved," Kakashi said.

Inoichi pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, but the fact that one of them said soft interrogation was 'dull' and they should just break his fingers," Kakashi slumped and Sasuke brought two fingers to rest on his forehead while Naruto winced, "and the other told her not to be 'troublesome' gives me a pretty good indication of the perpetrators."

Mayu's eyes widened in alarm as her team slowly turned and leveled her with unimpressed stares. She raised her hands up, palm out. "Dad told us to!" she squeaked. "He said that you asked him to help train your staff in evasion -"

"I most certainly did  _not_!" Inoichi yelled, affronted.

"Well...maybe you should," Mayu sniffed as she came to the realization that Shikaku had set her up. "I mean, your chunin was taken out by two rookie genin. Pretty embarrassing."

"Mayu," Kakashi groaned and tipped his head back.

"It's true!" she said defensively. "Shikaku said it was good training for Inoichi's team and Shikamaru and I. He's been teaching us capture and interrogation techniques for a year - this was our first practical test." She slumped. "I guess you probably let him go, huh?" she said dejectedly, ignoring Naruto's horrified look. "I think he was ready to crack, too - I was going to use Bukimi to scare him a little after practice."

"What had you already tried?" Kakashi asked after a pause, and she brightened.

"Well, since he's a Konoha shinobi we decided not to do anything too awful," she said in a serious voice, and her team nodded solemnly as they leaned in to listen. "So we started with the basics - you know, isolation, a bit of thirst and hunger, and Shika used his shadows to intimidate him. He's so scary when he wants to be," she said fondly, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Right," Inoichi said in a dejected voice. "I'll go take this up with your father, then, shall I?"

000

The next evening Mayu found herself standing at the door to Sasuke's house, nervously smoothing down the material on her dark blue kimono. The door was opened by one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. She was obviously Sasuke's mother, with her delicate facial features, dark eyes, and black hair.

Mayu bowed. "You must be Mikoto-sama. I'm Nomaka Mayu. It's very nice to meet you," she said.

"Well, Itachi was right, you are a cute little thing," the woman said, and motioned for her to stand. "It's nice to meet you, too, come in, come in. Naruto and Sasuke are in the tea room. Dinner should be ready shortly."

Mayu followed the woman into the house, admiring the elegant beauty of it. She let out a small breath of relief when she entered the room with her teammates. "Hey," she said and moved to sit next to where they were playing a game of Go. "Your mom is really beautiful, Sasuke," she said, and he gave her a half smile.

"Yeah, she is," Naruto said, looking a little dazed. His eyes cleared after a moment though, and he added, "but Sakura-chan will always be the most beautiful to me!" he exclaimed, and Mayu wrinkled her nose.

"Ugh, you're still carrying that torch?" she said.

Naruto glared at her. "Why wouldn't I be? Sakura is beautiful and smart, and kind..."

"She's silly and vapid and -" Mayu was cut off as Naruto dove at her, tackling her to the ground and forcing an  _oomph_ of air from her mouth.

"Stop it!" she hissed at him as she struggled to flip them over.

"Not until you apologize!" he yelled, ignoring Sasuke's pleading for them to quiet down.

"Never!" Mayu said and jabbed her extended fingers into a pressure point Yoshino had shown her. Naruto yelped and loosened his hold, and she put her feet on his stomach and sent him sailing onto the couch. He sat up and rubbed at his shoulder while glaring at her, and she straightened her kimono and ran her hands over her hair, putting her nose in the air and turning away from him.

"Ah, otouto, your teammates don't seem to have a lot of dignity," a calmly amused voice said from behind them, and Mayu turned her head.

"Itachi-sempai!" she said, standing up and going into a bow. "How are you?"

"I am well, Mayu-chan. I hope you have recovered fully from your mission?" he asked, returning her bow with a short nod of his head.

She straightened and grinned. "Yep!"

"Itachi-niisan," Sasuke said, coming up beside her, and she did a double-take at the expression on his face. It was almost...sweet. "Welcome home."

Itachi's face softened as he looked at his brother and Mayu's heart squeezed in her chest. They loved each other very much, despite Sasuke's weird hang-ups. "You've already met Mayu, but this is Naruto."

Naruto energetically bounced over. "Hey! Nice to meet you!" he said with a grin, and Itachi seemed a bit taken aback - well, for Itachi anyway. Mayu wondered if it was the exuberance or all the orange. Probably both.

"It's nice to meet you as well. Mother sent me to tell you dinner is ready," he said.

Mayu swallowed and clasped her hands in front of her, and Sasuke snorted from her side. She glared at him, and Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Mayu has a creepy hero-worship thing going on with dad," Sasuke said from next to her and smirked as she exclaimed and punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up, Sasuke!" she hissed.

"I notice you didn't deny it," he said, and she put her chin in the air and looked away, ignoring Itachi's amused face. They followed Itachi down a hallway towards the source of some seriously delicious smells and entered a traditional dining room with a low table. Itachi had them sit on one side, Mayu in the middle with Sasuke and Naruto next to her, each of them kneeling on a pillow. There was a large spread of traditional foods on the table, and Itachi moved to the other side to kneel down as well. A few moments later, Mikoto entered the room and took the place beside Itachi, across from Mayu.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, and Mayu had to hide a smile when his stomach growled. A few minutes later, Fugaku entered the room, and Mayu was awed at how commanding a presence he had. Itachi was looking at her with what might be surprise, but she was too busy trying to study the head of the Military Police Force without being creepy about it. From Sasuke's slightly slumped posture, she was failing.

"Sorry I'm late," Fugaku murmured before sitting. He turned his attention to Naruto and Mayu as Sasuke introduced them in a low, respectful voice Mayu had never heard him use before.

He reached for a bowl of rice, signaling for everyone to begin putting food on their plates. Naruto slumped with relief and Mayu gave a small grin.

"I heard your recent mission was quite the adventure," Mikoto said, and Naruto perked up before regaling them all with a much-exaggerated version of the tale. Mayu elbowed him when his table manners got too bad, but all in all, he remembered to slow down and swallow before he spoke. All those dinners with Yoshino were paying off.

"So you're still working with puppets, Mayu," Fugaku said when Naruto wound down, and the table looked at Mayu with interest.

"You...you remember that?" she said in a high voice, cheeks turning a bit red, and he gave a small nod.

"I do. It was hard to forget, after all. Your puppet was quite memorable." He said before lifting a small bite of rice to his mouth.

"Bukimi," she said by way of explanation to Naruto and Sasuke, who sighed.

"Do I even want to know how you came across my dad while wielding a giant spider?" he drawled.

"A giant spider? Really?" Mikoto asked in horrified fascination.

"A puppet she built herself, no less," Fugaku said. "Shikaku told me you taught yourself from books and scrolls he put together for you. That's very impressive."

Mayu took a sip of water and willed her cheeks to stop burning. "Um. Well, Ensui-niisan took me to the Suna puppet fair once, too. That was very helpful. And mom taught me how to do chakra threads since she's a medic and had to learn the basics as a test in her early training. I also have a sensei in the Nara clan who helped me learn woodworking."

"Well, it's still impressive that you chose to create your own path, and have seen such success in it," he said serenely, and she was surprised to feel Sasuke flinch next to her. She furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at her teammate, whose fists were clenched in his lap as he stared at his plate. Her eyes darted to Mikoto and Itachi, who were both looking annoyed in that 'I feel nothing' way most Uchiha favored before her eyes moved back to Fugaku.

He was looking serene, but she could see he had meant his comment to be pointed.  _Ah, so he doesn't approve of Sasuke's obsession with following in his brother's footsteps. Not that I blame him, but he doesn't need to embarrass Sasuke in front of his teammates._

"I'm flattered that you think so, Fugaku-sama," she said. "Actually, Sasuke has been very helpful with adapting my puppetry to combat situations." Mayu paused to let that sink in, ignoring Sasuke's sidelong look.

Naruto, as oblivious as always, chimed in. "Yeah, he's such a slave driver! Poor Mayu has to keep starting over on her puppet katas every time the b- Sasuke decides that she hasn't done them perfectly," he said with a chortle, and Mayu resisted the urge to pinch him.

"Puppet...katas?" Itachi said, looking intrigued.

"Yep! They're pretty cool - you can come to watch us in the mornings while we wait for Kakashi-sensei to show up if you want to see," Naruto continued happily. "It usually takes him a few hours to come to team practice."

Itachi's eyes narrowed, and Mayu swallowed, bidding a fond farewell to Kakashi. There was an awkward silence for a moment until Mikoto asked them about their team training. Sasuke hesitantly told them about their strategy and formations sessions, and Itachi hummed in interest. "Nara Shikamaru is helping you with that?"

"Yep," Mayu said, and beamed. "He's a genius when it comes to strategy," she said, ignoring Naruto's wrinkled nose.

"Yeah, he's pretty smart I suppose," he said with a shrug, and Sasuke hid a chuckle behind a fist when Mayu sent Naruto an affronted look. Mikoto's lip quirked in a smile, and Itachi looked down at his plate in what Mayu assumed was amusement.

The rest of the dinner was fairly calm, with Mikoto directing gentle questions towards Naruto. Mayu realized pretty early on that he was the reason they had wanted to invite the whole team to dinner, probably as a way to discreetly check in on the boy.  _They probably knew his parents pretty well, since Fugaku would have needed to work with the Yondaime on a regular basis...and then they were probably told they couldn't interact with Naruto after his death._ The thought was a gloomy one, and she spent some time imagining turning the third Hokage green and sparkly until Itachi caught her attention.

"Are you still interested in joining the MPF, Mayu-chan?" he asked. Fugaku glanced at her in interest, and before she could answer Naruto was doing it for her.

"Believe it!" he said cheerfully, seeming to have lost all traces of discomfort under Mikoto's gentle questioning. "She's going to be a great investigator - she already creepily knows things about people just from looking at them." he then pointed at Fugaku to punctuate his point, who twitched a little at the rude action, and Mayu and Sasuke gave identical sighs. She poked him, hard, and he dropped his finger and yelped.

"Creepily knows things?" Mikoto asked, leaning forward in interest.

"It's called deduction, and it is not  _creepy_ ," Mayu said with a glare at her teammate.

"It's pretty creepy," Sasuke said in a bored tone next to her.

"Yeah, like when Granny Tsunade tried to give us our first C-rank, and Mayu looked at our client and was all," he blanked out his face and raised his voice an octave while widening his eyes, and Mayu huffed in affront, "You're lying! You aren't really an alcoholic and you're scared and trying to hide it, now tell us the truth! Or, the time Akira kissed her without permission, and she told him his parents were getting a divorce, and she was right! She knew just from seeing them pick him up after school. Or the time -"

"Yes, Naruto, thank you," Mayu said, elbowing him and ignoring the way her cheeks had pinked.

"You know these things from simply looking at people?" Fugaku said, and she swallowed when she saw his full regard was on her.

"Well...yes, I suppose so. It's not a magic trick or anything, though. It's reading clues and tells, accumulating enough knowledge to make sense of them..." she shifted uncomfortably.

"What do you see when you look at me?" Mikoto asked, leaning forward with interest.

"Uh..." Mayu said, eyes darting around. "It's kind of invasive, Mikoto-sama, I don't think..."

"Oh, it's fine," the woman said confidently with a patronizing smile.

Mayu's eyes narrowed at her, and Sasuke's hand gripped her arm. "No, Mayu," he hissed, and she faltered, then looked over at him. The table had gone silent, and she gave a shaky smile.

"Well," she said cheerfully, "I can tell you were a jounin before you retired, and you still keep in pretty good shape - genjutsu specialist?" Mikoto inclined her head, expression unreadable. "You weren't upset about retiring, even if you do miss it sometimes - you loved raising Sasuke and Itachi, and enjoy your duties as the wife of the clan head. You hate edamame, but since it's a favorite of your family's you've never said anything, and make it multiple times a week and eat it without complaint," Mayu almost grinned when Mikoto jerked in surprise and her family members gave her identical narrow-eyed looks.

"You went to the market this morning, and stopped for tea with some friends," she said, eyes trailing down Mikoto's sleeves to study her hands. "And..." Mayu twitched a little and her eyes widened and met Mikoto's who looked panicked. "Well, I should probably stop there, like I said, it gets a little intrusive."

Mayu ignored the suspicious glances she and Mikoto were receiving and took a bite of rice. Sasuke had relaxed next to her when he realized she wasn't going to verbally eviscerate his family. "Well, Mayu, that's all...accurate," Mikoto mused. "Though I have to say, I'm not happy with you for outing me as an edamame hater," she scolded teasingly.

Mayu gave the woman a tentative smile back. She wondered how Sasuke would feel about being a big brother. Fugaku and Itachi were both giving her piercing looks, and she did her best to ignore them through dessert, relieved when she finally said polite goodbyes.  _No wonder Sasuke's such a basket case_ , she thought to herself.  _Fugaku is a little intense._

000

Their next C-Rank mission went a little better than the first. Tsunade had glared at them as she handed over the scroll, which they were to deliver to an outpost a day's run away. "Try not to fall into any pitfalls or insult diplomats from other countries," she muttered and waved them away.

Kakashi had spent the day before their second C-rank running them through 'if shit goes down' drills until they could barely walk.

"If we get separated, and you run into unexpected trouble that's above your rank, I want you to use Mayu's smoke bombs to signal me," he said in an uncharacteristically serious voice. "Throw them up in the air and hit them with kunai or senbon if you can - Mayu, you can use your chakra strings to crush them." her eyes narrowed and she nodded once. "Green, pink, then green means you're injured. Two pinks means you've run into non-shinobi forces. Pink, pink, green means that you're being attacked by A-ranked and higher threats, and that I should come immediately." They nodded along with him as he continued to work out smoke signals, and he made them repeat them back to him until they could recite them with perfect recall.

There were no pitfalls or angry diplomats or unexpected missing-nin on the mission, though Naruto did stumble through some poison ivy and spent the whole run back squirming and whining. Luckily, his enhanced healing meant that it sorted itself out by the end of the day, but he vowed to learn more about local flora after Mayu lectured him extensively on the dangers of his ignorance. Sasuke called him an idiot, and Kakashi drooped in despair. He did, however, treat them all to ramen, and Mayu had to laugh when she realized it was out of relief that they'd all stayed out of trouble.

Though she couldn't exactly blame him - their first C-rank had eventually been reclassified as two completed A-ranks. Nothing to scoff at for a green genin team and their jounin sensei. Mayu knew that if they had been paired with anybody else, except maybe Sarutobi Asuma, they'd probably be dead.

Shikamaru and Mayu ended up capturing two more chunin on Shikaku's orders before Inoichi gave in and let the jounin commander come up with a training program for his staff. Mayu had to admire her dad's cunning - he saw a hole in the training of their intelligence staff and pointed it out with prejudice until everyone around him caved. When they finally wrangled the location of an envelope out of a young, terrified chunin, they discovered two coupons for ice cream cones at their family's favorite stand.

Shikamaru groaned, and Mayu giggled at his put out face. "Come on, Shika, you can take me out for ice cream now!" She grabbed his hand, and almost scowled when her heart leapt in her chest when he didn't pull away. Seriously, being in love was so annoying. She didn't even want to contemplate what her mind would look like once her hormones really hit.

As a result of Shikaku's 'training exercises' chunin from T & I had started twitching when they spotted Mayu and Shikamaru, and Shikaku had joked that Shouta started some sort of support group for ninja traumatized by his children. Kakashi finally put his foot down - well, he showed up unannounced ten minutes into dinner time one night, happily nodding at Yoshino's offer of a plate. After his food seemed to disappear without him actually eating it, he clapped his hands together and eye smiled.

"Well, that was delicious, Yoshino, thank you," he said, and she gave him a small smile.

"Was there something you needed, Kakashi?" Shikaku asked in a bored voice. "Not that you aren't always welcome, but you're almost disturbingly on time today. We weren't even halfway through our meal."

"Ah, yes. Well, I'm going to need you to stop encouraging my student to kidnap Konoha ninja," Kakashi said, and eye smiled. "She's gaining quite the reputation, you know, and for some reason, people are blaming me."

Shikamaru snorted, and Kakashi's eye darted over to him. "I assume Asuma will be having the same conversation with you, as well. Both of us have had our mission reports mysteriously disappear twice, and have been forced to redo them."

"Ah," Shikaku nodded his head. "I've had similar problems. Guess that's why they say, 'never piss off a paperwork ninja.'"

"Right," Kakashi said easily. "Which is why Asuma and I have come to an agreement with them. Mayu and Shikamaru will stop kidnapping and traumatizing their staff, and they'll also spend the next two days helping them catch up on filing as they fell behind when three members of their staff went missing," he said cheerfully.

Shikaku lowered himself into his seat as three furious glares were sent his way. "Shikaku!" Yoshino scolded. "How could you?"

"Eh, it was a good experience for everyone," he said with a wave of his hand and flinched when Yoshino actually growled at him. "Besides, seeing how the administrative side of things works will be good for them," he continued easily, shooting Shikamaru and Mayu a lazy look that they recognized meant  _pay attention._ Kakashi was nodding along, and the two genin shared a thoughtful look before Shikamaru shrugged.

"Fine," he said lazily.

"Great! You'll be meeting your contact in front of the T & I building at eight for the next two mornings."

"What about team practice?" Mayu asked, worried about her teammates' reaction when she didn't show up because she was being punished.

"Asuma and I decided we'd do a joint endurance training session tomorrow."

"They're going to kill me," Mayu said faintly, and Shikamaru looked grim enough that she thought he probably agreed.

000

By the end of the second day, Mayu had to appreciate the cunning of Kakashi and her father. They must have been looking for a way to gain access to the missions and T&I administration sections without giving away that they were investigating. Setting Mayu and Shikamaru up for 'punishment' was the perfect way to do it.

In the midst of filing and avoiding the glares of the administrative chunin force, they both spent time looking through files, sign-in logs, and prisoner records. By the end of it they'd written a small list of suspects for the leak that lead to Watana, Katsu, and Natsu's escape along with the knowledge of where Mayu's team would be, none of which they recognized, though Mayu was surprised to see that one was an Uchiha. A career chunin named Isamu who had never activated his Sharingan, but an Uchiha all the same. She remembered Natsu's description of the mysterious client that had hired them, and after a moment of thought snuck his mission file home with her, and marked any missions he had that had him in the same area as the siblings when they were still rampaging around Fire Country.

Mayu bit her lip when she saw his mission assignments and incident reports filed on the three siblings' movements matched up three times in a time frame of four months. She also flagged the file of one of the medics that had been in to see Watana a few times over the past four years. He was a genin, and always went with a medic with more seniority, but something about his file seemed off to Mayu.

Kabuto sounded talented on paper, so why in the world was he still a genin at fifteen? After looking at notes on his chunin exams - all six of them - she realized that he had forfeited on four of his tests. Also, the only other prisoner he attended was Mizuki, another half-crazed traitor. She tapped her fingers on the desk and then decided to note that Shikaku should have his mind walked. Mayu handed the information off to Shikaku, who sighed and rubbed a hand down his face but didn't say anything.

She was relieved to join the boys at the bridge the next day, and after bitching at her for abandoning them to Kakashi and Asuma's tender mercies, they spent some time sparring as they waited for their sensei to appear. When an adorable pug appeared and told them in a bored voice that Kakashi wouldn't be able to make it, they agreed to run and grab some dango.

They were halfway there when the alarms sounded. Mayu jolted in shock and exchanged looks with her teammates. She listened for a moment and blew out air as she recognized the pattern. Jounin were expected to report to the commander, chunin were responsible for making sure the streets were cleared of genin and civilians, who were to get inside.

"Come on," she muttered. "The Nara compound is closest, you can stay with me until they sound the all clear." Part of her wanted to run straight to Shikaku and see what the fuss was all about but knew he would be Unimpressed and she would be in Big Trouble if she tried it. Ignoring emergency procedures could get her thrown into a cell for a few days. The streets were already starting to empty, and she knew they needed to move if they didn't want to have angry chunins on their heels.

Distracted, she turned without looking where she was going to head towards home and ran straight into a black-clad figure with an  _oomph_. She gaped at the boy wearing what amounted to a jumpsuit with cat ears, and let out a small meep when he fisted her tunic and lifted her off the ground.

"Watch where you're going, little girl," he growled, and before she could help herself she giggled, even as she grabbed his wrist for leverage to keep herself from choking.

He scowled and shook her a bit, and Naruto yelled at the boy to let her go. "Sorry, sorry," she said, taking a moment to study him and the pretty blonde girl standing next to him, whose features were similar enough that they must be related, standing next to them in annoyance. "It's just, cat ears, really?"

The boy's cheeks turned red in anger and he tightened his grip. She choked a bit, and considered breaking free, but wasn't exactly keen on causing an international incident with random Sand nin. Naruto was yelling in the background, but she mostly tuned him out.

"Kankuro, let her go," the girl said in a bored voice. "You know we're supposed to avoid trouble."

Before he could answer, something hit the boy's hand, and he yelped and dropped her. She landed in a crouch, and straightened, pulling the wrinkles from her tunic as she did so and sending Sasuke, who was tossing another rock nonchalantly in his hand, a grateful look.

"Kankuro," a soft, dead voice said from a few feet to the right, and Mayu jumped back to join her team when she saw the two Sand nin's faces fall into masks of terror. Her eyes darted to a small, red-haired boy with the kanji for love carved into his forehead, and a large gourd on his back. "You're a disgrace to Suna," and Mayu would have shivered if she didn't  _know_ that showing weakness to this crazed boy could mean death.

"Come on Sasuke, Naruto. We need to get inside," she said steadily, grabbing their sleeves and taking a step backward as cat-boy - Kankuro - stuttered out fearful apologies.

"Wait a minute!" Naruto said, and Mayu had to resist the urge to slap him. "What are Suna nin doing in Konoha?"

The blonde gave him a disdainful look, doing a more admirable job of hiding her fear than Kankuro, though there was a faint tremor in her hands. "I knew Konoha ninja were soft and distractible, but how stupid do you have to be to not even realize the Chunin Exams are being held in your own village?"

"The wha-" But Sasuke seemed to have caught on to Mayu's well-hidden distress because he was helping to drag Naruto away.

"Shut up, idiot, we need to go."

Still oblivious, Naruto struggled for a bit before Mayu finally gave in and said "Naruto,  _please_ ," and even he wasn't oblivious enough to miss how out of character that was, because he studied her for a moment before allowing them to drag him down the mostly empty street. Without another word they took to the roofs, the back of Mayu's neck prickling as she felt those dead eyes on them until they were out of sight.

When they finally shut the door behind them, she had to take a few deep breaths before she could concentrate enough to remove her sandals. The boys, disquieted by her strange behavior, followed her to the kitchen, where she started a pot of tea.

Finally, sensing Naruto's impatience, she spoke. "That boy...there's something wrong with him," she said in a calm, serious voice. "He's dangerous, and he...he's a psychopath, I think."

Sasuke scoffed. "All shinobi are dangerous."

"No," she said with a slash of her hand. "Did you see his comrades? They were terrified. And his eyes...and. He smelled like blood. Like layers and layers of it, as if he's killed so many people that it just..." she tapered off. "Promise me you two won't start something with him," she said suddenly, looking up at her teammates, who seemed uneasy. "Promise me!" she snapped.

Naruto slowly reached out and grabbed her hand, patting it soothingly. "Okay, Mayu. We promise," he said in an unusually solemn voice. "If we can avoid it, we won't fight with him."

Her eyes darted to Sasuke, who huffed out a breath before crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine," he agreed. Naruto herded her to a chair and sat her down before moving to take over making the tea.

"You're terrible at making tea," Mayu grumbled but let him fuss over her. She raised an eyebrow when Sasuke grabbed dango Yoshino had left in the fridge for a snack and plopped it in front of her. She gave them a small grin, feeling better for their small kindnesses.

"I wonder what's up with the alarms," she mused as she took a sip of too-bitter tea.

Sasuke shrugged. "Your dad will know, right? We can ask him when he gets in," like it was accepted that they'd be squatting with her for the rest of the day.  _Oh,_ she thought as something clicked in her brain,  _this is what people meant when they talked about how strong bonds between teammates were_.

"Mmm," she hummed. "I guess I should figure out lunch since we were interrupted." After years of living with Yoshino, both Shikamaru and Mayu were proficient enough in the kitchen to fend for themselves, even if Mayu found it dull and the youngest Nara found it annoying. Naruto cheered and asked her to make ramen.

"Idiot," she said affectionately, "like I know how to make the non-instant kind. How about tempura?"

"Did you know about the chunin exams?" Mayu asked Sasuke after lunch, who nodded.

"Dad's been busy with security efforts and diplomatic training for the force," he explained. "But I doubt we'll be nominated - we've only been genin for three months."

Mayu nodded, but as expected Naruto put up a fuss. Used to talking over him, Mayu pouted. "How did I not know about this? I know everything," she huffed, and Sasuke rolled his eyes at her.

"So..." Naruto said sheepishly. "What are the chunin exams, again?" Sasuke thunked his head on the table while Mayu gave her blonde teammate an unimpressed stare. She knew he had screwed off in the academy for the most part, but  _really?_

000

They spent the afternoon lounging around the house after lunch, Mayu and Sasuke reading and Naruto trying to distract them before one of Shikamaru's old trap kits gained his interest. Yoshino came home at about four, looking exhausted. She smiled at the three genin as they followed her like ducks into the kitchen, and accepted Mayu's offer to make her tea gratefully before she collapsed into a chair.

"Do you know what the alarms were for?" Mayu asked bluntly as she handed her mother tea.

"How was your day, mom? Oh, mine was great, thank you," Yoshino sniped without heat before sighing. "Yes. A few high-level suspects escaped custody today," she said in a sober voice. "Killed two officers, injured five more." Yoshino's eyes darted to Sasuke as he stiffened.

"Your brother and father are fine," she quickly assured him, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "I saw them myself when they stopped by to check on the injured officers."

"Do you know who..." Sasuke drifted off, and she shook her head.

"No, sorry," she said, and Mayu could see she regretted worrying him. "Are you staying for dinner?" Yoshino asked after an awkward moment, and Naruto gave an enthusiastic yes, but Sasuke hesitated.

"I should probably get home..."

"Wait for Shikaku, he'll walk you," Yoshino said in a no-nonsense voice that even Sasuke wouldn't dare argue with.

Mayu was helping Yoshino with dinner while Naruto and Sasuke sat bickering at the table when she heard a commotion at the door.

"We're home," Shikaku's bored voice said from the entrance.

"Welcome home!" Yoshino called. Mayu looked over her shoulder but didn't move from where she was frying rice. She blinked when not only Shikaku entered, but Shikamaru, Itachi, and Kakashi as well.

"Ah, there are my wayward students," Kakashi said. "I was worried when you didn't try to stick your nose into trouble at all today."

Itachi bowed to Yoshino as he entered, and Shikamaru made a beeline for Mayu, who let out a breath of relief when he sidled up next to her. "Where were you?" she said quietly, listening with half an ear as Sasuke hurried to his brother's side.

"We were right next to Chouji's aunt's restaurant when the alarms went off, so we spent the afternoon there," he said lazily, but his eyes were studying her face intently. "Something upset you," he muttered, and she shrugged, but leaned against him.

"The two police officers that were killed were Officers Uchiha Kenji and Uchiha Rin," Itachi said solemnly, and Mayu turned in time to see Sasuke's face twist in pain.

"Take over for me," she muttered to Shikamaru, dropping her wooden stirring spoon and moving to stand at Sasuke's left shoulder while Naruto moved to flank him on his right. Kakashi ambled up to stand behind them all as Yoshino offered condolences on their loss.

"The kitchen's getting pretty crowded," Shikaku drawled. "Kids, why don't you take Kakashi and Itachi into the sitting room. Yoshino and I will finish up dinner. Are you staying?" he asked the two extra adults. Kakashi's eyes flicked to Sasuke before giving a small nod after Itachi bowed and accepted.

"Mother and father will be busy until late," he said by way of explanation to Sasuke. "They asked me to stay with you." Mayu studied the way his body was angled to keep himself between Sasuke and points of entry in the room and her eyes widened. Was Itachi nervous in general, or was there a specific threat against Sasuke?

They were herded gently from the room, though Kakashi opted to stay in the kitchen. Mayu and Naruto sat on either side of Sasuke, whose shoulders were curled in while his hands were clasped in his lap. Mayu shared a nervous look with Naruto over his head, and she tipped her chin towards the blonde, clearly saying  _do something_. She was terrible at this sort of thing. Shikamaru had politely pulled Itachi into a game of Shogi, giving them the illusion of privacy.

"Sasuke..." Naruto said, and put a tentative hand on his back. The other boy tensed for a moment before relaxing. Mayu cautiously leaned into his side, and for a few minutes, they sat in silence, listening to the low murmurs of the adults in the other room and the occasional scrape of shogi pieces moving across the board.

Finally, Sasuke spoke in a low voice. "Rin used to babysit me when I was younger. She was always very...kind."

Mayu pressed her lips together and leaned into him more fully. "I'm sorry, Sasuke," Naruto said quietly, his blue eyes swimming with tears. After that, they all went silent until Yoshino called them in for dinner. It was a bit of a tight fit around the table, but Mayu squeezed in between Sasuke and Shikamaru, with Naruto on Shikamaru's other side, so the adults could sit at the ends of the table and across from them comfortably.

Naruto kept peppering the adults for information on the escaped suspects, but they easily dodged his questions. Mayu was starting to get a creeping suspicion about who it was that had escaped custody. How was their internal security so shoddy, anyway? It seemed like every other day traitors were popping up and people were escaping.

"Hey, why didn't you tell us about the chunin exams?" Naruto suddenly exclaimed. "We had to find out from a team of Suna nin. One of them was this really creepy kid - he even scared Mayu."

"I was not  _scared_ ," she muttered, and Sasuke scoffed, looking recovered from his shock.

"Please, you were literally shaking," he sniped.

Shikaku and Shikamaru gave her sharp looks. "Oh?" her father said, putting down the chopsticks. "That doesn't sound like Mayu."

"She practically dragged me away from him," Naruto said, oblivious to Mayu's embarrassment and the adults' concern. "She said...what did you say?" he asked.

"She said he was a dangerous psychopath who killed so much and so often that he smelled like he was covered in layers of blood," Sasuke said in a faux-bored voice.

"Right! And she made us promise to stay away from him," Naruto said with a nod.

"What did he look like?" Kakashi asked, dropping into his captain voice.

Mayu straightened in response and looked at him. "About my height and age, maybe a little younger, red hair, green eyes, kanji for love on his forehead. He was pale and carried a large gourd on his back. He and his companions are here for the chunin exams."

Shikaku and Kakashi shared a look while Shikamaru grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed. "You know who he is," he drawled, picking up on the tension.

"Gaara of the desert," Shikaku confirmed, slumping over his plate with his chin in his hand. "Son of the Kazekage."

Mayu scowled and slumped down. "Excellent," she muttered to herself. A murderous Kage's son was running around Konoha, and apparently, their security still sucked. Great combination.

"That reminds me!" Kakashi said cheerfully, and papers seemed to appear out of nowhere into his hands. "I've nominated you for the chunin exams."

Yoshino choked on her tea, and Naruto brightened. "Hey, I knew we were awesome enough to be in the exams!"

"What," Itachi said, while Sasuke got an odd glint in his eyes.

Kakashi ignored them all. "If you want to enter, fill these out and show up at the address listed three days from now."

Yoshino had recovered from inhaling her tea in record time and turned to give Kakashi a sharp look. "Don't you think they're a little -" but he'd already disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Shikaku sighed as both Itachi and Yoshino turned furious eyes on him.

"You know it's not up to me. The Hokage and the council approved their nominations." He rubbed the back of his neck and slumped. "All of the rookie nine were accepted."

Mayu's eyes darted to Shikamaru, who shrugged. "I was going to tell you later," he drawled.

Mayu swallowed any words about how dangerous the exams could be - it wouldn't do to be a hypocrite, after all. "Well Seven and Ten will just have to team up and help each other out, then," she said, and was rewarded with a half smile from Shikamaru, a pleased hum from Sasuke, and a yelled 'Believe it!' from Naruto.

000

Three days later found Mayu and her team watching a crowd of genin try to force their way past what were most likely plants, and managing to block the way to the stairs they were trying to access while they were at it. Mayu was tired from three days straight spent in her lab and practicing with Team Ten - which meant way too much time spent with Ino. On top of her usual bossiness, she seemed to have fallen headfirst into puberty.

Her chest and hips were starting to develop, and she kept flirting with any male in sight. Though the reaction of the boys was pretty hilarious, Mayu had to admit. Chouji blushed and went quiet, Sasuke looked murderous and ignored her, and Naruto sputtered and flailed when he noticed at all. Shikamaru either ignored it or gave her strange side-eyed looks, even muttering a 'troublesome' when she hung off his arm or fluttered her eyelashes at him.

All six of them were armed with as many smoke bombs, explosive tags, and ninja wire coils as they could conceivably carry. Mayu had her scroll carousel on her hip and her pack with the twins on her back. Bukimi was in one of the carousel scrolls, and the boys each held storage scrolls containing survival and trap kits Shikamaru had put together for them.

Mayu's carousel included Shikamaru's kits, extra smoke bombs, and one scroll held a specialized medkit Yoshino had helped her put together. Shikaku's old tool pouch was sitting on her back right hip, and her kunai pouch was in place. They were ready.

Mayu put her hand to her head as she felt a strange pressure, and blinked rapidly as the scene in front of her seemed to waver. "I - stop for a second," she murmured to the boys, who turned to look at her in concern.

With a small wave of her hand, she kept her eyes focused on the scene in front of her and dropped into her mind cave. A file labeled 'Real Time' was open in front of her, and she blinked and tilted her head as she saw that there were two separate scenes playing side by side. One seemed to waver in and out of existence, and after a moment, she  _oh'd_ in realization. She was under a genjutsu - probably a fairly simple one. It seemed that her mindcave kept her from being easily fooled by genjutsu. She'd have to test that...later.

Reaching out, she touched the image that felt 'wrong,' and willed chakra into until it dissolved, then dropped back into reality.

"Do you see it?" she whispered to Sasuke, reaching out to grab Naruto's collar as he made to step forward and demand to be let through.

"Yes. Should we..."

Mayu shook her head, and kept a hold of Naruto's collar despite his protests, moving around the crowd and ignoring it after making sure Shikamaru wasn't one of the genin standing around. Her lips quirked when she saw he wasn't - of course, Shikamaru wouldn't fall for something so simple. Mayu sighed as Naruto strained against her grip.

"Hey, hey what are you doing?" He protested. "The exams are that way!"

Sasuke grabbed his arm and helped her to tug him away, leaning forward to hiss something into his ear. "What do you mean it's a genjutsu?!" he yelped, and Mayu groaned as everyone's attention turned to them.

"Naruto, if you don't shut up and come with us right now, I'll set you on fire," she said calmly. He looked at her, and gulped, before letting out a nervous laugh.

"Okay, okay, no need to get violent," he said and turned to follow them up the stairs. Mayu jumped back as a green blur appeared in front of them, blocking their way. Mayu blinked slowly in shock at the strange-looking boy in a green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers in front of her.

"Ah, so you too saw through the illusion!" he yelled, and Mayu turned when she heard a sigh behind her to see a pained-looking Hyuuga boy and a kunoichi with her hair pulled up into two buns on the side of her head.

"Believe it!" Naruto cried. "Nothing gets past Team Seven!"

"Naruto!" Mayu said between gritted teeth. "What did I say about not drawing attention to ourselves." And the setting on fire scenario was starting to look better and better.

Before he could answer, the green-clad boy pointed a finger at Sasuke, his eyes going wide in realization. "Team Seven! Then you must be Uchiha Sasuke. I demand that you fight me!"

They were drawing a crowd now, and Mayu glared at the boy as Sasuke looked him up and down and scoffed. At that, jumpsuit straightened in indignation. "My name is Rock Lee, and I demand that you fight me. I will prove that my Genius of Effort is far more Youthful than the genius of one born with it! There is no way I will lose!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward into Lee's space, and Mayu realized that the stupid boy was going to accept. Her already fraying temper snapped, and she proved her speed training was paying off when her hands whipped forward and latched onto the boys' ears before they could dodge. She gave a vicious twist and tugged them towards her, ignoring the way their faces contorted with pain.

"Idiots!" she hissed. "You're a disappointment to Konoha! We are in the midst of an  _international exam_ full of  _potential enemies_ and you're starting testosterone-fueled fights amongst each other?" she shook them to punctuate her point, ignoring their protests. "Sasuke, what would Kakashi-sensei say? What would  _Itachi_ say? Now, you two are going to stop this ridiculous posturing, and Rock Lee, you are going to let my team pass without another peep, got it?"

The boy, whose eyes had filled with tears, nodded frantically, and she let his ear go. "Forgive me, fair flower, you speak the truth! My own sensei would also be most disappointed if he were to witness me behaving in such an Unyouthful and Shameful Manner!"

Mayu ignored him, and turned her attention to a snickering Naruto, latching onto his ear with her free hand and ignoring his protests as she dragged them both past a crying Lee, barely noticing the looks of awe being sent her way by Lee's teammates.

"Ow, ow, ow Mayu-chan! Stop, what did I do? That bastard is the one who -"

Mayu tuned Naruto's complaining and Sasuke's angry hissing out until they reached the top of the stairs, where she finally released them. "You two had better follow the plan from now on," she said, and stomped down the hall, ignoring their protests.

She skidded to a halt when she saw Kakashi standing outside of the room they'd been looking for, chuckling at them. Mayu gave him an unimpressed look when he explained that if all three of them hadn't come none of them could have competed.

"No offense, sensei, but duh," she said flatly, and he slouched into a pout.

"Mayu-chan, you're so mean," he complained.

"You're telling us," Sasuke muttered, rubbing his ear.

"Good luck, my little genin, and I'm proud of you," Kakashi said, then disappeared with an eye smile.

Mayu huffed and stomped into the room, drawing up short at the sheer amount of child ninja in the room. She pinched the bridge of her nose and grumbled a bit, wondering if it was too late to go home and forget all about this stupid exam.

"Sasuke-kun!" Mayu cringed at Ino's voice and opened her eyes to find the source. She relaxed a bit when she saw a bored-looking Shikamaru standing with his team against the wall.

"There's Team Ten," she said with no small amount of relief as her own teammates joined her, and she moved quickly through the crowd until she was next to Shikamaru. She buried her nose in his neck and sniffled.

"My teammates are so stupid," she said sadly and grinned as his chest shook with his chuckles and he wrapped her in a hug.

"Hey!" Naruto said, and she could feel Sasuke's scowl on her back. She ignored them and breathed in Shikamaru's spicy scent.

"Are you...sniffing him?" an amused voice said, and she turned her face enough to see a grinning Kiba standing at their side, Hinata blushing next to him and a solemn Shino at their backs.

"He smells good," she said, completely unashamed. "Even Kakashi-sensei can't resist sniffing a Nara," Naruto and Sasuke spluttered and Shikamaru yelped out a ' _what?'_ but she kept talking over them. "Besides, like you're one to talk about creepy sniffers," she teased.

Kiba crossed his arms over his chest and glared. "It's not  _creepy_ -"

"It is, a bit," Mayu said gleefully, feeling herself relax into the banter. "I bet you can smell what I ate for dinner yesterday." Akamaru barked and Kiba deflated.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" he muttered at his dog. "Besides, I'm not the only one who can tell what everybody ate last night without being told."

"Don't be ridiculous, I only know that if the signs are there," Mayu said imperiously, leaning more of her weight on Shikamaru, who swayed before bracing himself.

Before he could answer, they were being told to take their seats for the written portion of the exam. Mayu pouted, and Shikamaru gave her one last squeeze before muttering a "Troublesome. Good luck," in her ear, and they separated to their assigned seats.

000

Mayu gasped for air, staring at the destroyed forest around them and wondering how everything had gone to hell so quickly. Seeing that Orochimaru was distracted by Naruto for the moment, she reached shaking hands into her pouch and pulled out three smoke bombs. Carefully, she extended her strings, attached them to the bombs, took a deep breath, and lifted her hand, extending the strings as far into the air as she could. When she was sure they cleared the canopy, she pumped chakra into them until they burst in a pattern.

 _Pink, pink, green, for A-ranked threats and higher. Please, sensei, please be watching,_ she thought desperately as Naruto collapsed from whatever Orochimaru had done to him. She could only pray he was alive.

"And what do you think you're doing, little kunoichi?" the man hissed as he turned towards her. She crouched in front of Sasuke, who was on his knees, eyes wide, and groaned at the wave of killing intent the S-class missing-nin sent at her.

"You can't have him or his eyes," she gritted out, mind flashing to the file she'd seen all those years ago, full of notes on experiments done on the Uchiha.

"And how do you know his eyes are what I'm after?" the man crooned as he stepped forward, and Mayu retched as she hit her knees, putting one hand on the ground to keep from falling face first into the dirt.

"P - people. Are. They're always..." she gagged around the fear running through her, and closed her eyes, sending chakra to reinforce the barrier around her mind cave. The fear eased up enough so she could breathe again, though it didn't dissipate by a long shot. "People are always so surprised at what I know," she finally got out, and he hummed in response.

 _How did it get to this point? And why is our village security so fucking terrible,_ Mayu thought. The survival test had started out so well, too. They'd barely been in the forest for an hour before they'd been attacked by a team from Kiri. Mayu had almost been shocked at how easily they'd taken the team out, and had tentatively decided their terrible luck had turned when they even found the scroll they needed - heaven - tucked into one of their pouches.

They'd agreed to track down Team Ten if possible and head for the tower, when a huge gust of wind had come out of nowhere and separated Naruto from them. Then the creepy grass nin had appeared, and become even more creepy when Orochimaru shed her body like a skin and started to spout things about needing the bodies of prepubescent boys. He'd then knocked them around like it was nothing, thwarting every escape attempt and never coming even close to being set on fire, blown up, or poisoned by Mayu despite her best efforts. Her puppets lay in pieces around her, and she would cry about that if she weren't already about to cry over how screwed they were.

Even Naruto in Kyuubi mode hadn't been able to stop him, and now he was -  _no, he's breathing, look, calm down,_ she told herself and took a deep breath. "Find yourself another Uchiha," she muttered.

From thirty feet away, his arm extended too quickly for her eye to follow, and crashed into her side hard enough to send her flying into a tree. Dazed, gasping for air, she watched as Sasuke screamed her name. Sharingan whirling, he stabbed a kunai into his leg, pulling himself out of his fear-induced haze.

Orochimaru simply laughed as he attacked, dodging every punch and kick until he almost lazily sent Sasuke flying through the air with a sidekick. The boy hit the ground and rolled a few times, before lying still, dazed for a moment. Weakly, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees.

"I must say, I expected more from the brother of Uchiha Itachi, but I guess two geniuses of his caliber in one generation would be asking for too much," Orochimaru said in his hissing, strange voice. "Unfortunately, he's unavailable to me, so you'll have to do."

Mayu had prepared ten explosive tags on the tail end of her chakra strings while the man taunted Sasuke, and she sent them towards him while he was semi-distracted, stumbling to her feet and running towards Sasuke as fast as she could, ignoring her aching ribs and back.

The explosion almost knocked her over, but she pumped more chakra into her legs, so desperate to get to Sasuke that she wasn't paying attention to the forest floor.

With a gasp, her foot hit a root sticking out of the earth, and she sailed forward, unable to stop her momentum. She braced herself to hit her teammate, already cursing her clumsiness that would cost them both precious time. From the corner of her eye, she saw a white blur moving towards Sasuke, and realized she was going to collide with it, but couldn't do anything to stop it.

Then...blinding pain on her arm as she struck her teammate, sending them both to the ground. She looked down and screamed as she realized the  _thing_ attached to her arm was Orochimaru, his teeth clamped around the bare skin of her bicep, neck unnaturally extended from his body.

He opened his mouth and pulled his head back towards his body. "You stupid little bitch," he growled. "That gift wasn't meant for you!"

She couldn't answer, couldn't think, because the pain was spreading, along with the seal that Orochimaru had somehow formed on her arm with the bite. She scratched her arm with the other hand, letting out another scream of pain as it moved up, up, towards her neck. And she could feel it, as though it was something alive. It was reaching for; trying to enter her mind and  _take her will_ -

She knew she was still screaming, and that Sasuke was frantically trying to drag her away, repeating her name over and over again. Bile rose in her throat because she felt violated by this presence that was not her own, moving under the skin, whispering things into her ear.

Without conscious thought, she dropped into her mindcave and was brought to her knees immediately upon entering. She looked around in horror as the whole thing shuddered and shook, and her file cabinets, in their neat little rows, began to fall, drawers flying open and files - memories, knowledge - spilling out to spread across the floor.

For a moment, she gaped at the destruction, but another harsh shudder had her looking up, and she gasped when she saw cracks starting to form on the ceiling. "What - " she whispered as they extended out in a spider web pattern, and had to jump out of the way as a large chunk of ceiling fell.

Scrambling to her feet, she lifted herself off the ground and to the hole, peering through, and had to stop another scream from escaping when she saw what was causing the damage. A huge, white snake was floating in the darkness outside the dome, furious, and as she watched it reared back before slamming forward into the dome once again. Even though she'd built elasticity into it, and covered it with a sheen of oil to make gaining purchase for outside entities difficult, the sheer strength of the snake was allowing it to cause significant damage to the cave walls with each hit.

 _He'll break through within three hits at this rate,_ she thought, panic rising.  _I can't stop him...there's no time to build more defenses. And when he does, he won't take over. That trauma...it'll kill me._

She forced herself to calm down and was flung backward as the snake once again slammed into the dome. Her mind raced for a solution- any solution when she felt something drip into her hair. Impatiently, she wiped it away and looked down at the oil that had dripped from the ceiling onto her hand. And... _oh_ , she thought to herself, suddenly giddy.

Then there was no time to rethink her plan. She sped up through the small hole in the ceiling just in time to see the snake rear back for another hit. Remembering what Sasuke looked like every time he emitted one of his clan's famed Great Fireballs, Mayu reared back, and yelled "Fire Release: Great Fireball!" before placing her pointer finger and thumb into a circle and putting them around her lips, and leaning forward to expel a great ball of fire onto the dome, lighting it up into an inferno as the snake struck. She supposed didn't need to actually know how to do jutsu to make it work in her mind.

The snake, covered in oil from its earlier attempts to get in, lit up in a scream, and Mayu laughed as she fell back into her mind cave, barely seeing the destruction around her as the great snake writhed in the darkness around the dome before disappearing.

000

Kakashi sped through the forest, heart beating in his chest, Itachi a silent shadow beside him. The moment he'd seen the signal from the tower -  _pink, pink, green_ \- where he waited with the other jounin-sensei and Sasuke's brother, he'd known.

"There's an A-class or above threat in the forest, it's attacking my students," he'd said in a calm voice he used when shit was really going down on a mission, then he'd leapt to the window and was gone before anybody could demand he follow the rules and stay where he was. Because that was a plea for help from his students, and damned if he would ignore it.

Itachi was the only person who was fast enough to keep up with him, and Kakashi was glad for his presence when he felt the killing intent hit. He barely faltered in his steps, but his heart skipped a beat, and he forced more speed into his legs.

He burst into the clearing as multiple exploding tags that he recognized as Mayu's went off, and changed his momentum to dive to the left, Itachi easily following. He landed in a crouch, taking a moment to survey the scene in front of him, and his throat went tight.

Naruto was lying unmoving across the clearing, his orange jumpsuit making him easy to see. The smoke from the explosion was blocking his sight from the rest of his team, but he thought he saw a figure standing on the other side of the destruction. Then, he heard Mayu's scream, horribly familiar from the last time he had found himself racing to rescue his wayward student.

Barely a thought, and he was on the other side of the clearing, kunai out, and jerked at the site of a distended neck linking the body standing in the smoke with the head whose teeth were currently clamped into Mayu's arm. Sasuke was sprawled out under her, eyes wide and shocked, and Kakashi wanted to weep when the teeth unlatched and a too-familiar face returned to its body.

"You stupid little bitch," Orochimaru's voice said. "That gift wasn't meant for  _you_!"

Kakashi's eyes darted to her arm as she started screaming again, and only his training kept him from faltering as he put himself between the threat and his students, Itachi a reassuring presence at his side. Because Kakashi had seen that mark before, on Anko, and on the bodies of Orochimaru's failed experiments all those years ago when he and Minato had been on the cleanup team after Orochimaru was discovered. That was the curse mark, and he knew Mayu would either live with the consequences of it, painful and life-altering, or she would die fighting it off.

"Captain," Itachi's calm voice said over the sound of Sasuke's panicked voice calling Mayu's name and the girl's pained screams. "I'll hold him off if you want to get your students out."

"Itachi," Orochimaru said in a delighted tone. "How nice it is to see you again."

"Orochimaru," Itachi greeted. "I'm afraid I can't say the same."

Mayu's screams had abruptly cut off, and Kakashi wanted to turn to see because he had to  _know_ , but he couldn't turn his back on an enemy as strong as Orochimaru.

"Kakashi, go," Itachi said in an urgent voice.

He gritted his teeth, then spun and grabbed Sasuke, who was panicking, and a painfully still Mayu before leaping back.

Orochimaru didn't move to follow them, all of his attention focused on Itachi. In two leaps, Kakashi landed next to Naruto, who he was relieved to see was still breathing. It was awkward, but he somehow managed to pick him up as well and was headed back to the tower as quickly as he could.

Sasuke had gone silent in his arms and was shaking uncontrollably. Shock, probably. A pair of ANBU forced him to a stop as they landed in front of him. "Orochimaru has compromised the border. Uchiha Itachi is currently engaged in combat, I'm taking his victims to the tower for medical care. Please assist Itachi." The crackle and heat of a huge fireball lit up the forest when Kurenai and Asuma landed beside the ANBU.

"Kakashi, what -" Kurenai said, already reaching to take one of his students.

"Orochimaru," he said shortly as the ANBU took off in the direction of the sounds of fighting. They both gasped, and he allowed Kurenai to take Naruto and Asuma to take Sasuke.

As they took off for the tower, Kakashi feeling better for having his comrades at his side, he took a moment to feel for Mayu's pulse. There, but faint. Relief filled him - there was still hope.

"Is she -" Asuma, who was fond of Mayu ever since the tracking training saga, sounded honestly worried.

"Alive," Kakashi said shortly. "When we get to the tower, somebody needs to find Tsunade, though."

A few moments later, they'd arrived, and they sped past a team of genin arriving and into the building, then up the stairs to a room with four beds.

Kurenai gently laid Naruto down on a bed, then left to fetch the Hokage. Kakashi set Mayu down on the cot next to him and then turned to study the marks on her arm. Asuma's breath caught as he recognized them for what they were, and Sasuke, who was now swaying next to him, stumbled forward.

"Sensei," he choked out. "Mayu - Naruto,"

"Alive," he said and pulled Sasuke towards him into a quick hug. "Kurenai is getting Tsunade -"

A scream sounded from Mayu, and Kakashi and Asuma had to dive to keep her from falling off the cot as she began thrashing.

The scream never ended, turning into a high pitched wail that seemed to continue on and on. "What's happening?" Asuma yelled.

The mark on Mayu's arm was glowing, and Kakashi opened his Sharingan eye, which he'd uncovered without thought the moment he realized Orochimaru was in that clearing.

"I don't - her brain - it's - it's flaring chakra. I've never seen it concentrate in the mind like that!" Kakashi gritted his teeth as he held her down, knowing they were probably bruising her but not sure what else to do.

He almost slumped in relief when he heard Tsunade's voice behind him. "What is going on here?" she asked, running over from the doorway.

"Orochimaru - curse mark," Kakashi yelled over Mayu's wails. "I think - I think she's reacting badly to it. The chakra in her brain..."

Tsunade had gasped in horror at the mention of the curse mark and rushed over to study the whirling, glowing marks on Mayu's arm and neck. Sasuke was yelling in the background, but Kakashi couldn't deal with him right now, because, in the center of the curse mark, something was bulging outward.

"Tsunade!" he yelled.

"I see it," she said grimly, and then they weren't talking at all, because Mayu was seizing on the table, fluttering lids revealing that her eyes were rolled up into her head.

"Shizune!" Tsunade said, and her apprentice appeared next to Kakashi at Mayu's head, and she was inserting a piece of leather between her teeth and putting a green, glowing hand to her forehead. Kakashi was barely aware of a struggling Sasuke being dragged away by Kurenai as he struggled to keep Mayu on the bed without hurting her.

"What the fuck," Asuma whispered, and Kakashi followed his gaze to the curse mark. The bulge was  _growing_ , and Kakashi's stomach roiled as he realized something was coming out of it. Slowly, a glowing tail emerged, and Tsunade let out a series of curses.

"She's expelling it," Tsunade said grimly. "I didn't...none of his old notes ever detailed this happening before."

Kakashi watched as more and more of the glowing snake was revealed, and he saw that as more of its length was expelled from Mayu, the marks on her skin slowly receded, being drawn out by the snake.

"Is it -" Asuma asked.

"Yes," Kakashi whispered. "It...it's on fire." White flames licked at the writhing body of the snake, and when its head finally emerged, pulling the last of the marks with it and leaving only a red, nasty looking bite mark behind, the whole body fell to the floor, emitting high screams of pain as it burned.

At the doorway, Sasuke had gone silent and pale, staring at the glowing construct in horror. Finally, the snake went quiet and still, and then disappeared altogether. For a long moment, there was stunned silence, and then Shizune's voice broke them out of it.

"She's going into cardiac arrest, shishou," and Kakashi swore his heart stopped as well.

"Everybody who isn't a medical professional, out!" Tsunade snapped, turning her attention to Mayu and laying a glowing hand on her heart.

Kakashi let Asuma pull him to the door, eyes glued to his student's tiny, still form until they were through the doorway, shock clouding his brain.

"Kakashi," Asuma's voice said, urgent. "Kakashi, Sasuke needs you," and he was broken from his stupor. He spun around to see Sasuke on his knees on the stone floor, head in his hands and shoulders shaking.

 _Right,_ he thought to himself.  _Right._ He walked over until he was kneeling next to Sasuke, and pulled him gently towards him until his head was resting on his chest. "Shhh," he said, and awkwardly patted his back.

"My fault," Sasuke said in an anguished voice, and when he looked up Kakashi's breath caught - because there was three tomoe swirling in his red eyes now. "It was meant for me, and that idiot - she, she  _fell in front of it_. Just tripped over a root and..." He choked on a sob and buried his face back into his hands, and Kakashi snorted.

"Of course she did," he said. "Sasuke, it's not your fault some crazy S-class criminal attacked you," he said in a calm voice. "And Mayu will tell you the same thing when she wakes up, I'm sure."

"But what if -" Sasuke whispered, and Kakashi took a deep breath.

"Tsunade's the best there is. She's brought people back from worse," he said with more confidence than he felt. Because if Tsunade didn't save her...Kakashi didn't want to have to survive any more of his precious people's deaths. He wasn't sure if he could.

000

Mayu sat with her back against the crumbling wall of her mind, head bowed in exhaustion. She'd poured all of the chakra she had into cracks and crevices that fucking snake had left behind, and it was barely enough to keep it from tumbling down around her.

In front of her, memories from her spilled files kept playing in front of unseeing eyes, and for an indeterminate amount of time, she simply floated. Mayu knew, on some level, that she had almost died feeding that much chakra into her construct, but something had pulled her back just in time. Did that mean Sasuke was alive? She had a blurry almost-memory of Kakashi and Itachi appearing in front of them after she'd been bitten by the creepiest missing-nin in the world, but she wasn't sure if that was a dream or reality. She knew that if Kakashi saw her signal, he would come, but what if he hadn't?

Slowly, awareness settled in, and she blinked as a familiar voice broke into her thoughts...or, it was familiar once, wasn't it?

_"Do you want to play Shogi?"_

_"I've...never played."_

_"I can teach you if you want."_

With some effort, she focused her eyes on the memory playing in front of her and huffed a small laugh as she watched a tiny, adorable Shikamaru collapse in the seat across a Shogi board in front of her. She leaned back against the wall as he explained the rules to her, and smiled as he trounced her in the first few games. Her heart ached when Shikaku and Yoshino appeared, with fewer lines and grey in their hair than they carried now, but still with the same beloved faces.

 _"Shikamaru will win within the next three moves."_ Mayu laughed shakily as she watched Shikamaru's face fall into panic as she realized how easily he'd beaten her.

Then -  _"You're amazing!"_

_"I...am?"_

_"Yes! You're a genuine genius! Let's play again!"_ Mayu's expression turned soft when he smiled shyly at her from her memories, and then the scene was fluttering off into the darkness, and one of Yoshino dragging her out of the lab to spar took its place.

"Right," she said softly. "No more lazing around - I've got to fix this up and get back to them, I guess." With a deep breath and a poke at her chakra reserves, she turned her attention back to the walls of her mindscape, carefully starting on the worst of the cracks, and taking care not to use too much chakra at a time again.

Slowly, she repaired the damage, taking breaks to let her chakra recover when needed. Time, she knew, was strange in her mindscape, so she had no idea how long she'd been stuck there. Finally, the walls were holding steady, and she turned to the overturned cabinets with a grimace.

"Okay, this time I think I'll attach you to the floor a little more firmly," she muttered to herself, before moving to pick the one closest to her up off the floor. "Actually...maybe I can take this as an opportunity to reorganize..."

000

Mayu awoke exactly where she thought she probably would - in the hospital. What she hadn't expected was to awake to the sound of sirens and panicked feet running up and down the hallways.

A large  _boom_ shook the walls, and she huffed. Really? She just got done cleaning up her mind after a similar situation, did she have to deal with this in reality, too? A scream pulled her attention back to the situation, and she shakily sat up, annoyed at how weak her limbs felt.

As quickly as she could, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, grimacing as she realized she was wearing a hospital gown and nothing else. A quick physical check told her that while she was weak and shaky, she could walk. Her chakra was at about half capacity from her last-minute fixes to the walls of her mind cave - next time a giant snake tried to attack her mind, it would find a much more difficult target.

Slowly, Mayu slid to the ground and breathed out in relief when her legs held her. Quickly, as the sounds of fighting were filtering in, she stumbled over to the cupboard on the other side of the room and flung it open. "Mom, you're a freaking angel," she muttered and grabbed up a pair of sweats that her mother must have put in there, and pulled them on as quickly as she could.

After a moment of fumbling around the room, she found two scalpels hidden in the back of a cupboard and palmed them before moving slowly towards the door. She was reaching for the handle when she heard a familiar voice.

"I - I won't let you hurt any more of the patients!" Hinata's sweet voice said.

"Yosh! Hinata, you are most youthful and full of courage! I too will protect the patients, or I will do two hundred laps around the village on my hands!"

A laugh, and then "Kids, you're both wrapped in bandages and barely able to stand - how do you think you can stop us?" Mayu peaked around the door, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

Four patients were huddled in the hallway, two in wheelchairs, one with a walker, and the other on their feet, but swaying in place. Mayu saw by the way they cowered that they were civilians. Hinata and Lee, clad similarly to Mayu, stood between them and three...Sand nin? What the fuck was going on? Hinata's hands were wrapped, and Lee looked as though the whole right side of his body had been hurt if the way he was favoring it and standing were any indication.

Then she didn't have time to think anymore, because the Sand nin were moving. Hinata met the one in the middle with Byakugan activated, and Mayu had only a moment to be impressed as she faced him without fear, hands moving with confidence despite her injuries. Lee was holding off the other two with difficulty, despite the fact that he was fast and powerful despite his major injuries.

Pumping chakra into her body to counteract the fatigue, she sped down the hallway, scalpels in hand, and flipped easily over the heads of the patients, who gasped in surprise as she landed in a crouch in front of them.

"Hinata, Lee, I'm here to help!" she called, before moving in on Lee's right in a light spin, slashing out at a thin dour-looking woman, who barely managed to lean back and avoid getting her throat cut.

"Mayu! I am most happy to see you awake and well!" Lee yelled as he knocked the nin he was fighting back with a fierce kick from his uninjured side.

"Ha!" Hinata said as she pushed two palms forward and sent her opponent flying. "Y-yes. Naruto will be very happy," she said.

Mayu pressed forward, feet and hands flying forward in a series of punches and kicks and keeping her opponent on the defensive. "Thanks, guys," she said and grunted as a kick made it through her guard. Lee's opponent had recovered, and Hinata turned to help him since hers seemed to be knocked out.

Mayu feinted left, then flipped over the Sand nin's head, hand flashing out and slicing across her jugular. The woman slapped a hand to her neck, her blood spraying in an impressive arc, and for a moment Hinata faltered at the gruesome sight, and the last Sand nin took the chance to slam her into a wall. Mayu jumped into the fray with Lee, and between her darting in and opening small cuts and nicks to distract him and Lee's energetic attacks, they were eventually able to knock him out.

"You okay, Hinata?" Mayu asked.

"Y-yes," the girl said from where she was clutching her ribs.

Mayu turned to the most healthy-looking of the patients. "Go into one of the rooms and grab the bedsheets," she said and was relieved when the white-faced woman did so without complaint.

"Th-thank you," an old man in a wheelchair said. "Thank you so much. They were going to..."

"Cowards," Mayu spat. "Attacking the hospital. What the hell is Sand thinking, attacking a village so much stronger than them?" she grabbed the sheets from the woman when she returned, barely hearing as Lee thanked her profusely and Hinata went to check on the civilians. She could hear fighting in other parts of the hospital, and her heart went into her throat as she realized Yoshino might be there somewhere.

"Lee, help me tie the two live ones up," she said, cutting strips from the sheets and handing them to the boy, not sparing a glance for the woman she killed.

Hinata silently took some too, and between the three of them, they were able to get them tied and shoved into a bathroom. "We need to gather as many civilians as we can and get them to the shelter," Mayu said, mind racing through regulations.

"There are tunnels below the hospital," Hinata said in a quiet voice, and Mayu nodded.

"Okay - you four, stay behind us. We'll probably need to fight our way out. Stay out of the fighting, and if it looks like we're about to lose, you run, understand?" Mayu said with authority, and they nodded.

"Hinata," Mayu said as she crept forward to peer around a corner. "What's the status of your injuries?"

"U-um, mostly healed fractures, my chakra coils were compromised in places and aren't quite healed, but I'm able to direct around them. I can fight," she said with determination.

"Mmm, I saw that earlier. You're pretty scary when you're trying," Mayu said, and Hinata turned bright red. "Lee - what's your status?"

"I am fine, my bright flower!" he exclaimed.

Mayu turned to him and pointed. "Lee, I need to know your weaknesses, or I won't be able to come up with a plan to get us out of here alive. Now,  _status_."

He deflated, and looked down, before looking up with newfound determination and nodding his head. "Most of the bones in the right side of my body were crushed, but Lady Tsunade performed a very Forward Thinking and Brave Surgery which has repaired me! However, I am only at about forty percent capacity, and I'm afraid only one hit to my injured side would be most unfortunate!"

Mayu frowned and ran her eyes over him. "Well, you're still plenty strong enough - stay with me, I'll cover your right side. What about chakra?"

"I do not have chakra, fierce leader! I was born without the ability to use it, which is why I am considered a Genius of Effort by the wise and charismatic Guy-sensei!"

"Really?" Mayu said in interest but shook her head to clear it. Right, time to focus.

"Okay. Hinata, take point with your Byakugan. Lee, you're on the left, I'm on the right. Civilians, stick close, and no screaming," she said.

Slowly, they made their way down the hall until they came to the stairs. Hinata scanned it before nodding and reached forward to open the door. They slipped into the stairwell and began creeping down, the two patients in wheelchairs were luckily able to leave them behind, one with a broken leg and the other with 'old joints, but it's fine, dear.'

They were on the third floor. The tunnels were four flights down. No way they weren't going to run into trouble. They made it to the second floor before Hinata signaled them to stop. Lee and Mayu leaned in close to hear her. "It looks like there are a group of twenty civilians or so. Six nin are fighting on the landing and stairs between the basement and first floor. I think...that four are enemy nin and two are our own."

Mayu gnawed on her lip in thought, trying to ignore the shakiness of her limbs and her slight dizziness. "Okay, I'm going to go down and assist. You two, guard our civilians against anybody coming from behind."

She could see they wanted to protest, but she shook her head then jumped over the side of the railing to land on the one below. Her eyes widened when she saw the medics that were fighting off the four large men. One was a chuunin she didn't recognize, but the other was Yoshino.

"Mom, incoming!" she called, and poured chakra into her legs and dove forward, hitting one of the enemy nin in the back and crouching there as they stumbled, a quick jab stabbing one of her scalpels into a kidney. She wrinkled her nose as how easily it slid through his skin, but ignored her discomfort to ricochet off of him and next to her mother, who had barely faltered because she was awesome _,_ using Mayu's distraction to grab a large bear of a ninja with a Sound hitai-ate by the throat and slam him down onto the landing, his head hitting one of the stairs with a crack before his body went limp.

"Mayu-chan, you decided to finally wake up from your nap, huh?" She said in a barely trembling voice.

"Yes, and imagine my surprise when I woke to an invasion," she said in a dry voice as they moved to stand back to back.

"Haru, fall back and protect the civilians. My daughter and I will take care of these two," her mom said with a sharp smile, and Mayu returned it before they whirled into motion, perfectly in sync from years of morning spars.

Mayu slashed and cut with her scalpels, which she was becoming pretty attached to, actually, and was impressed when she saw that Yoshino was somehow cutting into her own opponent with chakra shimmering around her hands.  _So scary,_ she thought, and couldn't wait to tell Shikamaru about this just to watch him lose all the color in his face. She stubbornly didn't even consider that he wouldn't be fine at the end of all of this.

Finally, their last two opponents were lying at the bottom of the stairs, dead, and Mayu called up to Hinata and Lee that it was clear. Yoshino and the chunin, (Haru, Haku?) raced to help the patients.

Then, Hinata was once again leading them towards the basement. Yoshino quietly took out three more nin before they hit the tunnels, and they moved as fast as they could through the maze-like paths. Finally, they came to a thick door being guarded by two tense-looking chunin.

"The leaves fall from the tree, brown." one of them almost snapped

"And in the spring, they return, green again," Yoshino replied, and Mayu rolled her eyes at the level of lame that password was.

They rushed the patients into a large room holding the civilian and genin population of Konoha, and Mayu let out a breath of relief. Mayu, Hinata, and Lee didn't argue as Yoshino insisted they sit with the other patients before she left with her chunin assistant to check on those who really needed medical attention.

Mayu leaned against Hinata, annoyed at how heavy her body felt, and wincing at the muffled explosions she could still hear coming from the village. "What...how long was I asleep?" she asked, baffled by what she'd woken up to.

Hinata gave her a look from the corner of her eye. "U-um. I don't know exactly, but, it's been a month and four days since we started the second test," she said quietly, and Mayu gaped at her.

"A  _month!_ " she exclaimed. "I've been asleep for a month?!" Hinata nodded.

"My...my team?" Mayu asked the question she'd been avoiding even thinking about since she awoke. Her last memories were not encouraging, after all.

"They're fine, Mayu-chan," she said, and Mayu hung her head and took a shaky breath.

"It's true!" Lee yelled and cringed when he was hushed by a medic with a bloody bandage wrapped around her head. "Your teammates were most Youthful and Dedicated! When they weren't training for the tournament, they were by your bedside!"

Mayu stared at him. "The...tournament?"

"The third test of the chunin exams! I'm afraid I did not make it through preliminaries," he said with a sad glance at his bandages.

Mayu set aside the question of how they'd been allowed to compete when technically they hadn't finished the second round and motioned around her. "And...this?" she said.

Hinata shook her head. "I don't know," she said quietly. "I was at the tournament, but I became weak and my father brought me back to the hospital," she admitted. "Soon after, the attack began."

Mayu nodded, and she had other questions, she did, but...first, she was going to take a little nap...

000

Mayu was being carried when she woke up. "Papa?" she whispered.

A low chuckle. "Not quite, sweetheart. I'm afraid he's dealing with cleanup."

"Ensui-nii," she whispered. "You use the same soap, you know. Smell good. Kakashi thinks so too."

Ensui tripped and made a sound like he choked on his tongue. "What...?"

"Was I really asleep for a month?" she muttered, eyelids too heavy to bother opening them.

"Yeah, you were," his quiet voice said, and she realized she'd hurt him again.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to," she whispered, and he gave another small laugh.

"Yeah, your grumpy teammate told us. Said you  _fell_ in front of the attack," he said, exasperated. "Seriously, sweetheart, only you could keep managing to accidentally take fatal attacks for other people."

Mayu made a protesting noise, but couldn't actually argue. "Shikamaru?" she asked in a small voice, and Ensui sighed.

"A mess, what do you think? But he pulled it together enough to train for the tournament - Naruto managed to convince him that you wouldn't want him to sulk around your hospital room all the time. Though, when he wasn't training, he was next to your side," he said in exasperation. "It helped that Tsunade-sama thought you were somehow repairing the damage that damn snake did to you and that you'd wake up when you were ready."

Mayu hummed. "Naruto and Sasuke were able to compete?" she mumbled. "Was afraid I messed it up for them."

And she could sense him rolling his eyes at her. "Yes, Tsunade-sama said that living through an attack from Orochimaru could be considered enough of a survival test," he explained. "She was in a bad mood, so nobody fought her on it."

"They're okay?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"A little beat up, but fine. Before you ask, Shikaku and Shikamaru are fine, too. I think I saw that Inuzuka you run around causing trouble with, too."

"Good," she mumbled. "The attack?"

"Sound and Sand combined forces," he snapped out. "Damned idiots didn't realize Orochimaru had killed their Kazekage and was impersonating him." he went silent before adding reluctantly, "Orochimaru attacked the Hokage. She's okay, but she ended up getting injured. He separated her from the rest of her guard - Itachi was able to stick with her, though, and I guess he spanked him pretty good. Orochimaru shouldn't be a problem for awhile, though I have no doubt he'll come crawling out of the woodwork again."

Mayu's mind reeled with the information, but she could feel sleep pulling at her again. She dozed in and out as the familiar sound of her house's front door opening hit her, and the creaking of the stairs as Ensui carried her upstairs and into her bed. Then, she was falling deeply into slumber, satisfied, at least, that her family and team were alive. The rest could wait until she woke up.


	7. Recovery and Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Seven and the rest of Konoha spend some time recovering, Orochimaru is still a jerk, and Kakashi and Ensui finally get somewhere. And by somewhere, I mean bed. They get into bed.

Mayu woke to the smell of blood and had to fight back a gag as she realized it was coming from her clothes. Right, she was still in the gown and sweats she'd been wearing when she killed those Sand nin. Swallowing back bile, she slowly sat up, wincing at the way her head was pounding, but knowing there was no getting back to sleep as she was.

She grimaced at the dried blood and dirt that had flaked off on her sheets and sighed in annoyance as she shakily stood on sore, weak legs. Couldn't Ensui have helped her change before putting her to bed? Mayu staggered to her dresser and pulled out clean underthings and pajamas before opening her bedroom door. She stopped to listen, but the house was still, and she realized nobody else was home.

Right, any able-bodied shinobi was probably out dealing with the aftermath of the invasion. Breathing through her nausea and cursing Orochimaru's creepy bite-mark, she kept one hand on the wall as she made her way to the bathroom. When she got there, she winced at her reflection. She'd lost weight - not a ton, but most of it was in muscle mass, and she had to close her eyes against the reality of how much work she had in front of her to get back into fighting shape. Her skin was pale and the bags under her eyes were so deep they looked almost like bruises. She looked like a victim, and she didn't like it.

Turning away from the mirror, she slowly stripped off the gown and sweats, then switched the shower onto warm, hoping to combat the cold radiating throughout her body. Once it was running hot, she stepped under the spray, and without looking down at her body started to thoroughly wash. She bypassed the floral scent she and Yoshino favored when not out on missions, and instead liberally used the Nara soaps, the comforting spicy smell relaxing her.

Feeling better after her shower, Mayu got dressed and stumbled her way down to the kitchen, pouring herself a large glass of water and pulling leftovers out of the fridge. After a few bites, she pushed them away, stomach roiling after not eating for so long. Exhausted from the effort of feeding and cleaning herself, she grabbed her glass of water and slowly walked back up the stairs. Knowing she didn't have the energy to change her sheets, she turned into her parents' room and collapsed into their large bed. She was asleep almost immediately.

When she jerked awake from a dream where a whispering, leering snake was chasing her through the rows of filing cabinets in her mindscape, she was half sprawled across Shikaku's chest, and Yoshino was cuddled up behind her, arm flung across her lower back. Daylight was seeping through the curtains, and she realized she must have slept for at least fifteen hours.

Feeling warm, safe, and comfortable, she snuggled further into Shikaku's soft t-shirt, and he tightened the arm he had wrapped around her shoulders. "You awake?" she muttered, and he gave a small grunt of affirmation.

"Love you," she whispered, and she felt his lips against the top of her head in reply. She drifted in and out of sleep for another hour, until the need to use the bathroom and her growling stomach won out against comfort. Carefully, she extracted herself from a protesting Yoshino and sleepy Shikaku and padded down the hallway to the bathroom on steadier legs than she'd had yesterday.

After she was done she slipped downstairs, annoyed at how out of breath she was from the effort.  _Note to self: avoid month-long comas_. Opening the fridge, she pulled out some white rice and eggs and went about making herself an omelet. She had eaten half of it and was half-heartedly poking at the rest when the front door opened.

"I'm home," a quiet voice said, and Mayu was out of her seat and through the kitchen doorway faster than she thought was possible in her current state. Standing in the hallway, staring at her with wide eyes, was a dirty and bedraggled looking Shikamaru.

"Shika," she choked out and swayed in place a little as dizziness from her dash from the kitchen hit her.

"Mayu," he said, and then he was in front of her and grabbing her into a crushing hug. "Mayu, my Mayu, you're awake," he said. "You're awake."

"I'm sorry," she said on a sob. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Shut up, you have nothing to be sorry for. You  _lived._ You were attacked by a Legendary Sannin and you lived. Thank you," he whispered and rubbed her back as she clung to him.

"It was so bad," she wailed, and let him herd her to the couch where he sat down, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her as she curled into him. "He...he was in my  _mind_ , Shikamaru. I could hear him, whispering to me, trying to take over. He almost destroyed it, he was so close..."

"Shh." He pulled her close to him. "You were stronger, you beat it," and now he was sounding choked up too. "It's okay, Mayu, it's alright now."

"It's not!" she wailed. "He...he broke my mind and I had to spend so much time fixing it, and I left you and my team all alone. And...and my body is so weak, and he killed Bukimi and the twins!" she was hysterical at that point, but she could still remember what it felt like, trapped in her crumbling mind for what had felt like years, all alone, wondering if she'd ever be able to repair the damage.

"Oh, sweetheart," a trembling voice said from the doorway, and then Shikaku and Yoshino were joining them on the couch. "You're here, and that's what matters. All the rest we can fix," her mom said from Shikamaru's side, reaching out to pet her hair and pull it out of her sticky face. Shikaku's large hand started rubbing circles on her back, and she shoved her face further into Shikamaru's shoulder as her sobs finally subsided.

"Sorry," she muttered, and Yoshino hushed her. Shikaku stood and left the room, and returned a few minutes later with a warm, wet cloth. Pliant and exhausted again from her crying stint, she let him angle her face towards him and clean it up, and for a moment she was six again. Then her eyes sharpened on his face, and her brows furrowed.

"You're exhausted," she mumbled and darted her swollen eyes to take them in. "You're all exhausted."

"Well, we were just invaded," Shikaku said sardonically, "makes for a lot of work, you know."

Alarmed, Mayu sat up. "What - what happened with that? How bad is the damage? What -"

Gently, Yoshino pushed her back against Shikamaru's chest, then reached a green hand to run over her. "Most of the damage is structural," she said as she checked her daughter over. "Orochimaru's summons took out a section of the east wall, and the market district was hit hard as well. Casualties weren't too bad - we had some idea that he would try something, thanks to the spies you and Shika ID'd a few days before the exams."

Mayu blinked at them. "You mean - the Uchiha chunin and the medic?" she asked, and Shikaku hummed as he set the washcloth to the side.

"Yes - before they were able to escape custody, a Yamanaka mind walked the Uchiha. He didn't know a lot, but he did know that Orochimaru was planning something - and that Sasuke was a target," he said grimly.

"What? Why were we not told this  _before_ we agreed to enter the scary death forest?" Mayu said, furious. Shikaku sighed and rubbed a hand down his face.

"We were trying not to cause panic. We thought with the heads up we could increase security on Sasuke and within the village. Also, we didn't want to reveal classified information to a genin team," he said dryly.

Mayu gaped at him, unable to talk past her anger for a handful of seconds. "You - you didn't want to reveal  _classified information_ ," she finally said in a shaky voice. "Well, that worked out well for you, huh? Sasuke's probably traumatized for life because some creepy mega-strong ninja attacked us to steal his body, and my mind was  _ripped apart_ by a sentient snake because the all-knowing adults decided we couldn't handle keeping classified information to ourselves," she said scathingly.

To her surprise, Shikaku leaned over his knees and put his face in his hands. "You think I didn't regret it every day you were lying in that hospital bed?" he said roughly, and he sounded so wrecked that the anger drained out of Mayu as quickly as it had appeared, and she sighed.

"Sorry," she whispered. "It's not - of course, it's not your fault. I'm just a little off balance right now," she closed her eyes and leaned against Shikamaru, who was oddly silent. Yoshino broke the quiet by standing up.

"Well, I have to get back to the hospital, and I know Shikaku needs to get to work. I'm guessing Shikamaru just got back. Can you stay with Mayu? She really shouldn't be alone right now. None of the signs that your mind is degrading are showing themselves, Mayu, so Tsunade's theory that you were self-repairing seems sound." When she hesitated, Mayu turned her head and opened her eyes to study her. She looked - concerned. "Mayu, as soon as Tsunade has a moment, she'll want to talk to you about how you were able to expel the curse mark and repair its damage," she said carefully. "That's not - nobody has ever been able to counteract Orochimaru's curse mark before."

"Is that what it was called?" Mayu said, and rubbed a hand across the scarred-over bite mark on her arm. "Fitting." Shikamaru tightened his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair, and she squeaked.

Exhausted from her cry, she let herself be led upstairs by Yoshino, who paused at her doorway, took one look at her sheets, and sighed before leading her back to her own bed. She happily crawled between the sheets but pouted when she realized Shikamaru had gone.

"Shika?" she mumbled, and Yoshino laughed.

"He badly needed a shower, but I'm sure he'll sneak in here soon." Yoshino hesitated, then, "Be kind to the boys, okay? You know they don't handle stress so well," she teased, and Mayu's heart clenched.

"I know," she whispered. "I didn't mean to -"

"Shush, it's fine. Shikaku can handle a little scolding," Yoshino said.

"Can you send him up...?" Mayu asked, and then the bed was dipping behind her.

"I'm here," Shikaku said, and she turned and let him hug her for a few minutes. "I have to go now, Mayu-chan," he said and ran a hand through her hair. "You rest up, okay?" she nodded and he kissed her forehead before slipping out of bed.

She listened, half asleep, as her parents moved in and out of the room, getting ready for their days. They both kissed her goodbye before leaving, and a few minutes later Shikamaru slipped into bed next to her.

Barely awake, she grabbed onto him, and then blissfully fell asleep.

000

She didn't make it out of the house until the next day, and her eyes widened at the destruction she could see across the village. The huge chunk missing from the eastern wall was already on its way to being repaired, but whole buildings had been reduced to rubble. Yoshino gave her a sad smile but didn't comment as they made their way to the hospital, where Tsunade was apparently feeling well enough to look her over.

The hospital itself hadn't sustained much structural damage, though Shikamaru had told her it had sustained the most casualties. It made Mayu want to go out and slit a few more throats, but she kept that thought to herself. Her family had been keeping a disturbingly close eye on her and it didn't take a genius to figure out they were worried about her mental stability. Fantastic.

When they got to the exam room, Mayu almost turned around and walked back out when she saw the group of people waiting for her. Yoshino grabbed her shoulders and gently turned her around, and Mayu shot her a betrayed look for the ambush. Tsunade, Shikaku, Shizune, Inoichi, and a large, white-haired man with two red lines on his face were all waiting in the oversized examination room.

"I'm not undressing for all of you," she said flatly but allowed Yoshino to help her onto the exam table.

Tsunade snorted. "Like anybody here wants to see that." she moved forward and stuck a thermometer in Mayu's mouth before she could reply, then grabbed her arm to take her pulse and blood pressure.

Mayu allowed her gaze to move around the room, taking in everyone's faces. Shikaku looked bored, but there was a tenseness to his posture that told her he was concerned about the upcoming conversation. Inoichi looked interested, and the mysterious white-haired man was giving her an assessing, narrow-eyed look. Yoshino was in her 'ready to kick ass' posture, and Shizune and Tsunade looked the way they always did when dealing with a patient. Pleasant and focused and annoyed and focused, respectively.

"Ouch!" Mayu said as Shizune stuck her with a needle and started drawing blood. The other woman just smiled at her, and Mayu sighed. Her attention was pulled to the door as it opened and Kakashi stepped through.

"Sorry I'm late -" he began but was cut off when Mayu pushed past the medics and slammed into him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Sensei!" she said. "You're okay!"

He gave an uncomfortable chuckle and patted her back awkwardly. "Of course, I am," he replied, and she pulled back before he broke out into hives from feelings overload.

"You saved me! You saw my signal!" she said, and his eye curved up.

"I couldn't just leave my cute little students to fight an S-ranked criminal on their own, could I?" he said and patted her head.

"Ah, Kakashi-kun, it makes me feel so old to see you with your own students," the stranger drawled, and her sensei waved at him before herding Mayu back towards a glaring Tsunade.

"Yo, Jiraiya-san," he replied, and Mayu's eyes widened.

"Your ex-teammate is a creepy dick," she blurted at the Sannin and then winced. Right, her brain-to-mouth filter hadn't been functioning so well the last few days. Probably because there were still some cracks and leaks happening in her mindscape. Border-line insanity was turning out to be such a pain.

To her surprise, Jiraiya threw his head back and roared with laughter, while Yoshino scolded her and Shikaku and Inoichi both pinched the bridge of their noses. "Oh man, she's got an attitude, kind of reminds me of a moody little brat I once knew," he said once he'd stop laughing. "Ah, how the wheel turns."

Kakashi sighed. "Mayu-chan, this is Jiraiya-san. Jiraiya-san, my troublesome little student, Nomaka Mayu."

She bowed, cheeks still red. "It's an honor to meet you, Jiraiya-sama," she said, and he gave her a little wave.

"Right, well, if we're all done wasting my time," Tsunade said, "Mayu, sit." she meeped and did so, and the room went quiet. "Everything looks fine on the surface, Mayu," she began, and her parents and sensei all relaxed minutely. "I want to get you in for some imaging of your brain to make sure, but there doesn't seem to be any lasting physical damage. I still recommend some time to recover - I'm taking you off the active list for a month," she said, and Mayu exclaimed in shock.

"But! My team!" she argued and was silenced by Kakashi shaking his head at her.

"We're being separated for a month, anyway, Mayu-chan," he said. "In the face of the invasion, we're low on manpower and funds, so I'll be running high-level missions for the next four weeks. Also, Naruto will be going with Jiraiya for a month for some...special training, and Sasuke's father has decided he needs a few weeks to focus on clan training."

Mayu studied her teacher closely. "Where are they?" she demanded. "Obviously, they're not okay if they both need a month off, too." she went to stand, determined to find them and get her answers, but Kakashi just rolled his eye and pushed her back.

"They're fine. I'll let them decide what to tell you, but both of them need the specialized training," he explained. She relaxed when she saw he was telling the truth.

"What about me?" she asked in a small voice and must have looked pathetic because he looked panicked. Yoshino snorted and pushed past the awkward man to jump onto the bed next to her.

"Well, we'll need to get your body back into shape, so I thought I could work with you on that if you don't mind spending the extra time with me. You'll need a few weeks to rest up, but after that we'll come up with a good training regime, and I'm sure Kakashi-san will check in on you between missions," she said the last part in a low, threatening voice, and her sensei made a terrified noise in the back of his throat.

Mayu thought about that and nodded slowly. "Okay, just as long as you promise Team Seven isn't broken up forever," and gave Jiraiya a suspicious look. "And you better take care of Naruto!" she said, pointing at him and glaring.

He raised his hands in surrender. "I promise, I promise," he said. "You'll get him back in better shape than he left." She studied him for a moment, really taking him in.

"Well," Shikaku said, obviously trying to cut off any deducing Mayu was about to do on one of the strongest ninja alive. "We have a few things to talk about, Mayu-chan."

"You want to know why I'm not frothing at the mouth or dead," Mayu said and rolled her eyes.

Silence, and then Kakashi gave her a disapproving look. "Mayu, the seal Orochimaru put on you is very serious and has killed and hurt good people. It's not something to take lightly."

She slumped and looked down at her hands. "Sorry, sensei. I just -"

"I know," he said and inched a little closer to her.

"Can you - tell me a bit about it?" she asked and looked over to Tsunade, who sighed and leaned against the wall next to her teammate.

"It's called the Cursed Seal of Heaven. It grants chakra and power to the recipient. It also...erodes the mind. I believe, and have for awhile," she said slowly, "that the seal contains not only Orochimaru's chakra but a piece of his...consciousness, as well."

Mayu stared at her for a moment, unable to speak past the horror growing in her. She remembered the feeling of his chakra moving through her, the whispering in her ear...her vision went dark around the edges, and she found herself gasping for air. A large hand on her back and a familiar, trusted voice calmly speaking to her drowned out the memories, and she was able to suck in air again.

It was Shikaku's voice that had brought her back, and for a moment she turned and buried her face in his shoulder, trying to get control of her shaking. After a few minutes, she straightened, already planning on a good, long meditation session once she was done here. She was suffering some trauma from this attack - not exactly surprising.

"Sorry," she whispered to the room, and accepted a small plastic cup of water from Tsunade, gulping it down greedily. "That's just really, really disturbing."

Yoshino was petting her hair from where she was sitting on the opposite side of her from Shikaku, and Kakashi was hovering in front of all of them like a large, awkward bird.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about, Mayu-chan," Inoichi's soothing voice said from across the room. "It's normal to feel violated after a situation like this." he hesitated, then continued. "Shikaku told me that you said something when you woke up yesterday about a sentient snake attacking your mind. Can you tell us a little bit about that?"

Mayu stared at him, mouth moving without making a sound for a moment. "Are you here...as my  _therapist?_ " she finally squeaked, and Jiraiya let out another loud guffaw of laughter.

Inoichi sighed. "I'm just here to help us identify any residual damage, and also to understand how you were able to expel the cursed seal. That's..."

"Never happened before?" Mayu asked, and wrinkled her nose. "Well, to be fair, I doubt he's ever bitten somebody with a mind as organized and powerful as my own," she said bluntly. "I've been creating a defensible mindscape since I was six years old."

"You what?" Shikaku said, a rare look of surprise on his face. Inoichi looked intrigued, and Kakashi seemed...worried. Tsunade had gotten a sharp, interested look on her face that Mayu was pretty sure wouldn't bode well for her.

"Defensible mindscape? And how did you manage to create something so defensibly sound that it was able to repel the cursed seal?" Inoichi asked eagerly.

Mayu gave him her best deadpan expression. "No offense, Inoichi-sama, but I'm not going to give away the secrets to my mind's defenses to the head of a clan known for their mind-reading-and-takeover jutsu."

Inoichi stiffened, and Kakashi's posture changed into his 'deadly-bored' slouch and he moved to subtly position himself between her and the rest of the room.  _Oh shit,_ she thought to herself, a cold sweat breaking out across her body as Tsunade straightened.

"And who says you have a choice, Mayu-chan?" she said in a hard voice.

Mayu's hands clenched into fists, and she had to tense all of her muscles to hold back a shiver. "The laws that state that ninja aren't required to give away secret techniques to other clans in the village," she said calmly.

"You're calling this a secret technique? Something you created as a child?" the Hokage said, disbelief in every line of her body.

"I said I've been building it since I was six," Mayu said icily, not dropping Tsunade's gaze. "And yes. If it's powerful enough to counter something you all thought was unbeatable before, then it's strong enough to be a Nomaka family secret technique."

Tsunade stalked over to her. "This technique could save other people from a terrible fate," she gritted out. "He was after Sasuke - what if he succeeds next time, and you could have stopped it?"

"Did you not hear me?" Mayu snapped. "I said it took more than half a decade to make my defenses strong enough to fight him off. If I'd been a little slower, or my mind a little weaker, I'd have died. I think I  _did_ die at least once in there," she said and nodded when she saw affirmation in Kakashi's stiff posture. "Teaching this to Sasuke would result in his  _death_ if Orochimaru got to him within the next decade if he was even able to manage it in the first place. I doubt anyone outside of papa, Itachi, Kakashi, and Shikamaru could learn it at the moment - you have to be extremely intelligent and already have a very organized mind."

Tsunade studied her for a moment before huffing and looking away. "Fine, brat, you win. But you'll need to do the paperwork to register it," she said tiredly. "What else can this super-secret technique of yours do, anyway?" she asked.

Mayu shrugged, knowing that she'd have to put it all into the paperwork eventually. While she didn't have to list off every capability, or the how-to, a general overview was expected so that she could be sorted into the correct missions and teams. "I think it helps me identify and see through genjutsu," she said slowly, "but I only just discovered that, and I'll need to do some testing."

Kakashi gave her a sharp look. "That's...something we'll talk about next month," he said, and she gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, I still need some time to find my equilibrium and sort some things out before I'll be ready to work on anything involving my...technique," she said honestly.

"So I guess we'll need to reschedule for me to do a mindwalk," Inoichi muttered to himself, and fear flashed through her. She was on her feet and would have darted out the door if Kakashi hadn't grabbed ahold of her.

"Mayu-chan! Calm down!" he said in his Commanding Officer voice as she mindlessly struggled against him. She stilled when she realized what she was doing, and took a deep breath.

"Fucking...post traumatic stress disorder!" she said angrily, avoiding the room's concerned gazes. She spun on Inoichi, knowing her mood swings were a little out of control, but unable to help herself. "You stay out of my mind, or you'll find out exactly -" she was cut off by Kakashi's hand over her mouth.

"I think what Mayu-chan is trying to say is that she's not comfortable with outside individuals crawling about in her brain after her extremely traumatic experience," he said cheerfully, and she relaxed back into him.

"We need to make sure Orochimaru's influence is gone," Jiraiya said from the corner.

Mayu tugged Kakashi's hand down. "I can tell you, he's gone. I burned every trace of him out of my mind."

Tsunade twitched. "You burned it, huh? I guess that explains why the snake that came out of your arm was on fire," she said with a cackle. "Serves little-Orochimaru right," she mumbled.

"Tsunade-sama, are you...okay?" Mayu asked, distracted by the slight tremble in the Hokage's right arm.

Tsunade shrugged. "It was quite a fight between my old teammate and me - I'll be fine," she said, and Mayu's gaze narrowed when she realized she was  _lying_.

"Anyway, Jiraiya's correct." she held up her hand when Yoshino stepped forward to protest. "I'd like to give Mayu a month to get her equilibrium back, and we'll discuss again. However, I want her to check in with Inoichi once a week. Obviously, she's not all the way recovered from her ordeal."

Mayu glared. "I'm right here, you know," she muttered. "Also, I just need time to work through it on my own - I've got my own process for dealing with trauma," she said stubbornly.

"That's an order, brat!" Tsunade yelled. "Now, I'm leaving. Mayu, someone will be around to grab you for your tests later. Jiraiya's going to inspect you for any remnants from the seal. Just shut up and let him do it," she said as Mayu opened her mouth to protest. "If I hear you gave him or the medics a hard time, I'll lock you in a cell for three days. Kakashi, come with me, I have a mission for you."

Her sensei gave her a squeeze around the shoulders and then followed Tsunade out, orange book in hand. Mayu sighed and returned to the exam table, ignoring Inoichi and allowing Jiraiya to step into her space. The man was  _huge_ , and she studied him as he looked her over, muttering to himself.  _Immature, uncomfortable with being in the village, but generally optimistic. Huh, he and Naruto will get along well._ When Yoshino came over to fuss with Mayu's hair, he shot her mom an appreciative glance, and Mayu 'accidentally' kicked him in the knee. To her annoyance, he just chuckled and she spent the rest of the time glaring at him and ignoring Inoichi and Shikaku's heated argument happening in the hallway.

Finally, Jiraiya proclaimed her 'Bastard-seal free' and a medical-nin came to drag her away for tests. Shikaku and Yoshino had to go back to their duties, but other than some residual weakness, Mayu was deemed fine to get herself home. She knew her parents felt guilty for leaving her on her own when she was still technically injured and so weak, but the village needed them more than Mayu did at the moment.

Once she was set free by the medical staff, she went to visit Sasuke and Naruto, who was still in the hospital after whatever trouble they'd found during the invasion. When she entered their room they were, unsurprisingly, arguing, and didn't notice her at first. They were sitting cross-legged on one of the two beds in the room, playing cards. Naruto looked okay, if a little tired, but Sasuke's arm was in a cast and he held himself like his ribs were hurting.

"Idiot, that's not how you play!" he was hissing at a smug Naruto.

"You're just mad that I won!"

"No, I'm mad that you  _cheated -"_

"Hey, guys," she said, walking towards the bed. Their heads whipped towards her with comically identical expressions of shock. There was a moment of silence, then -

"Mayu-chan!" Naruto launched himself at her, and she staggered back with the force of his hug. "You're awake. You're okay. I mean, I knew you were because Yoshino-san wouldn't lie, but, you're awake!"

He pulled back, and she saw his eyes looked a little glassy with tears. "Yeah, sorry I worried you," she said with the gentle voice that only he seemed to be able to pull from her.

"Idiot, move," Sasuke said from where he was standing behind the blonde and gave him an impatient shove. Then, Sasuke was standing in front of her, studying her with a look of vulnerability she'd never expected to see on his face. "Mayu, are you..." he trailed off, looking uncertain, and she huffed.

"Come here," she said and pulled him into an awkward hug. "I'm fine," she said quietly.

He pulled back and scoffed. "Liar," he mumbled. "You look like crap."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, sleeping for a month straight isn't exactly good for you," she replied, and let them push her over to the bed. She clambered onto it and turned so her back was to the wall and her legs were sticking straight out in front of her. They joined her on either side and for a moment just sat in comfortable silence.

"So, my family is basically tip-toeing around me right now because they're afraid Orochimaru's snake-soul damaged my mind," she said bluntly. "So I'm gonna need you two to fill me in on everything I missed."

They blinked at her. "What - Orochimaru's  _what?"_ Naruto yelped.

000

Two hours later, after they'd shared their 'what we've been up to for the last four weeks' stories, Naruto was staring at them in shock. "You two don't look surprised. Why don't you look surprised?" he demanded.

"Ah, well...it's possible...I've known for a while," Mayu said, and grimaced at his stunned face, glad for the privacy seal she'd stolen from Shikaku's office drawer and put onto the wall behind them.

"How long is awhile?" Naruto asked, looking scared.

"Um. March of this year? Give or take? And I accidentally told Sasuke in Grass when you were injured." He gaped at her, and she saw the moment he connected the dots.

"It was  _you!_ You're the one who put that 'So You're a Jinchuuriki, But Don't Worry You're Not Evil' packet on my bed!" he accused, sticking a finger in her face. "And who named that, anyway?" Sasuke slapped a hand over his face.

She sighed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would I reveal an S-class secret and risk being punched through a wall by the Hokage?" she said pointedly, and Sasuke snorted.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "Wait. You're not upset, either. What the hell?! I've been worried about revealing this to you for...for...forever! And you already knew? Why are you not upset?"

Mayu scoffed. "Please, just because ninety percent of the village are idiots doesn't mean we are. Besides, it sounds like it was useful," she said with a shrug. "I can't believe Crazy Gaara was a jinchuuriki, and that I missed you having a Bijuu Battle Royale!" she exclaimed. "I missed  _so much_ this month," she moaned, and Sasuke smirked. It sounded like the chunin exams had been...eventful.

"Don't call him that!" Naruto said. "It wasn't his fault he was treated so badly by his village and given a bad seal!"

"Yes, yes, I know. But...I can't believe he did that to Lee," she said quietly. "He was really impressive despite having undergone surgery when we were fighting during the invasion. Weird that it was his teammate that put Hinata there. Without the two of them, I doubt I would have gotten those four patients out alive,"  _or myself,_ she didn't say.

They were silent for a moment before she spoke again. "So the super secret training Jiraiya's taking you for," she said slowly. "Is that...jinchuuriki stuff?"

Naruto shrugged and looked uncomfortable. "I think so - he wouldn't really say. When he trained me for the chunin exams, he let me sign his summoning contract, which was awesome!"

Mayu gaped at him. "The Toad Sannin let you sign his contract? Naruto, that's - do you know what that means?" she exclaimed.

He furrowed his brow at her. "Uh, that he thinks I'm awesome?"

Mayu took a deep breath and prayed for patience while Sasuke muttered something probably not-nice next to her. "Naruto, it means that he considers you his student," she said slowly. "Like...an apprentice. I bet he's planning on taking on your training full time once we make chunin."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "What - that's. Are you serious?"

Mayu shrugged. "Usually, people only offer contracts to family or apprentices, so there's a good chance. Even if he doesn't formally take you on, he'll probably be taking an interest in your training."

She ignored his crowing about how Jiraiya just saw how awesome he was, and shared a commiserating look with Sasuke. "And what about you?" she said.

He side-eyed her, and she sighed. "What's so important that your dad decided he needed to pull you from team training for a month to focus on clan techniques?"

Naruto's cheers cut off, and he blinked at Sasuke in confusion, who sighed. With the air of somebody who's given up on fighting against idiots, he activated his Sharingan. "Sasuke," Mayu whispered when she saw the three tomoe against the red backdrop.

He shrugged and released it. "I need to...adjust to it," he said grudgingly, and Mayu nodded her understanding. After a moment, she groaned and flopped over onto Naruto.

"I just realized," she said, looking tragic, "that this month Naruto gets to go do special jinchuuriki training with a  _sannin_ , Sasuke gets to learn cool Sharingan tricks with  _Uchiha Fugaku_ , and I'm stuck doing endurance exercises and trying to prove to the Hokage that I'm sane and not being influenced by a snake-obsessed maniac. That is just so. Unfair." she said with a pout.

Her teammates took that in for a moment, then burst into laughter. She scowled at them, but couldn't really be angry - she was too relieved that they were both alive. From the story they'd just told her...well, it had been close to not ending so well for the two of them.

They were starting to calm down when there was a knock on the closed door, and she reached behind her to pull down the privacy seal as it opened. Shikamaru stepped into the room, and Mayu brightened, then gaped when she saw what he was wearing.

"Shika!" she yelled in excitement, and leapt off the bed. "You're a chunin!" She ignored Naruto and Sasuke's surprised exclamations as she threw herself at him for a hug.

"It's a total drag, but I guess they were impressed with my match against the Sand girl," he said, and looked so dejected about it that she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. He blushed a little, and gave her a small smile. The moment was broken by Naruto, of course.

"What do you mean it's a drag?" the blond said, completely indignant. "Did anybody else make it? Why hasn't the old lady come by to give me my vest?"

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered. "We obviously weren't promoted." his lips were pursed in annoyance, and Mayu bit her lip when she saw how upset he was.

"Well, you didn't get to finish your match, I guess. I know it's selfish but...I guess I'm a little relieved I'll still be taking my test with you two," Mayu said softly, and looked down at the ground as the room went silent.

"Mayu! You're so cute!" Naruto finally said and launched at her with his arms open and tears on his face. Shikamaru sighed, then grabbed her and plucked her out of the way before Naruto could latch onto her. He tripped and fell on his face, and Shikamaru had to avoid his angry flailing about on the floor.

Mayu glanced over at Sasuke, who looked less upset and more thoughtful now. "I suppose it would be a pain if we didn't all get promoted at once," he said with a shrug, and Mayu beamed at him.

"Yeah. Plus this way we get to be Kakashi-sensei's students for longer. He's one of the strongest jounin in the village - we can learn a lot from him!" she added, and Naruto scoffed and muttered something about him being a pervert.

Shikamaru and Mayu said their goodbyes, and she dragged him to one of the Akimichi restaurants to celebrate his promotion since both Yoshino and Shikaku wouldn't be home until late that night. "I have to report in first thing in the morning for a mission," he said when they were walking home.

"That was...fast," Mayu said, and he shrugged.

"Things are a bit unstable now," he said seriously. "We have to continue taking missions while handling village repairs and increasing security and border patrols. People can't see us as weakened right now, even though we technically are. Ten percent of our forces are injured or dead after the attack," he said, and Mayu jerked.

"That many?" she whispered, and he nodded.

"So I guess I'll be on my own this month," she said with a small smile, and he reached out to grab her hand.

"Yeah, mom and dad will both be pretty busy. I'm sorry, Mayu..." she shook her head.

"Don't be. I'll be busy too - I need to rebuild my puppets and get back to fighting strength," she said. "I'm fine, really."

He gave her doubtful look but didn't comment. She asked about his mission and watched him fondly as he sighed dramatically and told her about the team he'd be running border patrol with for the next few weeks.

"I'm really proud of you, you know," she said when they were almost to their house. "The only one of all of us to make chunin. You're so cool, Shika," she said, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"You would have made it if it weren't for Orochimaru," he said confidently. "You'd have outsmarted and blown up a few foreign nin and the council would have fallen over themselves to promote you," he teased. She giggled, then shrugged.

"I'm not sure that setting people on fire is considered good for international relations," she responded a little wistfully.

000

Mayu only got an hour of sleep before she was jerked awake by the phantom feeling of something trying to break through the walls of her mindscape. "Damn," she whispered at the ceiling and got up to get dressed.

She meditated for a few hours, studying and picking apart her memories from the attack, then spending time weaving chakra into the still-weak stone walls of her mind. Mayu had a feeling she wouldn't be sleeping well for a while, and when she opened her eyes, it was with a sense of focused determination. Well, if she wasn't going to sleep, she could spend her time making sure she was a hell of a lot more prepared for the next shit storm than she had been against Orochimaru.

One thing was obvious to her now: she hadn't been taking her career as a kunoichi as seriously as she could have been. Treating her puppets like her cute little pets instead of the weapons they're meant to be, flitting from project to project in her lab...no more. It was time to focus. With that in mind, she grabbed some drafting paper and supplies and went down to the kitchen where the light was better. She had some plans to make and designs to sketch out.

Twenty hours later, she stumbled into the midmorning sun and towards Akinobu's shop. Shikamaru had left at some point, and Yoshino had come home so exhausted she could barely see straight. Shikaku must have just been bunking in his office because she'd seen neither hide nor hair of her father since the hospital room.

For once, Akinobu didn't moan and groan when he caught sight of her. Instead, he hissed, and dragged her into his cramped office, slamming the door behind him. "What the hell are you doing up and about? Last I heard you were in a goddamn coma!" he said, taking an angry drink of tea.

She narrowed blurry eyes at him. "I woke up, obviously. Now, I need your help," she said and shoved a pile of papers in his hands. "There, three new schematics for you that are guaranteed to blow minds. In exchange, I want unlimited shop time this month, and I want somebody here to teach me metalworking in the little shop behind this one and to help me with the more complex pieces on these," she said, shoving more papers at him.

He sputtered but quieted down as he looked through what she had put together. "These..." he said slowly.

"Are amazing? Awe-inspiring?" she grabbed his tea and took a drink.

"I was going to say terrifying," he muttered, but sighed, and she knew she had won. "Fine. You've got three checks you haven't picked up from the projects we profit share on. If you want, I can order you the materials you need and take the cost from those."

Mayu narrowed her eyes at him. "You're being nice. Why are you being nice?"

He glared at her and took back his tea. "It's called pity, kid. Come back tomorrow and I'll introduce you to your teacher. Now leave."

Mayu stood with a huff and decided to go spend some time in her lab for awhile. After all, she had some projects she'd been putting off there that she thought would come in handy later.

The next day, she'd gotten a grand total of five hours of sleep before her mind's insistence that it was still under attack awoke her, and she groaned before dropping into meditation and working on convincing her subconscious that the very evil snake was gone, yes he was. Mayu knew that the phantom tremors would be waking her up until her defenses were up and running again. Until then, she would just have to deal with being sleep deprived and slightly twitchy. It helped if she was focused on a project, and without her family around to stop her, it was pretty easy to drop into her work and stay there for hours at a time.

Her new metalworking teacher was a civilian girl a few years older than her named Rika. Her hair was dark blond and cut in a short bob, and she had kind brown eyes and a round, pleasant face. Mayu had seen her around the shop before, but they hadn't interacted much until now. Rika-sempai, as she'd taken to calling her, was sweet, patient, and seemed to find Mayu's sleepy ramblings and scathing commentary cute. She called her kohai and forced her to take eating and drinking breaks, and on the few occasions that she fell asleep on the workbench, kicked everyone else out and turned down the lights.

Rika-sempai also made no secret of the fact that she thought Mayu was brilliant. Which, to be fair, she was, but most people didn't gush about it. Mayu found it flattering and disconcerting, but mostly just blushed and stuttered when Rika started fawning over her.

Rika was also a very, very talented metalworker, and she and Mayu spent hours and hours going over theory, metal types, and how to use the dozens of tools available to her. Rika didn't try to convince Mayu not to use the more dangerous methods of metal working. Either she knew Mayu handled much more dangerous tools every day as a kunoichi, or she realized Mayu would just teach herself without supervision if Rika didn't take the time to do it with her.

Mayu took to breaking into Akinobu's shop after hours to work on her projects. The one time he caught her, she just shrugged and pointed out that their deal did say unlimited hours, after all.

Two and a half weeks after she'd woken up, she stumbled home at two in the afternoon after Akinobu had demanded she go home and take a break when he saw the number of bandages she was sporting on her hands and arms.

"For fuck's sake, what do you think your dad will say if you kill yourself in my shop!" he'd yelled while Rika fluttered around her with a first aid kit.

Mayu had scoffed and put her nose in the air. "Please, like I'd be stupid enough to die using a power sander."

"You seem stupid enough to die from lack of sleep and food," he said in a dangerous voice, and she bristled, temper short from said lack of sleep and food.

"Like you have room to talk about healthy habits," she'd snapped, and found herself literally tossed out and told not to return until the next day.

Vowing her revenge, she had stomped home, unconcerned with the wary looks she was getting. Sure, maybe she hadn't showered in a few days, and it's possible she'd only gotten about half her hair into a ponytail, and the bandages were perhaps concerning...well it wasn't their business anyway.

When she arrived at her front porch, she stopped short when she saw Sasuke and Itachi standing on it, obviously having just arrived. "Uh, hi," she said as they both slowly took in her appearance.

"What. The hell," Sasuke said, then grabbed her arm and dragged her inside.

"What - Sasuke, what's your problem!" she yelled.

"You're my problem!" he said, and she leaned away from him as she saw how furious he was. Itachi followed them into the kitchen serenely, but she could see even he was a little stiff. "Shikamaru stopped by this morning asking if I knew where you were. He came back last night and had to leave again for another mission - he said you  _never came home_ , and that Inoichi stopped him at the missions office because you haven't been making your appointments and you're never home when people stop by!"

"Oh...oops, I forgot about those," she said, then, "I missed Shikamaru?" and for some reason, her traitorous eyes filled with tears. Sasuke looked over at her and groaned.

"What the hell is going on with you?" he growled as he forced her into a kitchen chair. "You look half dead, Mayu! Have you even been eating? Or sleeping?" Her silence must have been answer enough, because he sighed and put two fingers to his forehead in agitation. "What, screwing with our minds by almost dying once wasn't enough? You gonna try it again?"

Mayu jerked as though he had hit her, and Itachi finally spoke up. "That's enough, Sasuke," he warned, and the boy subsided.

"I just - I try to sleep, but I can't," she whispered. "My mind believes it's still under attack, I think. Everything is still jumbled, and the walls are still cracked..." she was crying silently. "And I'm just so tired," she said on a sob.

A hand landed on her shoulder, and she glanced over to see Itachi giving her a steady look. "It'll get better," he said soothingly. "Your mind underwent a fairly big trauma, and you haven't had any support to help you through it."

Mayu nodded, and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, embarrassed at her breakdown. When Sasuke put a cup of tea in front of her, she glanced up at his pinched face and sighed. "I'm sorry I worried you," she mumbled. And how weird was it that Uchiha Sasuke was actually worried about her?

He 'hn'd' at her and looked away, and she realized that Itachi was at her stove making omelets. Alarmed, she stood to go intercept him. "I can do that!" she squeaked, because arguably the village's strongest shinobi outside of the Hokage and Jiraiya should not be making her breakfast. Sasuke rolled his eyes and forced her into her seat again.

"Aniki is perfectly capable of making an omelet, Mayu," he muttered at her. She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at him.

Giving in, she took a sip of tea, stomach roiling a bit at the smell of food. Mayu hadn't realized until she saw Sasuke's face just how unhealthy she'd gotten. She felt unbalanced and out of control and she hated it. She chewed on her lip for a moment and studied her teammate, making a decision. She needed to talk this through with somebody, and outside of her team and family, she didn't think she trusted anybody else with the details it would reveal about her mind's defenses.

"You trust your brother," she said bluntly, and Sasuke gave her his best  _duh_ face, while Itachi gave her an interested look over his shoulder. "I  _mean,_ if I tell you about my secret technique, you'll keep your mouth shut about it, right? Both of you? Because I could use some help from some actual intelligent people and have no intention of letting the details about something that keeps my mind safe from outside influence getting around the village. I don't know if you've noticed, but we seem to have a lot of traitors and megalomaniacs running around."

Itachi snorted, and Sasuke eyed her closely. "You have a secret technique," he said flatly, and she sighed.

"I mean, I guess - we're calling it that so the Godaime can't force me to reveal it to the Yamanaka clan. It's something I've been working on since I was six," she said calmly, "and it's what allowed me to destroy the curse seal Orochimaru put on me."

Sasuke stared at her in shock, and Itachi put a plate in front of her. "You saved my brother," he said serenely. "I promise that anything you reveal to me here will not be repeated, through torture or loyalty."

Mayu studied him closely for a moment. "You know that I literally tripped over a tree root and fell into the attack meant for Sasuke, right?" she said dryly, and Sasuke made a small noise. Mayu looked at him and frowned for a moment before rolling her eyes and reaching across the table to smack him. "That's for feeling guilty, idiot!" she snapped, annoyed. "Like it's your fault Orochimaru is crazy. God, we really need to fix security in this village," she muttered before shoveling a bite of omelet into her mouth. And of course, Itachi could cook as well as he did everything else. Mayu eyed him as he moved around making another omelet and wondered if he was actually human.

"You're hurt because you took an attack meant for me," he said between gritted teeth.

"We're teammates," she said with a shrug. "Plus, this worked out much better - I'm the only one on the team who could have repelled the attack. Believe, me, Sasuke, you wouldn't want that...thing in your head, and neither would I," she said seriously. "Seeing you deal with that would have been much more painful than some missed sleep."

He blinked at her, looking a little shocked at the admission, and she blushed and concentrated on her omelet.

"And that is why I will not give away your secrets," Itachi said serenely as he sat at the table with two more plates of food. "Please, if Sasuke and I can be of help, let us."

Mayu tapped her fingers on the table for a moment. Doing this on her own just wasn't working, and she wasn't stupid enough to keep trying to push through without help. She had too much to do to wallow in angst, after all.

"What do you know about mindscapes?" she finally said before taking another careful bite of her omelet.

"Mindscapes are psychological scenes which exist in the mind, built through imagination," Itachi answered promptly, and Mayu looked down to hide her smile. Itachi was just as much of a dork as Sasuke.

"Yes, and they are generally what any mind reading or walking technique utilize. It's a visualization of our thoughts, knowledge, and memories, and we all subconsciously have them to some degree," Mayu said. "I've been working on creating an organized mindscape for six years, beyond what even the Yamanaka or geniuses like Kakashi-sensei and Itachi-sempai create almost reflexively." she nibbled on her lip before continuing. "Every memory, every piece of knowledge and every experience is filed away, and placed behind thick walls and other defenses I've built."

Itachi raised his eyebrow. "Surely, not every..."

"Yes," she said firmly. "I meditate every day if I get the chance, to keep it organized. Also, I have an eidetic memory, so they are filed with perfect recall. That's...not all," she said. "When I was six, I came across a book that detailed a technique certain monks use to give their mindscapes metaphysical form by weaving chakra into the construct."

Itachi blinked once before his eyes widened in realization. Sasuke was frowning at her, still connecting the dots. "And you've been doing this basically since you began working on the mindscape. That's..."

"Opened a whole can of worms? Yeah, apparently there were some unintended benefits and consequences," she admitted, running a hand through her hair.

"Like the ability to fight off foreign chakra attempting to integrate into your own thoughts," Itachi said slowly, and she nodded.

"Yes, but, in the course of fighting him off, my mindcave was practically destroyed," Mayu said with a shudder. "That's why I was in a coma for so long - I was repairing it, getting it in working order."

Sasuke blinked at her. "Mindcave? Seriously? You had to choose the creepiest thing you could come up with for your super-secret technique," he muttered.

"What? Caves are well-hidden and defensible! They're also full of secret passages and -"

"So," Itachi said, and he didn't raise his voice but still pulled their attention back to him, "what you're saying is that by giving your mindscape metaphysical shape using chakra, you've made it so that you could fight off things others could not, but also created an unexpected problem in the face of those attacks. If the person attacking you is strong enough to do damage, you cannot just think it away - that damage has an almost physical form that must be repaired."

Mayu blinked at him - he sure was fast on the uptake. "Well - yes. And for the most part, it is repaired, though I'm still working on a few weaknesses here and there. The real problem is that my psyche seems to believe I'm still under attack when I'm asleep or distracted. It's...a problem," she said with a grimace. "I'm also experiencing some mood swings and lack of control," she admitted sulkily, and Sasuke snorted. She made a rude gesture and shoved another bite of food into her mouth.

"Tell me what you're experiencing, exactly," Itachi demanded, so she detailed the tremors and phantom whisperings she was hearing in her sleep, or when she got too relaxed. Sasuke's lips were pinched at the end, and she couldn't help but feel a little warm and fuzzy at his worry.

"So the problem is," Itachi said slowly, "that the damage was so severe you're experiencing...echoes of it in your mind. Understandable, from your descriptions of the attack. Also, while your...mindcave...makes you less susceptible to the long-term effects of emotional trauma, I'm guessing you're still working through that part of it, as well. Somebody who values her mind and autonomy so fiercely would probably find such an attack more disturbing than others would," he said mildly, and she looked away.

"May I think on this, while you shower and take a nap?" he finally said, and she raised her eyebrows at him. He met her gaze steadily, and she sighed, already knowing she'd lost, and would indeed be napping.

After her shower, she walked into her bedroom and stopped short at the sight of Sasuke seated at her desk, scowling at a scroll. "What -" she said, and he glanced at her.

"Aniki stepped out for a moment. He suggested I read in here while you nap," he muttered, and Mayu would never admit how relieved she was to hear that. The prospect of sleeping had been made worse by knowing that she was alone in the house, vulnerable to attack.

She quirked up her lips in a smile to let him know it was alright, then crawled into bed. Just talking it out with somebody made her feel more secure like there was a solution on the horizon. Mayu had always been careful with her mental health since in her memories of Before she saw what a brain like hers could do to somebody - going out and dragging her uncle from drug houses was one of the most horrifying things she'd experienced in either life. The thought that she was so close to losing it now...well, it was just unacceptable.

"Itachi-nii will come up with something," Sasuke said suddenly, and she glanced at his stiff posture. "So don't worry so much."

Mayu made a sound of agreement and fell asleep to the sound of rustling paper and Sasuke's steady breathing. When she awoke with a start, it was getting dark, and she could smell dinner cooking and the quiet rise and fall of voices below. With a yawn, she stood and stretched, feeling better despite waking to the feeling of her mind shaking apart again.

Sighing, she shuffled down to the kitchen, expecting to find Sasuke and Itachi. They were there, but also present, sitting at the table looking exhausted, was her father. She cheered up at the sight of him and scurried over to fling herself at him.

"Papa!" she said happily, and he let out a huff of laughter before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap, unconcerned with the fact that the heir to the Uchiha clan was five feet away making rice balls, and that she really was getting too old for this.

"Mayu-chan," he said gruffly, and she let out a little puff of air at how hard he was hugging her. "Akinobu-san stopped by my office today," he muttered into her ear, and she deflated.

"Please don't lecture me," she said in a small voice. "Sasuke already did, and it was very effective." Her teammate grumbled from where he was sitting across the table, and Shikaku chuckled.

"I wasn't going to. Itachi-san said you spoke with him about it, though he wouldn't reveal what you said," and she realized he sounded hurt.

"Oh! Well, I didn't mean to keep it a secret from you," she said softly into his shoulder. "I just didn't want to bother you...you've been so busy that you aren't even coming home..."

"I'm never too busy for you," he chided gently, and she smiled a bit.

"It's okay, Itachi-sempai, we can talk about it in front of dad," she said to the man, who hummed in acknowledgment before bringing the food to the table. Mayu reluctantly slipped into the chair next to Shikaku.

"Is this your mom's recipe?" she asked excitedly. "I love Mikoto-sama's rice balls!"

Itachi nodded his head before sliding into an empty chair and serving himself some food.

"This is very good, Itachi-san," Shikaku said in some surprise. "I have to thank you for taking care of Mayu-chan. You too, Sasuke-kun," he said.

"It was no trouble, Shikaku-sama," Itachi said serenely. "My family and I consider Mayu to be our responsibility, as well."

"You'll find it's a heavy burden," Shikaku said faux-seriously, and Mayu elbowed him.

"I've thought about a solution to your problem," Itachi said once they had all filled up on rice balls. "I have already taken some steps for you, I hope you don't mind. I thought that you might favor expediency."

Shikaku's eyes narrowed, and Mayu shifted in her seat. "No, that's fine Itachi-san. Sasuke trusts you, so...that's enough for me," she said firmly. Of course, her own deductive reasoning also told her Itachi would be as good as his word, to the extent any shinobi was.

"What problem is that?" Shikaku asked, leaning back casually in his chair. Mayu winced and gave Itachi a pleading look. She didn't think she could tell her father what she'd been going through the past few weeks without breaking down. He pursed his lips, but calmly laid out the situation for Shikaku as though giving a report.

Mayu stared down at her plate as her father stiffened next to her. "Mayu-chan," he said in a calm, even tone that told her he was barely keeping his emotions in check. "I want you to know, that if you're ever going through something like this again, you can come to me. I don't care if the village is on fire around us, do you understand?"

She glanced over and saw him looking at her with such intensity that she nodded without hesitation. "Yes, I promise," she whispered, relaxing a bit at his declaration.

"Okay, then. Itachi-san, you said you had a solution in mind?" he said gruffly, and Mayu hesitated for a minute before reaching over to grab his large hand with hers. He relaxed minutely and shot her a little half smile.

"Yes. I went and spoke with Inoichi today," Itachi said, ignoring the way Mayu's eyes widened. "I explained that Mayu probably wouldn't feel comfortable with somebody from the Yamanaka clan right now, due to her trauma, and he agreed to assign her a non-clan member for her sessions." Mayu relaxed a bit. "I would suggest Mayu utilize this person to discuss the lingering effects of trauma that are not directly related to her secret technique. I also told him you were having trouble sleeping, and he supplied me with pills to assist you while we work on the underlying problem."

He stared hard at her when Mayu went to protest, and she shrunk back.  _Scary_. "You cannot be expected to face any problem rationally on little to no sleep," he said. "This is a temporary measure, be assured. Inoichi made it clear that she shouldn't be sleeping in an empty house while using sleeping pills for security reasons. If you are amenable, she can come and stay with us on the nights you and Yoshino-san are unavailable. I understand you've both been spending most of your nights at work," he said to Shikaku without censure.

Shikaku ran his hand down his face and tilted his head in a nod. "Tonight I'll be here," he said firmly, "and I'll talk to Yoshino to see what her schedule's like. But I believe there will be a few more nights where we're out," he admitted. "So that would be appreciated." Mayu scowled at them for talking about her schedule as if she weren't there, and Sasuke smirked at her.

"I also had a thought on convincing your mind that it is no longer in danger," Itachi continued, and Mayu perked up. If she could deal with that underlying problem, the rest of her issues would become moot. "I have worked with shinobi before who struggled with similar issues - the subconscious belief that they were always in danger after returning from difficult experiences. One practice that seemed effective was the use of affirmations."

Mayu raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You want me to give myself pep talks in the mirror every morning?" she asked dryly, and Sasuke snickered.

"You are bold, you are beautiful, you are perfect!" he said, and Mayu threw a rice ball at him. Itachi sighed, waiting for them to calm down before continuing.

"No. I want you to affirm that you're safe, and no longer under attack, while...weaving chakra into your mindscape. From what you said, that's an almost-daily activity. If Orochimaru is able to push his consciousness, or some part of it, into his chakra and transfer it into somebody else's thoughts..."

"Oh!" Mayu said and slapped a hand to her forehead. "You think I can do the same, but to myself. That's - that's brilliant!" she said. "Itachi-sempai, you're so smart!"

Shikaku sighed. "Mayu-chan, don't let Shikamaru hear you talking that way, he'll get jealous."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose, and Mayu stuck her tongue out at her father. After some more discussion, Itachi solemnly told her the date and time of her appointment with her new therapist and handed Shikaku the bottle of sleeping pills.

"Perhaps you would like to spend the day at the Uchiha compound tomorrow," Itachi said. "Sasuke and I will be training, but you could work on your projects out in the sun."

"Won't I be interfering with your super-secret training?" she asked.

"I am not stupid enough to believe that there will be any secrets on your team after this," Itachi said, and she blinked at him before exchanging a look with Sasuke.

That night after the Uchiha brothers left, Shikaku fussed at her a bit before tucking her into bed, watching with sharp eyes as she swallowed down the sleeping pill. "Do you ever regret it?" she mumbled at him as her eyes grew heavy.

"Regret what?" he asked as he adjusted her blankets.

"Taking me in...I know I'm kind of a pain, with the experiments and the constantly getting into trouble..." she broke off on a yawn.

"Never," he said gently. "None of us could ever regret you, Mayu-chan. Now go to sleep, I'll see you in the morning, okay?" and he sat down on the bed next to her until she fell asleep.

The next few days were spent either running verbal circles around her assigned therapist until the woman was gazing at her with soft doe eyes and writing reports about her brave recovery from her terrible mental trauma, meditating in a tree while Sasuke's brother kicked him around a training ground, and fiddling with some of her projects on her front porch.

Three days into her 'affirmation therapy' Mayu had to admit it was working. That might have something to do with actually getting some sleep and eating, as well. The sleeping pills kept her from dreaming, even if she did wake up feeling groggy and hungover. On the fourth night, she skipped the pill and slept the full night without a problem. Shikaku gave her a relieved smile when she reported into him and walked her to the woodshop for the first time since Akinobu kicked her out after extracting a promise that she'd stop to eat her bento and be home that evening.

Akinobu glared at her for a bit but seemed to calm down after she slipped a new schematic onto his desk when he left for lunch. It was the closest to a heartfelt conversation they'd ever get, but that was fine - he knew it was an apology, and she knew she'd been forgiven. Rika-sempai was as enthusiastic as ever and had even been working on a few of the pieces Mayu had abandoned when she'd been thrown out the last time she had been there.

Kiba stopped by that evening to see her, giving her a huge hug and putting Akamaru into her lap for some cuddle time. Hinata was trailing behind him, looking unsure of her welcome until Mayu smiled and offered her some tea.

"Sorry we didn't stop by before - Shino and I've been busy helping with repairs, and Hinata's been stuck in physical therapy," he explained.

Mayu waved that off, and they spent the next hour chatting about what she'd missed while in her coma, and Hinata's recovery.

"I can get back to training, now," the shy girl admitted quietly, "though Kurenai has been out on missions, so I don't know when she'll have time. Lee-san's sensei offered to help me since he's staying in-village as a Hokage's guard, but..."

"She's a little shy 'bout goin' on her own," Kiba said, patting her gently - for him - on the arm, "and Shino and I are too busy. I know ya got the same problem as Hinata and Lee, so I thought maybe you'd wanna go. Their sensei is crazy, but if you wanna get into shape fast, he's good for it."

Mayu blinked at them for a minute, taking in Kiba's pleading posture. He really needed her to help Hinata out, who for some reason seemed comfortable around her. Fighting through enemy forces while wearing hospital gowns must be a bonding experience. "Well...I am getting tired of sitting around," she said slowly and was rewarded with a smile and slap on the back from Kiba and a bark from Akamaru.

"Great! Lee's team meets at sunrise in training ground eleven," he said cheerfully.

"Um, I could come and pick you up?" Hinata said in a timid voice, as though bracing for rejection. "We could walk together."

Mayu shrugged. "Sure." From the slightly guilty looks on their faces, she was guessing that whoever Lee's sensei was, he was more than just a little crazy.

000

Mayu lay on the ground, gasping for air and regretting everything. Hinata wasn't doing much better, though she was somehow looking noble and lady-like about it. Team Gai was still going strong, all of them counting off pushups as their sensei stood on a training post, the sun rising behind him and reflecting off his unnaturally shiny hair.

"My team! I am so proud of your Most Youthful Endeavor to help Lee and his bosom companions, made in his time of need, recover from their Harrowing Experiences and once again become as strong in body as they are in spirit!" he yelled to the sky.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted from where he was on his three hundredth push-up. His eyes were glittering with tears and there was a look of fierce determination on his face. "If my bosom companions and I do not recover our youthful vigor within one month, we will run around the village with our legs tied together one hundred times!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

The student and teacher fell together into manly tears, and Mayu gave Hinata a wide-eyed, terrified look. She would protest Lee's declaration, she really would, but she didn't have the air to spare. The girl was suddenly, intensely thankful for her team, strange porn-reading sensei, emotionally stunted boys, and all. Hinata was obviously having similar thoughts.

One thing she had to say about Team Gai, though - they were all in insanely good shape. Even the kunoichi, TenTen, was still going strong on her pushups. Through the disturbingly thin material of Gai and Lee's jumpsuits, she could see their muscle definition, especially on Gai. The man was a tank, and surprisingly spry. He was also extremely enthusiastic, and when Hinata had bowed politely and explained why they were there, he had declared that he would help the students of his comrades while they were unable to, or swim across the pond in training ground eleven one thousand times.

He'd also called Kakashi-sensei his eternal rival, which. Huh. It would make sense that Kakashi's friends were a strange bunch, really. Gai had extricated himself from his touching scene with Lee and flounced over to them.

"Mayu-chan, Hinata-chan, now that our warmup is over, we must discuss your Goals and Dreams and identify your Style of Fighting so I may come up with the program that best fits your needs!" he gave them a thumbs up and a wide grin.

"Warm up?" Mayu said faintly.

"Yes! Don't worry, I'm sure by the end of the week you'll be able to do the full routine with my students!" Mayu blinked for a moment before sending Hinata a glare, who meeped and cringed. Well, Mayu had wanted to start training more seriously - it didn't seem to get much more serious than Gai's love of physical fitness.

"I assume Hinata's style and strengths are similar to that of Neji. NEJI!" he bellowed, and the solemn boy who was responsible for Hinata's injuries in the first place appeared next to Gai.

"Yes, sensei?" he asked seriously, eyes darting over Hinata's form as though checking that she hadn't keeled over. Mayu's teammates had told her about Naruto's fight with the Hyuuga, and from what she'd seen, his Love and Peace talk seemed to have, once again, hit its mark. The two cousins must have spoken and made up before this practice because Hinata seemed unconcerned with her cousin's presence.

"Would you be so kind as to show Hinata the exercises that I started you out within the dawn of your youthful endeavor of becoming a ninja?" he beamed at Neji, who didn't even blink at his request. Instead, he bowed to Hinata and offered her his hand. She blushed and stammered out a thank you as he hauled her up and led her serenely towards the other side of the training field.

Maito Gai's attention then focused completely on her, and Mayu had to force herself not to flinch away. "Ah...thank you again for your assistance, Gai-sensei," she said nervously and grimaced at his beaming thumbs up.

"Now, tell me about your specialties! My Eternal Rival has told me a bit about you, but I'll need a more thorough idea of your needs before we can truly begin!"

Mayu did the Nara slow blink to give herself a moment and staggered to her feet. "Well, the taijutsu I use is a family technique taught to me by my mother," she said hesitantly. "It relies on speed, flexibility, and dexterity more than power. I use puppets in tandem, though I'm in the process of...rebuilding after the attack by Orochimaru." she forced herself to say the Sannin's name without inflection, and she saw he was intrigued by the idea of a taijutsu style he hadn't encountered.

"Actually, the new puppet I'm building is a bit heavier than what I'm used to, and I plan on carrying it on my back when going into combat situations," she said. "I'm...a little concerned about the extra weight throwing off my taijutsu. I was going to speak with Kakashi-sensei about it, but..."

Gai studied her for a moment before calling Lee over. "If you would not mind, Mayu-chan, could you spar with Lee so I may see your style in action?"

Mayu brightened - she hadn't sparred in, well, months. "Sure! Just...it's been awhile Lee-san, so don't kick me through a tree, okay? I really, really don't want to go to the hospital again."

"Yosh! I will take care of you with everything I have, Mayu-chan! I am in debt to you, after all! Twice now, you have saved me from my own foolish arrogance and kept me on the path of the true ninja! I will not disappoint you!"

Mayu stared for a moment. Did he mean the time she twisted his ear before the chuunin exams and when she insisted he give an accurate report of his physical condition at the hospital? "Uh...it was no problem, really. You don't owe me anything," she said a little desperately.

"As expected, you are most Kind and Giving! It is no wonder your beloved was so upset by your convalescence!"

"My what?" she said a bit faintly, but Gai was already herding them to an open area to begin sparring. When he told them to begin, Lee seemed to disappear from her sight.

Luckily, she sparred with Yoshino enough that she reacted quickly, jumping up and into a twist, barely avoiding the kick to her side. Remembering how powerful Lee's hits were, she spun out of the way when he sent a punch flying towards her stomach instead of blocking. When he followed up with another punch, she took the opportunity to grab his hand and throwing him over her shoulder.

He easily righted himself in midair and landed on his feet, beaming and exclaiming on her Youthfulness. It only took him about two minutes to subdue her, and she scowled from where she was lying facedown on the ground with her arm twisted behind her back. "Yield," she said with a sigh, and he let her go and then helped her stand. She put her hands on her knees and fought off dizziness and frustration.

"This is such a drag," she said, temper flaring. Her mood swings had improved the past few days, but it's not like patience was ever a strong suit of hers, anyway. "The next time I see Orochimaru, he's getting a face full of acid."

"Your enthusiasm is truly inspiring!" Gai boomed from next to her, and she flinched. "I must say, your fighting technique is very graceful and beautiful. Perhaps you could tell me more about it while we rest in the shade! Lee - go get Mayu some water!"

"Yes, sensei!" the boy said with such determination that you'd think Gai had asked him to go out and defeat Orochimaru for her.

Gai and Lee listened with enthusiasm as she told him about the Hashino Deadly Dance Style. "Right now, I'm on stage four. Mom said I was almost ready for stage five before I was injured. I'll need to get back up to speed, first," she said, then hesitated before sharing the next bit. "She said she only perfected through stage four before her grandmother died, though. We're going to look over the scroll together to try and continue it, but," she shrugged helplessly and Gai looked thoughtful.

"Perhaps your mother would be willing to converse with me on the topic of this Deadly Dance Style! It is my goal to learn as many styles of taijutsu as I can, and my student Lee shares this dream!" he declared.

"You'd have to ask her - it's a family technique, but, since she's the last blooded Hashino..." Mayu bit her lip as she thought about it. "She might be willing to let you take a look in exchange for your help, but I'll have to ask. Right now she's really busy at the hospital - we lost a lot of medics the day of the attack," she said, and Gai nodded solemnly.

"Lee-san, I assume you remember your speed training that we began upon your induction as my student?" he boomed, done with the sad subject matter.

Lee straightened comically. "Yes, Sensei!"

"Then I leave it to you to instruct Mayu-chan! We must build up her speed and strength without taking away her flexibility and fleetness of foot!" he declared, and Mayu resisted the urge to groan at the thought of more exercise. She really hoped Kakashi-sensei returned soon.

Gai released them an hour and a half later, cheerfully instructing Hinata and Mayu to return the same time the next day. Sweaty and exhausted, Mayu showered and collapsed on the couch for a nap before heading to Akinobu's shop. Her month was almost up, after all, and she really, really wanted something to show for it.

The next morning Gai cheerfully presented her with a black, slim vest with square pockets littered throughout and a stack of palm-sized metal disks that were surprisingly heavy. "I have brought you this weighted vest!" he said cheerfully. "You are to wear it at all times, and eventually the extra weight of your puppets will be nothing! We will slowly add weight to this every three days," he said as he bullied her into it over her tunic.

"Uh," she said as she staggered a little under the added weight on already-sore muscles.

"Do not worry! By slowly adding these disks and creating a training program that focuses on speed, flexibility, and dexterity, we should continue to hit the Right Balance so that you may master the style of fighting your family was once famous for!" he declared, and sparkles appeared around his head.

Feeling oddly touched by the thought he'd obviously put into her dilemma, she found herself beaming at him. "Thanks, Gai-sensei! Um, how much did the vest cost? I don't have money on me, but as soon as I see one of my parents..."

"Nonsense! Lee has spoken to me about how you saved him from disgracing himself with the Power of Your Words and Conviction! Consider this a thank you gift for teaching him such important lessons, and for guarding him fiercely as you bravely fought your way through the hospital!"

"Uh...that's not necessary..." she said faintly, but he would hear no more of it, and she finally gave up.

Yoshino and Shikaku both came home that night and took in the vest, new bruises, and smiling face of their daughter. She sat them down and went about making dinner, chattering on about Gai-sensei and his team and her new training regime as she did so.

"Mom, did you know he's a taijutsu specialist? Lee told me he's perfected over one hundred and fifty styles! I told him about the problem we ran into with the stages, and he said he'd be willing to help us out, just for the chance to learn something new. I told him it was up to you..."

They both nodded along, and Mayu ignored the palpable air of relief floating around them at her recovery. After she'd gotten ahold of her downward spiral and used Itachi's idea of weaving reassurances into her chakra construct in her mindscape, things had improved quickly. She had forgotten exactly how powerful her mind could be for a while there. Mycroft had been careful to impress the importance of maintaining her mental health onto Diana Holmes, but between the emotional trauma and the actual destruction Orochimaru had wrought on her mind, she'd lost the plot a little.

Oh, well, you live and you learn. Next time she wouldn't wait so long to seek help. The therapist had been completely useless, of course, but Mayu knew it would take a greater mind than what they threw at her to crack through her misdirection. Luckily Itachi-sempai was actually the genuine genius the village hailed him as.

"Things are calming down a bit at the hospital," Yoshino admitted. "I should be back to a normal schedule soon, so I can help out more with your training. I'm sorry I've been so unavailable. Maybe I should have waited until you and Shika were both chunin to go back to work."

Mayu rolled her eyes as both her parents hunched over, looking horribly guilty. "Mom, you said yourself that's what my genin team is for. Sasuke and Itachi-sempai were able to help me just fine, and Gai-sensei doesn't seem to mind taking me on. I think he might be a little bit in love with Kakashi-sensei, not that I blame him. Sensei's pretty dreamy."

Shikaku choked on his tea and Yoshino let out a bark of surprised laughter. "What? He's much too old for me, plus I'm pretty sure he has a crush on Ensui-niisan ever since he punched him in the face. There's just no competing with that," she said cheerfully before shoving rice in her mouth and watching Shikaku lose all the color in his face at the thought of Kakashi violating his poor little brother. She decided not to mention that she'd caught Ensui checking out her sensei when he came to pick her up from practice one day. She'd save that for the next time she needed to distract them.

000

"Shika!" Mayu launched herself off the front porch where she'd been playing shogi with Sasuke and slammed into the dirty, bedraggled Nara, her weight combined with the extra pull from the vest sending them crashing to the ground.

"Mayu," he wheezed, and she wiggled up to inspect his face, which was dirty and a little leaner than usual, sharp eyes looking for injury. She squeaked when he grabbed her and pulled her down for a hug and then relaxed into it. "My Mayu," he muttered into her hair, and her breath caught. He'd said the same thing when he'd seen her for the first time after she awoke from her coma, but she wasn't sure that he'd even realized he was doing it.

"Yeah," she agreed after a few beats, and shoved her nose into his neck, pouting when she realized the spicy scent from the Nara soaps was missing after so long on the road. "You need a shower," she muttered, and he chuckled. After a few beats, he gently pushed her back so he could sit up.

"You look better," he drawled, ignoring the face Sasuke was making in their direction. "Where were you last time I came home?"

Wincing at the accusatory tone, she shrugged and looked away. "I was having some trouble sleeping -" Sasuke snorted and she stopped to stick her tongue out at him, "-so I was at Akinobu-sensei's shop. I'm better now, though!"

The two boys exchanged a look that Mayu figured communicated their intention to gossip about her later, and she rolled her eyes and pulled Shikamaru inside. Sasuke excused himself to go home, and Mayu started putting together dinner while Shikamaru showered.

By the time he came back downstairs, both Yoshino and Shikaku were home, and Mayu found she couldn't stop smiling all night. It was good to have her whole family in one place again. Even if they insisted on lecturing her about her sleeping habits and diet.

"I have four days off," Shikamaru drawled when his mother asked. "And then I'm to report into Intelligence. I'll be doing missions with Team Ten as well as that rotation."

Shikaku ruffled his hair. "I'm proud of you," he said and Mayu and Yoshino both nodded.

"So what's up with the extra weight?" Shikamaru asked, gesturing to her vest, and Mayu went over the training regime Gai was putting her through.

"Mom, that reminds me - can I invite Gai-sensei over for dinner tomorrow night to talk about the Deadly Dancing Style?" Mayu asked.

Yoshino leaned back thoughtfully. "You know, I never even considered asking a taijutsu expert for help mastering the rest. I think...if he agrees to keep the style to himself and possibly one student, that would be...acceptable. It's better than letting it die out, anyway," she said with a small shrug.

Gai did indeed agree to help Yoshino out, with the stipulation that he would teach Lee as well after Mayu passed the chunin exams. Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at Mayu as if to say  _you're really going to do this?_ She just shrugged back - she actually liked Gai, he was one of the strongest and weirdest shinobi in the village, and she just had to respect that.

She and Shikamaru spent a full day and a half lazing around until Ino and Chouji showed up to bully him into a team practice, and Mayu returned to working at the wood shop in between practices with Gai. After just two weeks, she could already feel the difference in her strength, and it made her almost giddy. That evening Pakkun showed up with a message letting her know that team practice would reconvene in two days.

"Oh no! I have so much to finish before Naruto and Kakashi-sensei come home!" she yelled and stood up from her half-finished dinner. "Bye mom, Shika - I'm going to spend a few hours at Akinobu's!" She ignored their protests as she darted off.

The next morning, after waking up draped over her completed puppet, she wiped the drool off of it and stood back. "Oh, you're beautiful," she whispered and extended her chakra threads.

Shikaku received various reports that day of his daughter slowly walking through the Nara compound, face scrunched up in concentration, with a large armored spider that stood to mid-thigh skittering next to her like some disturbing pet. Akinobu's whole shop walked around looking smug - after all, they'd all pitched in to help the girl that they kind-of-sort-of considered their shinobi mascot build up her puppet arsenal again. Rika-sempai even shed a few tears, patting the spider on the head and bidding it a fond farewell.

Mayu took a nap when she came home, leaving Junior crouched in the living room downstairs, where he startled each of her family members in turn as they returned home for the evening.

When Kakashi cheerfully appeared only an hour late to practice the next morning - after all, he had missed his cute little genin - he drew up short at the site of what used to be a very nice clearing for sparring. Now, it was covered in craters and blown up bits of targets. And...some sort of twisted hunk of metal.

"Okay, Shika, I made these just for you!" Mayu's cheerful voice said, and he held back a groan at the sight of his students plus the youngest Nara standing calmly amidst the destruction. Kakashi was going to be in so much trouble for this. Mayu was holding up what looked like a cylinder in the boy's direction, and the copy-nin slumped at the excitement in her voice. Usually, anything that made Mayu excited was bad news for the terrain.

"It's a flash-bomb! You don't want to look right at it, but it'll light up an area for five seconds. I thought it'd be useful when you need to create and move a shadow  _quickly_ in low lighting. Naruto, can -"

"You got it, Mayu-chan!" a clone appeared and grabbed the flash bomb from Mayu than took off across the field before pulling what looked like a thin piece of metal from the top. Seconds later, a large flash of light engulfed the field, and Kakashi was forced to squint his eye shut against it even in the afternoon sun.

When he looked over again, she was beaming up at the Nara, who was giving her a soft smile that Kakashi had never actually seen on a biological member of that particular clan before. It was so disturbing that he had to put a stop to it immediately. Nobody should be staring at his cute little student like that!

"Shikamaru-kun, I didn't know you were part of Team Seven now," he said as he cheerfully appeared next to them. His plan to intimidate the boy was completely thwarted when two of his three students almost knocked him over with the force of their enthusiastic hugs.

"Kakashi-sensei! I missed you!" Naruto yelled, and he had to admit something softened in his chest when Mayu and Naruto released him. Even Sasuke looked pleased to see him. "Ah, my students! Look at you, still alive after a whole month without me here to bail you out of trouble. I'm so proud."

Ah, there were those sweet little glares he'd missed so much. "Though I see you still had to cause trouble, but one step at a time," he said, gesturing to the training ground. Mayu's eyes lit up, and she bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly for a moment.

"Sensei! You have to see what I made for us. Well, for us and Shika's team. And Team Gai, too, since they've been helping me -" her voice became muffled as she shoved half her upper body into a large bag to rummage around until she came out holding up another cylindrical shaped black tube in the air in triumph. Kakashi snatched it out of her hand to examine it, and Sasuke twitched towards him in alarm.

"Uh, sensei, don't pull the pin at the top, okay?" Naruto said with a nervous laugh, and Kakashi raised his eyebrow as Shikamaru mumbled something about 'learning the hard way.'

With a sigh, he tossed it to Sasuke, whose eyes widened. "Well, show me how it works," Kakashi said cheerfully.

Mayu motioned for Sasuke to go ahead, and the boy shrugged, then tugged the long piece of metal twisted into a loop at one end out of the top and turned and threw it about twenty feet away. Mayu had started counting down under her breath. "Five, four, three, two, one..." all of the children solemnly covered their ears, and a moment later Kakashi realized why as the cylinder exploded with a huge  _boom_ , sending dirt and clumps of grass sailing through the air. When the smoke had cleared and his ears had stopped ringing, there was a new crater about five feet in diameter in the training field, and Mayu was looking smug.

"They're called grenades, and there's no chakra required," she said. "It's all chemical." then she turned wide expectant eyes on him, and he had to fight through his shock to pat her on the head.

"Ah, Mayu, that's very destructive."

She beamed at him, and Shikamaru sighed. Kakashi smiled at his team. It was good to be home.

Kakashi finally calmed them down enough to sit in the shade under the branches of a large tree away from the destruction. Shikamaru had slouched off soon after he arrived, citing his own team practice he needed to get to. Currently, he was listening to Naruto's retelling of his month.

"He made me meditate  _all the time_ ," he was saying, looking put out. "And he constantly ran off to do 'research,' whatever that means. But eventually, I made him teach me a cool jutsu! I learned it, like, super fast," he bragged.

"Well, let's see it, then," Kakashi said lazily, and Naruto jumped up, making a familiar sign, and two shadow clones popped into existence beside him. He then held his hand out to the side, and his clones worked their hands over his, faces lined in concentration, and Mayu leaned forward in interest as a whirling ball of chakra appeared in his palm. Then he turned to a tree, and slammed his hand into it, yelling " _Rasengan_!" Mayu's jaw dropped as the tree exploded outward.

"Woah," she said, and looked over at Kakashi, who looked a bit like he'd been punched in the gut.

"Pervy Sage said that the Fourth Hokage created that and that it was super impressed that I learned it in a month," he said smugly.

"That's...very good, Naruto," Kakashi-sensei said, voice subdued, and Mayu agreed and began enthusiastically asking questions about the process, Sasuke listening avidly, to cover for her sensei's odd mood.  _Poor sensei,_ she thought and leaned into him a bit to offer comfort.

"Okay!" he said when he'd recovered. "Sasuke, how was your training?"

The boy shrugged. "I've adjusted to the mature Sharingan," he said. "Itachi and my father also taught me an evolved form of our clan's taijutsu style to compensate for how much faster my body will want to move in response to being able to judge my opponent's movements more effectively. I've also been working on increasing my speed and dexterity in general. Itachi worked with me on incorporating ninja wire into our clan's fire jutsu, and taught me the Great Fire Dragon." he said the last a little smugly, and Mayu couldn't really blame him. That was an impressive list.

"Show us!" Naruto breathed in excitement, and Mayu nodded enthusiastically. They watched the huge dragon made of fire tear across the training grounds in awe after Sasuke stood and nonchalantly went through the signs before expelling a monster of flame from his mouth.

"Your clan is so cool," Mayu breathed after he sat down, and he smirked.

"Well," Kakashi said, "as always, your brother was thorough in his task. That's very impressive, Sasuke-kun - the only other Uchiha I've known besides Itachi to master that jutsu at your age was Shisui-san."

"You and Naruto are going to be so scary!" Mayu said, eyes glinting in glee.

Kakashi gave a pointed look around the field. "I'd say they aren't the only ones, Mayu-chan," he said wryly, and to his amusement she blushed and looked down, playing with the grass. He'd heard some disturbing reports about his female student's mental and physical health this past month, but she seemed to be recovering well enough. "Well, it's your turn. What have you been up to this month other than creating explosive devices and presents for Shikamaru-kun?"

She brightened, then stood and stepped back a few paces. "Oh! I learned metalworking, sensei! And I built a combat puppet and - here, let me show you." With a flick of her wrist one of the scrolls from her carousel unrolled, and she easily ran her thumb along the length, pumping chakra into it until with a poof of smoke her puppet appeared in midair. She quickly extended four strings from each hand to grab ahold of it and lower it carefully to the ground in a ready position, flicking the scroll in the carousel so it neatly rolled back up again. It was possible she spent a full sleepless night practicing that trick. Maybe. In any case, her teammates looked suitably impressed with it, and with her puppet.

"This is Bukimi Junior, but I just call him Bukimi or Junior," she said, patting its head. "He's pretty heavy, but Gai-sensei has been helping me build strength without sacrificing speed by slowly adding weights to this vest every day, so soon I'll be able to carry him on my back when going into combat situations," she said cheerfully, pulling at the edge of the black weighted vest.

"Ah, Mayu-chan, that's very...terrifying," Kakashi said faintly, leaning away from the huge arachnid prancing around the grass in front of its mistress.

"You think so?" she said shyly, pleased. "Do you want to see what he does?" Without waiting for an answer, she moved out to the middle of the field. "Naruto, can you make some clones?"

Three clones charged her, and with a look on concentration from his mistress, Junior jumped straight into the fray. With a movement of her finger, wicked looking blades extended from the first joint on all of its eight legs, and Junior went into a spin, cutting through two of the clones with the extended blades before the third jumped back. Before the clone could recover, Junior landed lightly on the ground. It then spun to face the clone, and with another small movement from Mayu, a hail of senbon flew from four of its eight eye sockets, piercing and dispelling it.

"Hey, that worked better than I thought it would!" she cheered. "Those senbon are coated in a paralytic. He also shoots powdered poison from three of his eyes at enemies. The metal casing on his back and head will act as a shield both for him and me," she said distractedly as she resealed him in the scroll. "Oh! And, you guys, I realized I'm an idiot," she said, face falling into annoyance. "When I went to the Puppet Fair in Suna, the puppets in the tournament fights were able to take hits without completely falling apart like my puppets do. I had thought it was something wrong with my craftsmanship, but then I realized as I was looking at different chakra conductive woods, that I had it all wrong. They're  _chakra conductive_!" she said in exasperation, throwing her hands up and looking at them expectantly.

"Uh, so?" Naruto said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Mayu huffed. "Naruto, why are our bodies able to take hits that would shatter the bones of civilians without more than a bruise?"

Kakashi straightened. "Ah. I see. Hmm."

"What! See what?" Naruto demanded as Sasuke hummed in recognition as well.

"Idiot. We're able to take more damage because we instinctively feed chakra into the spot we're about to be hit to strengthen it. So, she just needs to create a barrier with chakra on her puppets to protect them, as well." Sasuke explained.

"Right! I can't believe I didn't see that," Mayu said, and pouted. "Poor Bukimi and Baru and Kichi. If I had realized earlier..."

"They still would have been destroyed," Kakashi said dismissively. "Orochimaru is an S-class criminal, one hit from him probably would have shattered them despite the chakra feed."

Mayu looked down at her hands and swallowed. "Yeah," she agreed. A hand landed on her shoulder and she glanced over at Sasuke, who was giving her a steady look. With a deep breath, she shook off her melancholy and gave him a small thankful nod.

"Anyway, I think I'll need to work on that...if you guys are willing to help me out," she said a little shyly.

"You can count on us!" Naruto said with a grin, and Sasuke and Kakashi both grunted in agreement.

"I haven't done much physical training since I was recovering," Mayu said with a shrug, "but Gai-sensei was already helping Lee and Hinata with building their physical fitness back up after long hospital stays, so he helped me, too. He's also working with mom on the Hashino Deadly Dance Style - he thinks he can learn it and then help me get to the next stage," she said, then did a double take at Kakashi's slumped form.

"Kakashi-sensei? Are you okay?" she asked.

"My students all replaced me so easily," he said mournfully.

"What! We didn't replace you!" Naruto said, looking horrified.

"I left for a month, and when I came back you'd already found somebody you like better than me," Kakashi said dramatically, and Mayu and Sasuke did identical eye rolls as Naruto fluttered around their pouting sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei, we may have gotten some specialized help, but you're our sensei and team leader, and we really need your help with training," Mayu said firmly. "Papa is helping me with capture and interrogation, and Gai-sensei is helping mom and me with our family style, but you're who we need to teach us to function as a team. Also, Itachi-sempai said that I need to master  _at least_ two elemental techniques to be considered for the MPF, and I know that tracking will be useful too. Sasuke is really good at learning new jutsu - if you focused on how to memorize and copy jutsu, I know he'll do your legacy as the copy-nin justice! And Naruto -"

"Yes, Mayu, thank you," he said, amused. "Stop taking the wind out of my sails and let me tell you my training plans for you, hmm?"

"Well, if you'd just get to the point," she muttered with a sniff.

"Well then! We have eight months until the next chuunin exam -" Kakashi began, and was cut off by Naruto's protests. "Naruto, there was a bit of a problem with the exam schedule. Kiri historically would be next, but as they've shut down their borders, Hot Water village ended up being the host ahead of schedule. To keep from putting too much pressure on them, as they're a smaller village, they were given an extra three months - so, there are nine months between exams this time instead of six." he ignored Naruto's pouting and Sasuke's glowering and continued. "So, I've decided on a training and missions schedule that should benefit all of you. I suspect you'll be a little overpowered for the chunin exams, but probably all of the villages will have the same issue, so it should still be a fair fight."

Mayu hummed thoughtfully. "Plus, while we're genin we'll have more time and attention from a strong sensei to start specializing and increasing our strength. If you aren't worried about actual ranks, doing it this way is better for our growth in the long run."

Kakashi nodded happily. "Plus, you get to spend more time with me."

"So what is this training schedule?" Sasuke said suspiciously, and Kakashi beamed at him.

"Well, I think we can all agree that we're good enough to do mostly C-ranks now. We'll take one or two a week on average, give or take depending on the length of missions. Three days a week we'll do team practice in the mornings. We'll focus on team formations and mastering elemental affinities. In the afternoons, I'll switch off doing individual training - Mayu in tracking and her puppetry, Sasuke in jutsu copying and creation, and Naruto in a mix of trap setting and learning new jutsu. Outside of your time spent with me, you all need to keep up with your own training routines, as you did this month. Mayu with Gai and Yoshino, Sasuke with his family, and Naruto - keep up with the meditation exercises Jiraiya taught you, and Yoshino said she'd work with you once a week on the taijutsu style she is teaching you. I'll join you for awhile so I can work with you on it, as well. I'm also familiar with the style."

Mayu hummed. "I also need to spend time in the lab and shop. I have some gadgets I was hoping you'd look over, sensei," she said seriously. "And...if you're interested, I can keep making grenades and smoke bombs and such for our team, but I might need some help purchasing supplies."

"We use them in a lot of our formations," Sasuke said, "and all of us use them in our personal arsenals as well. Even Itachi-niisan was impressed."

"I used your smoke bombs a few times this month, and my team was very jealous," Kakashi said smugly, and Mayu's cheeks flushed with pleasure at their praise. "I would suggest that we create an account for team expenses - we could put a portion of our mission pay into it that Mayu-chan could pull from."

"Mayu shouldn't have to contribute money to that since she puts in all that time!" Naruto said, and Mayu scowled.

"No, you guys put in a lot of extra time helping me with my puppetry - we should all contribute to the fund equally," she said, narrowing her eyes. They squabbled for a bit, but Mayu wouldn't be moved, so instead, Sasuke and Naruto agreed to spend half a day a week assisting Mayu in puppet practice.

Once that was decided, Kakashi declared their meeting over and told them to show up at the gates ready for a two-day courier mission at dawn. "Naruto," Mayu said before they could part for the day. "Is Jiraiya sticking around to train you for a while?"

He shrugged. "I don't know - he travels a lot, but he said he was here for a month or so to help Granny Tsunade out with something. Why?"

She met his eyes firmly. "What do you know about the Uzumaki clan?"

"I have a clan?" he said, and she winced.

"They were...mostly wiped out when the Village Hidden in the Whirlpool fell. But, Naruto, they were known for their seal work. Famous for it, actually." Mayu said.

"Seals...what, like the scrolls and explosive tags you make?" he asked, expression suddenly intense.

"I mean, that's basically beginners stuff. With sealing you can do a lot of amazing things. And your clan were naturals at it, partly due to their large chakra stores. Naruto," she said, meeting his eyes squarely, "Jiraiya is a seal master. You should ask him to teach you - it's practically your birthright."  _Also, your father was a genius at them_ , she didn't say.

Sasuke made an interested noise, and Naruto got that determined glint in his eyes that Mayu knew meant that no just wasn't an answer he'd accept. He nodded firmly. "I will. Thanks, Mayu-chan." he then gave her his brightest smile, and she couldn't help but return it as something in her that had been wound tight since she awoke in the hospital loosened. It was good to have her team back.

000

Two weeks later, Inoichi had declared Mayu free of Orochimaru's influence after a few awkward sessions. Her therapist had insisted that they avoid any mind walking from the Yamanaka clan so as not to trigger Mayu's trauma. With some pressure from Itachi and Shikaku, and what Mayu assumed was reassurances of her sanity by Gai and Kakashi, Tsunade reluctantly agreed. Mayu was relieved, but also a little horrified at the huge breach of security that she was. Oh, well.

They had just returned from their second courier mission after Team Seven was reunited, and Mayu and Sasuke were arguing. "You burnt the leg off my puppet!" she yelled.

"I was saving your ass," he replied with a sniff, and she stomped her foot.

"You broke formation, and don't give me that bullshit excuse about your  _magic eyes_ seeing something I couldn't. This is your fault, and you're buying the materials I need to fix poor Bukimi Junior," she said with a pout.

He scoffed. "No."

With a shriek of anger - this was the third time they'd had this same conversation - she pounced on him. "You'll pay for it whether you like it or not, you peacock!"

"Get off me!" he said, pushing her away from him with a hand on her face as they wrestled on the ground.

"No! Not until you agree to pay for Junior's repairs!" She hissed, then yelped as he managed to roll them over so he was straddling her stomach.

"Ha!" She crowed as she used a chakra thread to grab his wallet from his pouch and bring it to her right hand, which she clutched protectively to her chest before he could snatch it back.

"Um, sensei, aren't you going to stop them?" Naruto asked nervously as their wrestling match devolved into a slap fight. Kakashi just hummed from behind his book, unconcerned with the scene his team was making.

"No! You can't have it!" Mayu yelled, then shrieked as he attempted to pry her fingers from his wallet.

The fight ended abruptly as Sasuke was plucked off of her by two extensions of shadows and unceremoniously tossed ten feet down the street. He managed to twist in the air and land in a defensive crouch, and for a moment everybody paused to adjust to the change in the situation.

Kakashi waved at Team Ten, who had joined them on the street, Asuma with his eyebrows raised at the student standing in front of him, looking murderous and releasing the hand signs for his shadows. The blonde girl - Mina? Tino? Whatever, Kakashi couldn't remember her name, was yelling at Shikamaru about attacking Sasuke, and Chouji looked as long-suffering as an Akimichi was capable of.

Mayu sat up, still clutching the stolen wallet to her chest, and blinked in confusion for a moment before her eyes fell upon the Nara boy. The petulant expression she'd been wearing since the unfortunate loss of Junior's limb to friendly fire dropped off her face. Her eyes widened and... glistened with tears?

"Shika!" She wailed and flew from her spot on the ground into his arms. "Sasuke burned Bukimi Junior's leg off! And now he won't agree to buy the wood to fix him." She sniffled into his chest as his expression softened and he put his arms around her.

"Is that right?" he said lightly but turned hard eyes set in a suspiciously shadowed face at Sasuke, who actually looked a little nervous. "I was wondering what possible reason he could have for attacking you unprovoked," He continued, and his expression clearly communicated  _you will regret this_ as he stared Sasuke down, who was sputtering at the word 'unprovoked.'

Mayu sniffled again and nodded. "He's been so mean to me all day," she said pitifully while sending Sasuke a smug smile from under Shikamaru's chin where he'd tucked her head.

"I'm sure he's seen the error of his ways," Shikamaru said pointedly, and Sasuke looked away with a "hn." Kakashi mentally applauded his survival instincts.

Mayu straightened up from the hug and beamed at Shikamaru, who returned her smile with that disturbing soft one of his own that no Nara should ever wear, ever.

"We were going to stop by a merchant that sells the right wood on our way to eat. Do you want to come?" Kakashi smirked a little at his book when The Eyes made an appearance and Shikamaru immediately caved.

"Sure. We were on our way to eat, too. We don't mind going with you, first." He wrapped an arm around her waist as they started down the road, impervious to Sasuke's sulking.

"We don't, huh?" Asuma said, looking highly disturbed.

"There's no fighting it, Asuma-sensei," Chouji said with a shrug. "Shikamaru never says no to Mayu. Just give in." Ino and Naruto both nodded solemnly and moved to follow, Ino grabbing a miserable-looking Sasuke's arm and dragging him along while fluttering her lashes and attempting to flirt.

Kakashi casually fell into step with Asuma, who looked like his whole worldview had changed as Mayu giggled and Shikamaru tipped his head towards her, nodding at whatever she said. "That's just..."

"Yep," Kakashi said with the air of somebody who has already lived through hell.

"Shikamaru is either surly, sleeping, or focused. He doesn't..." Asuma sputtered and waved his hands at their two students.

"Yes, well, Mayu spends most of her time setting things on fire, creating terrifying objects, and sniping at people. That kid shows up and..." Kakashi trailed off, and he shivered in tandem with the two male members of Team Seven.

Asuma lit a cigarette, then chuckled. "I don't envy Shikamaru once they get older. You, Sasuke, and Naruto will be a terrifying combination."

Kakashi stilled at the implications. "I'll kill him," He said, the air around him darkening and pulling their students' attention. He eye smiled and waved, releasing the killing intent.

"Ignore sensei, he's weird," Mayu said to Shikamaru, who was eyeing him suspiciously.

They continued on for a few minutes until they got to the section of the market that crafters frequented, and Mayu stopped suddenly in front of a stall selling instruments, her eyes widening as they fell upon something there.

Interested, Kakashi sidled closer as she ran a reverent finger down a violin displayed on the table. "This is beautiful," she said wistfully to the pleased vendor, and Shikamaru eyed her from where he was slouching, hands in his pockets.

"Do you play?" He asked, confused, and she shrugged and met his eyes, letting her hand fall back to her side.

"I used to...a long time ago," she said with a sad smile, and Shikamaru's eyes widened as he picked up on a hidden meaning to her words. "I doubt I even remember how," she said, and with one last look at the instrument continued on to a merchant two stalls down. She began bickering with the man there over prices, but Kakashi ignored that in favor of watching Shikamaru.

He could see the moment the boy made a decision, and almost rolled his eyes as he turned to the merchant and started haggling. Fifteen minutes later Mayu returned, tossing Sasuke his now-lighter wallet and carrying a bag full of what Kakashi assumed was the special chakra-conductive wood she used for her puppets.

Then, her eyes fell on the black violin case the slouching half-asleep Nara was carrying in one hand, and they jerked up to his in surprise. "Shika, you..."

The boy rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, then shrugged. "You seemed to like it, so..." as he trailed off, and as Mayu stared up at him with big eyes, Kakashi felt a little ill and also had the strange urge to say "aw" and mean it for the first time in his life.

Then, Mayu leaped across the space between them to hug Shikamaru, who looked extremely pleased with himself as she babbled on about how great he was. "But wasn't it expensive?" she finally asked, chewing on her lower lip as she leaned back to look up at him. He just shrugged and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with his free hand.

"Now that I'm a chunin, I have access to my inheritance, so it's fine," he said nonchalantly, and at this point, Ino was swooning a little at the scene. Mayu gave him her true, happy smile, the one where her eyes almost squinted shut it was so big, then leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"This is awful," Kakashi said to Asuma, who was looking a little pale. "My cute, deadly little student..."

"Think they've realized?" Asuma muttered before releasing a puff of smoke.

Kakashi waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Mayu yes - she's too in control of her own mind not to. The Nara...from what I've heard, they're kind of idiots when it comes to women or romance in general," he muttered, mind flashing to a different, older, and much more deadly Nara who seemed oblivious to Kakashi's advances.

"I should teach him some countermeasures to the Sharingan," Asuma said, eyeing Sasuke who was giving the scene in front of him a suspicious glare.

"Like it'll help him," Kakashi muttered as they finally moved towards the restaurant - an Akimichi BBQ place. When they were seated, with Kakashi and Asuma at the heads of the table, and Mayu sitting between Sasuke and Shikamaru on one side with the other three students across from them, Kakashi brought up the violin.

"There's no record of you being able to play on your genin paperwork, Mayu-chan," he said mildly, and she shrugged.

"Well, like I said, I'm not sure I even can play anymore. Also, admitting that you can play an instrument as a non-clan kunoichi is like asking to just fuck and sing for your whole career," she said, and Asuma choked on his tea and ended up spraying it across his plate, while Ino gasped in horror. Everyone else took it as a normal Mayu thing to say, though, and Kakashi just sighed.

"Mayu-chan, that's an oversimplification," he chided, and she shot him a  _you and I both know I'm right_ look. He didn't comment. A few minutes later, Kakashi's nose twitched at a familiar, spicy scent, and he forced himself to remain relaxed as Ensui sauntered over to the table.

Mayu gasped when she caught sight of him. "Ensui-niisan!" she yelled, and clambered over a disgruntled-looking Sasuke to get out from behind the table, then threw herself at the jounin for a hug.

"Hi sweetheart," he said, face softening from 'I am a killer' to 'I am fond of you,' and Kakashi had a startling realization. Mayu was like Nara-nip. They were all lazy, apathetic, and a little terrifying, but when she showed up they turned to mush. It was disgusting. Also, maybe, a little bit endearing. He wondered if there was a trick to it. Maybe he should start over-using the word 'dull.'

"You were gone for so long! Six weeks! I missed you," she said with a pout, and Ensui allowed himself to be pulled to her side of the table, where she shoved at Sasuke until he was squished up against a dozing Shikamaru, and pulled Ensui down next to her. It was a tight fit, but considering she shoved herself right up against Ensui until he was forced to put his arm around her, they made it work. Mayu flagged down a waitress as Ensui greeted the rest of the table lazily, and asked her to bring more meat over.

Mayu was in the process of peppering Ensui about his health, going so far as to gasp out a "You hurt your ribs! I can tell!" and pushing up his shirt to reveal a very well-muscled torso so she could look them over.

"Mayu-chan, stop undressing me in the restaurant," he muttered, gently slapping her hands away, then slumped when she turned wide, accusing eyes at him.

"You haven't gone to see a medic yet, have you?" she stuck her lower lip out. "What if your ribs are broken? Did you know five percent of shinobi deaths are the direct result of broken or splintered ribs? They could puncture multiple -" Ensui slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Mayu, I'll go see your mom as soon as we're done, okay?" he muttered and glared at Kakashi when he chuckled at the man's predicament.

After they were finished eating, the group stood outside the restaurant, Kakashi waiting for his genin to finish whatever whispered conversation they were having a few feet away so he could walk Naruto and Sasuke home. So he was a little paranoid after the last month, so sue him.

"How has she been, really?" Ensui rumbled into his ear, and Kakashi forced his body not to shudder and glanced over into what was probably Ensui's version of a worried face. Which still mostly looked like the face somebody would make right before they calmly ripped out your entrails.

"I was out on missions until about two weeks ago, but from what I heard, she had a hard time for awhile." Ensui slumped a little and ran a hand down his face. "If you'd like, we can go out for a drink when you're done letting your sister-in-law look over you and can talk about it," Kakashi said casually, whipping out his book and studying the page lazily.

A moment of silence, then, "No way I'm leaving my house once I get there. If you want that drink tonight, you'll have to bring it over. Two hours," he said, then ambled over to grab Mayu and Shikamaru, who appeared to be asleep where he was leaning against the wall.

"Look what Shika got me, nii-san!" Mayu was saying, holding up the violin case. Kakashi was still reeling but covered it to eye-smile down at Naruto and Sasuke, who were both grumbling about not needing a babysitter.

"Meh, it's easier to just follow you around instead of having to run to wherever you are when you get into trouble," he said lazily and grinned under his mask at their indignant sputtering. He had a feeling it was going to be a good night.

000

Kakashi woke up the next morning feeling sore in a pleasant way he hadn't experienced in far too long. He was sprawled out across a broad, bare chest, and was surrounded by that pleasant, spicy scent he'd become so fond of the past four months. A large, callused hand was resting on his hip, right above where the blankets had slipped down during the night. A memory of that hand hauling him up and backward to meet a deep thrust, from practically right where it was lying now, had him swallowing and heat crawling up his spine.

He glanced at the relaxed sleeping face of Nara Ensui, surrounded by a halo of his dark hair, and decided he wouldn't mind if Kakashi woke him up for another round.

Thirty minutes later, they lay panting next to each other, Ensui running a hand through his soft silver locks and nuzzling into his neck.

"What made you finally say yes?" Kakashi said. 

"You mean to your awkward half come-ons?" 

Kakashi glared with the eye he had open, trying not to feel too exposed as Ensui studied his bare face and traced his jaw with the pad of a finger. "Honestly, I wasn't sure they  _were_ come-ons until Mayu let something slip when she was half asleep from exhaustion after the invasion."

Kakashi sat up in alarm. "What did she say?" he asked, already sounding defeated, and Ensui let out a loud, real laugh. Kakashi jolted and stared at him, feeling a blush run up his chest to his cheeks because Ensui was incredibly handsome when he laughed.

He tugged Kakashi back down to lay next to him. "Nothing horrible - she just mentioned that you seem to enjoy the way I smell."

Kakashi groaned and buried his face into Ensui's shoulder, muffling his complaints about his nosy, all-knowing student. "So is it true?" Ensui rumbled. "Do you like the way I smell?"

Kakashi did  _not_ pout at that, he didn't. Even if they were distracted for the next ten minutes as Ensui declared he  _had_ to nibble on his lip after he stuck it out like that. Breathing heavily, Kakashi finally pulled back. "Well, it's not my fault you smell so good," he grumbled, and Ensui laughed again, causing his thoughts to stutter to a halt.

Kakashi's brain was brought back to reality when Ensui answered. "After she mentioned that, I thought back over our interactions during the last month or so before the invasion, and realized that you probably were awkwardly asking me out. So, I took a chance and invited you over." he grinned wickedly. "Glad I did," he said as he slid a tanned hand down Kakashi's pale flank. "I knew you'd be gorgeous like this, sweetheart. Naked, in my bed, not even wearing your mask." He leaned forward and caught the other man's lips in a sweet kiss.

"You should know," Ensui said when he pulled back, face going serious and shadowed (and he needed to learn how to do that trick - Shikamaru and Shikaku both used it to look scary as fuck, too) "that I'm a possessive bastard. If we stop whatever this is today, I should manage not to tear apart anybody else that touches you. But if we continue on, I won't be able to share," he said in a warning voice, and Kakashi warmed a little, and gave a nonchalant shrug that he was pretty sure wasn't fooling anybody.

"You want to be exclusive, hmm?" he said. "Should have guessed, you're a Nara after all. Too lazy to go more than one place for it," he said thoughtfully. He then made a show of thinking about the offer, ignoring the growing fear in his chest. Exclusive didn't mean love or anything, and everybody knew Ensui had never gotten over the death of his former teammate and lover, so really, this just meant convenient sex, right? He looked over at Ensui, who looked relaxed, but Kakashi could feel the tension running through his body, pressed up against him as he was.

"Eh, I guess I can do that," he said dismissively and chuckled at the dark look Ensui sent him.

"Well, sweetheart, don't put yourself out on my account," he said sardonically, and Kakashi flashed a fang at him when he grinned, having learned yesterday just how much Ensui liked that. With a growl, the man rolled him over onto his back, and for the next hour or so they didn't talk at all.

000

Humming to himself, Kakashi knocked on the Nara's front door, tossing the scroll in his hand into the air before catching it. After three more knocks, an annoyed looking Shikaku pulled the door open roughly. "What," he growled.

Well, it was barely dawn, so Kakashi couldn't really blame the man for his grumpy greeting. "Good morning, Shikaku-san. I'm afraid I have a mission that can't wait until later for Mayu-chan." he gave his best eye-smile, and the man glared at him for a moment before waving him into the kitchen.

"I'll go get her," he grumbled. "Help yourself to the tea, you know where it is by now."

"Thank you, Shikaku-san. Should I make you a cup?" the man just waved him away, and Kakashi continued humming as he started water boiling and grabbed out two cups and the tea from the cupboard.

"Kashi-sensei?" a sleepy voice said from behind him, and he turned around to take in Mayu, still in her pajamas, her dark hair a messy rat's nest around her as she rubbed a fist over one eye. With a gasp, he put a hand over his heart.

"Mayu-chan! You're so cute when you first wake up!" She sent him her best deadpan look, and he beamed back at her.

"Papa said you have a mission for Team Seven," she mumbled and shuffled over to the table. He set a cup of tea in front of her and sat down with his own cup.

"Actually, it's just for you and me," he said, and her eyes sharpened in interest.

"It's a track and grab mission - one of our chunin went rogue last night. Originally it was just supposed to be me, but when I told Tsunade-sama that I was training you in tracking, she approved me taking you along. And we all know you've been working on capture and interrogation with your dad," he said pleasantly, and her lips quirked up, eyes shining with enthusiasm.

"We're really going on a tracking mission, just the two of us?" she asked breathlessly, and he nodded good-naturedly, taking a sip of his tea.

"It's a B-rank - all capture missions for missing-nin are at least rated that high, regardless of the shinobi's skill level. Can you tell me why?" he said mildly, and she narrowed her eyes in thought.

"I think...capturing a target without killing or losing them is probably more difficult," she said slowly, and he smiled at her from under the mask.

"That's right. Since it's a rank above what we'd usually allow a genin to do, you'll need to follow every instruction I give you without argument or delay," he said, and she gave him a solemn look and nodded.

"I promise, sensei. I won't let you down."

"Great! Then, go get dressed, and then I'll come help you pack. This shouldn't take more than a day and a half if Gai's claims on your improved endurance and speed are correct." Mayu wrinkled her nose at that, but drained her tea and scurried up the stairs to get ready.

000

Mayu crouched down next to her sensei, looking closely at the small scuff he pointed out in the dirt. "What does this tell you?" he asked, and she tilted her head.

"He slept here last night - tried to cover it, but failed." she then pushed chakra into her nose and took a shallow breath before wrinkling it. "Ugh, he used the bathroom over there and didn't cover it well."

He patted the top of her head. "Good job, Mayu-chan! Now, what direction did he go?" She stood and carefully walked around the clearing, eyes sharp and breathing lightly through her nose like Kakashi had taught her.

"He...laid a false trail here...a bad one," she said with a disdainful sniff. "But he actually went...this way," she pointed east and he tossed her a piece of candy.

"That's right! Good job, Mayu-chan!" she grumbled a bit, but, used to being treated like one of his nin-dogs by now, she popped the candy in her mouth. It was her favorite, after all.

They followed the trail for another half a day, stopping to sleep for only a few hours. Mayu knew that if she wasn't with him, Kakashi wouldn't have stopped for even that long, and she made sure to ignore her muscles and low chakra levels that were protesting the brutal pace. Finally, Kakashi held up his hand in a signal to stop, and Mayu landed lightly next to him on a branch.

"What do you smell and hear?" he whispered to her, and she obediently fed chakra into her nose and ears. The wind was blowing towards them, and she cocked her head to the side as she picked up the scent of the man they'd been chasing for the past twenty hours, along with...

"He's met up with somebody," she breathed, and when she focused on her ears, she could barely hear the rumble of two low voices in conversation. Kakashi patted her head in approval, then signed for her to follow him quietly.

Slowly, they snuck up on the voices until they could make out two figures in the low light. One was a short, squat man in a standard Konoha chunin uniform. The other was a tall blonde woman, wearing a red battle kimono with her hair pulled back into a high tail, an Iwa headband on display.

"I have the security measures for the Academy," the chunin was saying gruffly. "Where's the money I was promised?"

Mayu rolled her eyes as she took in the scene.  _Idiot, she's obviously going to kill you_. Kakashi nudged her and used a mix of standard signs and ones he'd created especially for their team to outline a plan of attack. Originally, Mayu was going to stay back and watch as Kakashi subdued their target, but now she was going to help by causing a distraction.

With a nod, she watched as he eased back and disappeared without a sound.  _Sensei is so cool!_

After counting to twenty, she used her chakra strings to send ten smoke bombs into the clearing in a circle around the two shinobi. The woman tensed, but before she could jump Mayu had pumped enough chakra into the bombs to set them off, throwing up a cloud of smoke that obscured the area - and Kakashi's arrival on the scene.

She leaped from the branch onto the ground, releasing the scroll from her carousel that held Junior and catching him as he poofed into existence. Mayu then circled around, listening to the sound of muffled yells and kunai meeting in the air. Sure enough, their original mark stumbled out of the cloud of smoke a few seconds later, and Mayu sent Junior flying towards him.

He must have been a high-level chunin because instead of panicking he fell into a defensive posture and jumped back. With a smug grin, Mayu activated the trigger to release the paralytic powder in three of Bukimi Junior's eye sockets, pushing chakra into the strings to increase his speed as she sent him flying into a circle around the chunin, releasing the powder in a cloud that blended with the smoke around him. The ex-leaf ninja's eyes widened as he breathed it in and realized his mistake.

Mayu pulled Junior back into a guard position in front of her and counted to twenty, watching with interest as the man slowly lost control of his limbs and dropped to the ground, twitching. Then, she reached into her pouch and pulled out ninja wire, approaching the chunin cautiously in case he had a way to fight off the effects.

Using Junior's legs to roll him over onto his back, finally confident he wasn't faking, she removed his weapons, flak jacket, and shoes and carefully but quickly tied him up just the way Shikaku had taught her, aware that Kakashi had leaped from the smoke carrying his own opponent and was watching her with interest.

"Shikaku-san did a good job teaching you," he praised, and she beamed at him. "And you're really getting good with Junior."

"Thanks, sensei," she said, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"Well, we now have two prisoners to take back, and only one storage scroll that works with living beings. Guess that means we'll get back late," he said with a sigh, then set about teaching her the difference between storage scrolls for dead bodies and those for live ones. Deeming the Iwa nin the most dangerous, Kakashi put her into the scroll. "Make sure they're unconscious for this, otherwise it's pretty unpleasant for them," he said cheerfully, and knocked the glaring woman out. He then threw the chunin over his shoulder and set off for home.

Worried that the woman might have had comrades nearby that would come looking for her, he set a grueling pace, and Mayu kept shooting him worried glances until he finally sighed. "Mayu-chan, I assure you this is not too much for me, even with the extra weight. There's a reason I'm considered one of the top ninja of the village after all," he grumbled, and she stuck her tongue out at him for his grumpiness but stopped worrying so much.

They arrived dirty, tired, and bedraggled forty-five hours after they'd left, and dropped the scroll and runaway chunin off at T&I. "It's starting to get cold," Mayu said with a yawn as they went to the missions office to report in.

"I like the winter," Kakashi said, lazily flipping the page in his book.

"Me too," Mayu said, breathing in the fresh fall air. "Hey, sensei?" she said as they entered the mission room.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for bringing me on the mission. It was fun, and I learned a lot!" he twitched a little as she turned bright, happy eyes towards him. "You're so cool, Kakashi-sensei!"

Ignoring his slight blush, he patted her on the head and gave her another piece of candy. "You did good Mayu-chan."

Their moment was ruined by the bored-looking chunin at the desk. "You two are to report to the Hokage upon arrival," he drawled, and Kakashi nodded lazily, but Mayu could see the way he stiffened just a little.

Biting her lip in worry, she followed Kakashi up the stairs to the Hokage's office, ignoring the burn in her already-tired thighs and the way her eyes were drooping. Dread pooled in her stomach - had something happened while they were gone? They were immediately ushered into the office, and the ominous feeling just increased when she took in Tsunade's serious face.

Mayu bowed along with her sensei, who had put his book away and was focusing all his attention on her. "What is it, Tsunade-sama?" he asked, voice sharp, and Mayu shuffled a little closer to him.

"Sasuke was kidnapped by Orochimaru's subordinates last night," she said bluntly, and Mayu sucked in a breath of air, vision clouding for a moment in panic. Before she could say anything, Tsunade continued talking. "Most of our jounin forces were out or injured. I sent a team out for retrieval, led by Nara Shikamaru, consisting of Akimichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, Uzumaki Naruto, and Hyuuga Neji. Rock Lee left to provide backup against medical advice not long after. Two hours ago, Gaara of the desert and his siblings arrived for a diplomatic mission, and also volunteered to head out as backup."

For a moment, the office was silent, and then Kakashi spoke. "I'll join them," he said firmly, and Tsunade nodded.

"Please do," she said.

"I'm coming," Mayu rasped, aware that her body was trembling with fear after hearing the list of people sent after them.  _Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba...Shikamaru._

"No," Kakashi said in a no-nonsense voice. "You've been running for forty hours straight without rest - that's too much for a genin. You've spent most of your chakra just keeping up with me."

"But..!"

"You'll slow me down," he said harshly. "I can't save them and worry about you getting in the way." Mayu stepped back at the harsh words, even if she knew they were right.

Hands clenched into fists, she looked down at her feet as she nodded, frustration coursing through her veins. "Fine. Bring them back," she said, and he was gone.

"Mayu-chan," Tsunade said in a gentle voice. "Your father is in his office. Why don't you wait there?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," she whispered, then bowed and left the office without looking up, not wanting Tsunade to see the angry tears in her eyes.

It was late, and Shouta's desk was empty when she got to the outer office. Shikaku's door was open, and she shuffled over to it, standing at the entrance and watching her dad work for a moment.

He looked up at her, and his eyes softened. He pushed back from his desk and opened his arms in invitation. Taking a shaking breath, she darted over to him and curled up on his lap, letting him hug her to him. "Kakashi-sensei wouldn't let me go with him," she said bitterly. "He - he said I'd be a liability with how tired I am."

"Kakashi is a good team leader - if he said you couldn't keep up, he was probably right," he said gently. "It's not your fault, Mayu, or his. Sometimes these things just happen." She let him pet her hair for a moment before frowning and sitting up in realization.

"Wait - why didn't Tsunade-sama send you out? She said there were no jounin left for the mission!" she accused, anger flaring in her gut.

Shikaku sighed. "When the village was founded, one of the main charters stated that a certain number of healthy high-level nin needed to always be in-village in case of invasion. If I or any other jounin had left, we would have dipped under." he ran a hand over his face, and she saw just how worried he was - likely had been for the last few months. "We're stretched thin, Mayu-chan," he said quietly. "It's a sign of how much Tsunade cares about each ninja that she sent a team after Sasuke at all. I had to practically hold Fugaku-san back with my shadows to keep him here. But if Tsunade-sama broke a charter rule, it'd be almost a guaranteed dismissal of her post. That's the last thing Konoha needs right now," he explained, and Mayu sagged against him.

"Kakashi is heading out. He'll make sure they come back," she whispered. "And Shikamaru is a genius. He - he'll be fine," she choked out. "No way would Naruto let anything bad happen to him or Sasuke."

Shikaku hummed in agreement. "Eh, Mayu-chan, you stink. Come on, I'll let you use the showers in the jounin barracks. Do you have an extra outfit in one of those scrolls of yours?" she nodded and let him lead her down a flight of stairs and through a door labeled 'Jounin Only.'

She looked around the break room in interest before following her dad through another door into a long, empty room lined with bunks on each side. Finally, he opened the door into a bathroom and grabbed her a fresh towel from a rack. "Okay, go shower, then we'll steal some bedding and you can sleep in my office while we wait," he urged gently.

With a small nod, she followed his directions, feeling much better after a shower. Once she was dried and dressed in her extra clothes, Shikaku led her back up to his office, pillow, and blanket in hand. She curled up in one of the chairs along the wall and somehow fell into a light doze despite her anxiety.

Shikaku shook her awake a few hours later. "Mayu-chan, Shikamaru and most of the team are back. They're at the hospital." Coming fully awake, she sat up in alarm and swayed a little as her muscles cramped. Her father put a steadying hand on her arm for a moment, but she impatiently brushed it off to step around him and head for the door. He sighed but followed her fast pace down the stairs and out of the tower. The hospital was close to the administration building, and Mayu jogged through the early morning light, dodging people on their way to work, Shikaku next to her. Her heart was in her throat as her father got directions to where the team was, and she walked as quickly as she could get away with to the proper waiting room.

When she and Shikaku stepped through the doors, she slumped in relief when she saw Shikamaru slumped in a waiting room chair, head in his hands. She darted over to him and fell to her knees in front of him. "Shika," she whispered when he didn't respond to her presence. He glanced up at her with red-rimmed eyes, then away. The look on his face...

"Who...who is it? Who's been..." she said in a strangled voice, thoughts going to her team and Kiba.

"Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi are still out there," Shikamaru finally rasped. "The rest of the team...I don't know." he slammed a bandaged hand down on the chair next to him hard enough to crack it. "They're hurt, really badly. I don't know if -" his breath hitched, and she leaned forward to wrap her arms around his shuddering frame, mind suddenly numb.  _Her team was still out there._

"Papa," she whispered as he sat down next to Shikamaru. "Please, I've recovered - let me go find my team."

"That's not my call, Mayu-chan," he said gruffly, and a scuffling sound drew her attention. She turned her head and blinked up at Gaara of the Sand.

"Chances are your team is fine," he said tonelessly. "Five of the six foes were defeated, and Hatake Kakashi was joining Naruto to retrieve Sasuke from the last."

Mayu blinked at him, then darted her eyes over to the pretty blonde girl - his sister, Temari, who nodded at her. Shikamaru still had his face buried in her shoulder, and she ran her fingers through his sweat-clumped hair. "It's my fault," Shikamaru said, and Mayu frowned. "I was the team leader, and every single person suffered life-threatening injuries, except me. I shouldn't - I'm not cut out for this."

Mayu's breath stuttered in her chest. "Oh, Shika, no..." she said, and then Shikaku caught her eye, and tilted his chin. She bit her lip, but nodded, slowly pulling back from Shikamaru and letting Shikaku pull him in for a rough hug. She stood, and motioned for the three siblings to follow her to the other side of the room to give the father and son privacy to talk.

"Tell me," she said, meeting the gaze of the jinchuuriki without flinching. His eyes widened a bit in surprise at her lack of fear, then he tipped his head.

"The foes they faced were five jounin-level Sound nin," Gaara said, and Mayu closed her eyes for a moment before opening them to focus again. "They did well, mostly due to the team leader's quick thinking and planning, despite what he may believe at the moment. They held their opponents at bay until my siblings and I were able to assist, allowing Naruto to follow the one remaining ninja - a traitor to Konoha named Kabuto, I believe - who was the one holding Sasuke. Last I knew, your sensei was close behind them."

"Sasuke, was he..."

Gaara shook his head. "I do not know," he said. "All I've been told is that he was incapacitated. The enemy seemed desperate, though," he said after a moment of hesitation, glancing at his sister, who nodded.

"They did - one of them said that they had to do this, to save their leader," Kankuro spoke up.

Mayu hummed. "He was injured pretty badly in the invasion by Sasuke's brother, Itachi-sempai. It could be that he desperately needs a new body," she muttered, and the Sand siblings looked appropriately appalled.

Shikaku had joined them and put his hand on Mayu's shoulder. She looked up at him. "Papa? Is -"

"I need to go talk to Tsunade-sama. Shikamaru's doing better, but will you stick close?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Of course," she said. "Thanks," she threw over her shoulder at Gaara, giving him a small smile. He blinked at her again in shock, obviously not used to people not quailing at the sight of him. But Naruto had told her he could be trusted now, had, in fact, asked her to trust him, so she'd at least treat him like she did.

Mayu sat down next to Shikamaru, who was still staring down at his feet almost blindly. "Shika," she whispered and tugged on him until his head was in her lap and he was lying across the row of chairs on his side. Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro sat down across from her, and she leaned back, running one hand through Shikamaru's hair as they waited for news on the rest of the team. Mayu tried not to panic as another hour slipped by without a word on her teammates, and she knew she wasn't going to have much of her fingernails left by the end of the day.

Finally, Kakashi came through the doors, and she jerked in surprise, causing Shikamaru to sit up in alarm. "Sensei!" she said, and dashed over to him, looking for injuries.

"I'm fine, Mayu," he said tiredly.

"And Sasuke? Naruto?" she whispered, and relaxed when he eye-smiled.

"I got there in time. Sasuke had woken up by the time I arrived and they were fighting Kabuto. Between the three of us, we were able to push him back. Both Sasuke and Naruto are having their injuries looked at," he answered, and Mayu put her face in her hands.

"I was so worried," she whispered. To her surprise, Kakashi tugged her into a quick awkward hug. He pulled back before she could reciprocate and patted her on the head.

"Good genin," he said, and a piece of candy appeared in front of her nose, causing her to go cross-eyed for a moment.

With a sigh, she took it from him, recognizing it as his way of apologizing for being harsh in Tsunade's office. "Thanks, sensei," she said with a small smile. He nodded easily, then turned his attention to Shikamaru, who was slouched next to her looking - well, awful.

"Thanks for leading the team that delayed their retreat," Kakashi said easily. "It's impressive that you were able to manage so much with only a few genin until backup arrived."

Shikamaru's jaw tightened and he looked away, obviously not agreeing but not wanting to argue about it either. Mayu sighed, then gently led him back to the waiting room chairs. The three sand nin murmured goodbyes now that they knew Naruto would be fine and left, but Kakashi sat down on Mayu's other side.

She bullied Shikamaru into lying down again, and rested her head on Kakashi's shoulder, letting herself fall into a doze. He lifted an arm so she could lean against him more comfortably, and she mumbled her thanks. While they slept, Uchiha Fugaku and his wife silently entered the room, along with Chouza and his wife, and Hyuuga Hinata. Kakashi told them in a low voice that they were waiting on news, but so far everybody was alive. They nodded and silently took their own seats so as not to wake the two sleeping twelve-year-olds.

When Tsunade shuffled through the doors a few hours later, she had to stop and blink at the sight of Kakashi no Sharingan dozing with his head leaned back against the wall and his legs stretched in front of him, a twelve-year-old girl drooling on his shoulder while a napping Nara rested his head on her thigh.

"Well, this is just adorable," she drawled, letting the doors slam shut behind her and enjoying the way all three of them jolted awake. It took a few seconds, but once they focused on her, they jumped up, the children's eyes going anxious. Kakashi just stared at her steadily while the others in the room stood a little more gracefully and moved to surround her as well.

"Everybody should live," she began, "Akimichi Chouji is the most worrying," she said bluntly, and Mayu reached out to grab a tense Shikamaru's hand. Chouza took a deep breath and put an arm around his wife. "He took three of his clan's pills - something most don't live through. However, with the help of the Nara clan's medical research, we were able to stabilize him. He'll need to gain weight back, and it'll be a month or so before he's ready to get back into training."

She turned her attention to Hinata. "Neji was injured badly. We used the Resuscitation Regeneration Technique to keep him alive, and I'm afraid he'll be kept in a coma as we continue to use it for the next few weeks. He should make a full recovery in time, though." Hinata let out a breath and nodded, and Mayu leaned forward to give her a small smile.

"Kiba and Akamaru were treated by his sister, Inuzuka Hana, who specializes in their clan's physiology. He should also make a full recovery." Mayu closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, and Shikamaru squeezed her hand.

"Lee will also be fine, he re-shattered a few of his bones, but you can tell that sensei of his when he comes asking that he'll recover," Tsunade said to Kakashi in a tired voice, and he tipped his head in acknowledgment.

"Sasuke and Naruto are both awake right now, and okay. Sasuke has a concussion and was drugged, along with a broken arm and some lacerations from his fight. Naruto's fast healing is taking care of his injuries, though they were severe enough that he should take it easy for a week or so. After that, they can both resume light training." Mayu exchanged a relieved look with Mikoto and saw Fugaku relax minutely.

"May we see him?" The chief of police asked, and Tsunade snorted.

"You can, but he's sharing a room with Naruto, so be prepared to listen to their bickering. The rest of the patients won't be available for visitors tonight. Chouji will be out of isolation tomorrow afternoon - he'll be on a strict diet developed by me, so don't bring him food," she demanded, narrowing her eyes at all of them. "Kiba and Lee should be available for visitors around then, too. I'm sorry, Hinata, but you won't be able to see Neji until we stop using the Resuscitation Regeneration Technique," she said the last gently, and the girl looked down at her feet in disappointment.

"I understand, Godaime-sama," the girl said respectfully, then with a bow to the rest of the room's occupants, quickly left. Mayu bit her lip, promising herself to visit her kind-of friend tomorrow.

Mayu, Shikamaru, and Kakashi stepped back as the Akimichi couple left, talking in low voices. Fugaku and Mikoto were heading towards the door and stopped there when Mikoto turned back to the three of them. "Well, don't you three want to see them?"

Kakashi jolted, but inclined his head, and Mayu brightened. "Yes!" she said and ignored Shikamaru's reluctance as she pulled him after her. She let Sasuke's parents enter first, then led the rest of them in. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of her two teammates, sitting up in bed, heavily bandaged and...bitching at each other.

"Mikoto-sama! Fugaku-sama!" Naruto said cheerfully, cutting off mid-insult. "And Kakashi-sensei and Mayu!" She tugged Shikamaru forward, who was still staring at the floor in shame.

"Shikamaru, too - you're alright!" He turned to Sasuke. "Shikamaru led your rescue team. He was amazing - without his plans, the others wouldn't have been able to distract the rest of the bad guys so I could catch up and totally save your butt!" he crowed.

Sasuke scowled and opened his mouth to reply, but Shikamaru had apparently had enough. "How can you say that?" he hissed, looking up and meeting Naruto's shocked eyes. "Under my command, every single person on the team was injured. If backup hadn't arrived, we'd all be dead, and Sasuke would be on his way to Orochimaru. I failed," he finished miserably.

There was shocked silence for a moment, and to Mayu's surprise, it was Fugaku who answered. "As I understand it, you and your comrades volunteered to go after my son, despite knowing the disparity in skill level between yourselves and your opponents. The Hokage fully expected a casualty count, yet had no choice but to send you out to hopefully slow down his kidnappers until a jounin-level shinobi arrived in the village that she could send after you." He stepped forward and placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"There was a four percent chance Sasuke would be returned. Yet, under your leadership, there have been no casualties, and here Sasuke is. You did well. Thank you very much for your bravery." And then the head of the Uchiha clan bowed his head at him.

Shikamaru stared at the man in shock, and Mayu knew she was probably doing the creepy starry-eyed thing at Fugaku, but she couldn't help it. He was just so cool.

"Fugaku-sama's right," Naruto said seriously, then smiled at Shikamaru. "I'd follow you anytime, believe it!" he said, and pumped a fist, then winced as he pulled at his ribs. Unable to resist, Mayu darted forward and threw her arms around her always-smiling friend.

"Naruto! I'm so glad you're okay. I'm sorry I couldn't come after you - I was out of chakra from my mission with sensei." she then turned to Sasuke, who scowled and gave her a 'don't you dare' face, which she ignored as she hugged him.

"That was really scary," she said quietly, "learning that Orochimaru kidnapped you. I'm happy you're back."

He hn'd and looked away, and Mikoto stepped forward to place a kiss on the top of his head. "I'm also glad." she ran a hand through his hair, and he softened under his mother's gaze.

Fugaku stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, and Kakashi and Mayu turned to Naruto to give them some privacy. "You should have seen Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said cheerfully. "That Kabuto guy was really strong - he can heal his own injuries! Even after Sasuke and I got him with a joint Chidori and Rasengan, he just fixed himself up - it was really creepy. Then Kakashi showed up and kicked his ass. It was  _awesome_ ," he said, and Kakashi scratched his nose over the mask sheepishly.

"Naruto-kun, you're making me blush," he demurred and Mayu giggled.

"What happened to him? Did he get away?" she asked, and Kakashi sighed, truly annoyed.

"Yes - he knew I wouldn't pursue with two injured students on my hands," he said.

Mayu took a deep breath, feeling the low-level anger that she'd been ignoring finally make itself known. "Well I, for one, am  _tired_ of Orochimaru and his cronies popping up and trying to mess us up every five minutes," she said, eyes narrowing. Crossing her arms over her chest, she shook her hair back out of her face, and gave each of her teammates a determined look, ignoring Fugaku and Mikoto's raised eyebrows. "I put forward a motion to create our first ever team goal," she said with a sniff.

"And what's that, Mayu-chan?" Kakashi asked, in his relaxed ready-to-kick-ass posture, and she knew he already knew what she was going to say.

"We're going to destroy him," she said in a hard voice that she'd picked up from living with Naras. "We're going to burn his lame hidden village to the ground. We'll kill Kabuto if we have to shove one of my grenades down his throat. As for Orochimaru himself...well, I'm sure Itachi-sempai would be interested in tagging along and helping us finish what he started when they fought during the invasion."

There was silence as her team took in her words thoughtfully, and Mikoto and Fugaku stared at the unassuming-looking girl in shock.

Finally, Kakashi shrugged lazily. "Sounds good to me," he said, nodding his head. "You'll have to train hard, though. Jiraiya-san thinks Orochimaru will have to give up for a few years - he's lost his window to transfer to Sasuke's body. Eventually, he'll try again, and we'll need to be ready."  _I won't give him the chance to try again,_ Mayu thought but didn't say out loud.

"Sure, I guess we could do that," Sasuke finally said, sounding bored, but his lips had quirked up into a smile.

"I know I'm not on Team Seven, but you'll need a good strategist," Shikamaru spoke up from behind her, and she flashed him a brilliant grin.

Naruto's mouth worked for a moment before breaking out into a smile. "Sure! Count me in - but, maybe we won't burn the village to the ground," he said with a nervous laugh. "I bet a lot of his followers had no choice and would stop fighting if they had a chance!" he said with determination.

Mayu rolled her eyes and huffed. "Ugh, the Love and Peace talk, how dull," she muttered, crossing her arms petulantly, and Naruto squawked in outrage.

"Now, now, Mayu, you have to respect your teammates' opinions when planning a mass murder, you know," Kakashi said calmly, patting her on the head.

"It's not murder," she mumbled while Sasuke snickered in the background. "It's pest control."

Kakashi sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Do me a favor and never say that in front of Inoichi," he requested, and Mayu winced, then glanced guiltily over at Sasuke's parents.

"He won't hear it from us," Mikoto said serenely, and Mayu felt a shiver go down her spine.  _Woah, turns out Mikoto is a little scary, too._

She took Shikamaru home to shower and sleep after getting the story of his capture from Sasuke. He'd been heading home from training on his own after dark, and Orochimaru's cronies had ambushed him in the park. He'd used smoke bombs to send up a distress signal - something that everyone recognized from when Mayu had used them at the chunin exam.

Unfortunately, the Sound Four and Kabuto had killed the two police officers that appeared to check out the disturbance. Fugaku explained that one of them was barely alive when ANBU arrived onthe scene, and was able to report Sasuke's abduction. After that, Sasuke didn't remember much past waking up at the Valley of the End to Naruto fighting Kabuto. He joined in, and between the two of them, they were able to keep him from completing his task and taking Sasuke into Sound before Kakashi showed up.

Mayu coaxed Shikamaru into the shower, putting a pair of fresh pajamas onto the bathroom counter for him, then grabbed her pillow and brought it into his room after deciding she'd risk Shikaku and Yoshino's wrath. The look of relief on his face when he entered, clean and dressed, to find her there was worth any future punishment. He switched off the lights and slid under the covers, pulling her towards him and burying his face in her hair. Mayu woke him up from nightmares twice, soothing him back to sleep each time, heart aching for him, and even more determined to put an end to Orochimaru. The man was dead, he just didn't know it yet.

Three days later Mayu was hurrying towards the gate of the Inuzuka compound when somebody called her name. She spun around, unsure if she'd actually heard right - it had been spoken very softly - and saw Shino and Hinata walking towards her. She stopped and waited for them to catch up, bouncing on the balls of her feet impatiently.

"Hinata! I tried to stop by to see you a few days ago, but your...cousin? I don't know, the guard at the gate said you were out," she said as they fell into step with her.

"Yes, sorry. I've been training a lot when I'm not at the hospital or visiting Kiba." Mayu narrowed her eyes at the more-subdued-than-usual girl.

"Hmm. Well, the Uchiha portion of my team is out for a few more days, and Naruto refuses to leave his side. Mind if I join you in training for a bit?" Hinata blinked at her in surprise a few times, before giving a small, shy smile and nodding.

"I'd like that, Mayu-chan," she said softly. "Shino and I have felt a little lonely with just the two of us."

"Having a third member would be acceptable, because Hinata and I need the unpredictability of a third unknown member to continue our growth," the boy contributed.

"Ah...well, okay, that sounds nice," Mayu said with a quirk of her lips, ignoring the raised eyebrows a few of the Inuzuka were sending her as they walked through the compound. It happened over four years ago, they needed to let it go!

They finally made it to the clan head's door - a large, sprawling house on the edge of the forest. Before they could knock, Kiba's older sister, Hana, swung it open, smile bright on her pretty face. "I'm so glad you're here!" she said, ushering them in. "Kiba's going a little stir-crazy already, and he still has another full week of bed rest." The Haimaru brothers were lying in a corner of the house's large living room, dozing. Kiba was sprawled across the couch, propped up on pillows with a heavily bandaged Akamaru curled up asleep on his lap.

His sensitive nose meant Kiba had been miserable the moment he woke up in the hospital. Tsunade-sama had declared it detrimental to his recovery to keep him there and sent him home with Hana, where the older girl would be in charge of his recovery.

"Kiba, your team and Mayu-chan are here to see you," Hana said gently, and he slit open his eyes and groaned a little as his sister adjusted his pillows.

"They're fine, they're fine, quit yer fussing," he grumbled fondly, then shot the three of them a bright smile. "Hey, good ta see ya!"

Mayu frowned as she took him in, and turned to Hana. "He's in a lot of pain! Can't you give him more painkillers or -"

Kiba groaned. "Mayu, I hate the way painkillers make me feel, it's fine. Don't get Hana goin' again."

"You should take painkillers if you are hurting. Why? Because intense pain will hinder the healing process, both mentally and physically." Shino put in, pushing his ever-present glasses up his nose, while Mayu nodded along and Hana made a noise of vindication.

"Um, are you really in a lot of pain, Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, sitting down in a chair across from him and tucking her hair behind one ear. The boy gaped at the four expectant faces staring at him, then groaned and flopped his head back.

"Mayu, you're such a fink," he muttered, and she beamed when she realized she had won. Hana let out a breath of relief and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Well, I brought you a present," Mayu said, and pulled a small carved Akamaru lookalike from her pouch, stained white. He took it with a small smile.

"This is good, Mayu-chan. Thanks."

"Well, when you're better, I've got some smoke bombs I've been working on that shouldn't cover scent, just for you and Akamaru," she said cheerfully. She'd been working on that for a while, ever since he'd turned down his own supply because it compromised his nose - never good for an Inuzuka.

"Really?" he said, eagerly sitting forward before wincing at the movement and easing back, causing Hinata to stand and flutter her hands around him nervously and Shino to stiffen.  _Look, they like each other after all,_ she thought to herself. "Man, next time Shikamaru asks me to volunteer for an A-rank mission I'm going to tell him to..." Kiba cocked his head to the side in thought, and then gave a sharp grin that exposed his fangs. "Nah, I'll probably still do it."

Mayu giggled. "Well, thank you. For going, I mean. If Sasuke hadn't been rescued..." she pursed her lips and looked down at her lap for a moment. "Well, anyway. Thanks. Team Seven owes you one."

"If somebody had asked me to go, I believe that Kiba would not have been hurt, because I would have been there to watch his back," Shino said, somewhat out of the blue, and Mayu blinked at him. Huh, that's why he was so tense.

"Ano...Shino-kun, I thought you were on a mission at the time," Hinata said, looking confused, and the boy just huffed and looked away.

"Ah, Shino, you do care!" Kiba said loudly, and his grin was genuine. "Well, next time you'll have to come along for sure - this recovery thing is a pain."

Shino relaxed a little, and Hana appeared with a glass of water and some painkillers for Kiba. They took their leave, and Mayu waved goodbye to Hinata and Shino, making plans to meet them at their usual training ground the next morning before heading for Sasuke's house.

Mikoto led her to the sitting room when she arrived before leaving to run errands, where Sasuke was laying on the couch scowling and watching Naruto play solitaire. As soon as Sasuke saw her, he sat up, expression thunderous.

"You knew!" he hissed. "You knew and didn't tell me." she stopped short at his betrayed expression, confused, before realization hit.

"Oh! Mikoto finally told you about the baby," she said excitedly, bouncing up onto the balls of her feet. "She's, what, three and a half months along now?"

"Mayu-chan! Why didn't you tell us?" Naruto said, and she blinked and looked between their identical betrayed expressions before rolling her eyes and sitting down. She pulled out a pack of senbon and tossed them to Sasuke, who caught them easily, and handed over a brush set for calligraphy to Naruto.

"Get well presents - those are poisoned, Sasuke-kun - paralytic, takes twenty seconds to kick in. Don't stab yourself. Here's the antidote." she set a small vial of clear liquid on the coffee table. "Naruto, those are expensive - use them only for practicing calligraphy for your seal work once Jiraiya gets you started," she said with a sniff, and he guiltily pulled his finger back from where he'd been poking at the bristles. "As for not telling you, well, sometimes I have to make those decisions," she said with an uncomfortable shrug, looking down at her hands. "Mikoto wanted to keep it to herself, and I needed to respect that. What if something happened and she lost the baby, and I'd run around telling people she was pregnant?" Mayu said seriously, and their petulant faces turned thoughtful.

"Sometimes, you're going to find out that I knew something, because I really can't help but know things, and that I didn't tell you for some reason or another. It doesn't mean I don't trust you, or that I didn't  _want_ to tell you. It just means that I couldn't. Probably for moral reasons, or because I knew it'd cause trouble for myself or others." she shrugged and looked away, trying and failing not to think about what she knew about Naruto.

"Oh," Naruto said, tapping his finger to his chin and scrunching his face up in thought. "I never thought about it that way. It must be hard knowing all those things and deciding when you should say something. Well, I trust you, Mayu, so next time I won't get mad!" he beamed, and Sasuke  _hn'd_ but relaxed, and Mayu stared at her smiling teammate.

"Huh," she said, and sat back for a moment. "That said, I don't like keeping secrets from you guys." she chewed on her bottom lip before sighing and looking up at the ceiling. "I'm probably going to regret this, but I've been feeling guilty about it, so. Naruto, I figured something out about you a while ago. It's an S-class secret, though, and I've been told in no uncertain terms that if I reveal it, it'll be considered treason." She kept her eyes on the ceiling and waited for his response.

"Uh, Mayu-chan, you already told me that you know about my...er...roommate," Naruto said lamely. Sasuke sighed, and Mayu knew without looking that he had put two fingers to his forehead in annoyance.

"Idiot, she's not talking about that. How does a twelve year old have  _two_ S-class secrets about him," he muttered, and Naruto yelped.

"What! But - another one? Oh my god, do I have  _two_ bijuu?!"

"Keep it down!" Mayu hissed, sitting up in alarm and eyeing the empty hallway beyond the door. "And no, jeez, you don't have two bijuu."

Sasuke was studying her with narrowed eyes. "Well, you can't tell us without being labeled a traitor, so Naruto and I will just have to figure it out ourselves." Mayu blinked at him in shock for a moment, and Naruto was nodding next to him, looking serious.

"I - you aren't mad?" Mayu said, baffled, and Naruto gave her his seldom-used  _don't be dumb_ look.

"It's not like I want you to get into trouble, Mayu-chan," he grumbled, looking put out that she'd think he wanted her to put herself into danger for him.

Sasuke shrugged when she eyed him and turned to Naruto. "Just don't let anything slip, idiot. Even just telling you the village is keeping a secret that big from you could get her into serious trouble."

Naruto glared at him. "I'm not actually stupid, you know!" he said, and Mayu's lips quirked as they devolved into name calling. With a small sigh, she took out a book on tracking Kakashi had tossed at her yesterday, and settled back on the couch to read. Hopefully, things would actually calm down for awhile. She barely managed not to scoff at the thought - like things were ever calm in her world.


	8. Akatsuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Growing up is hard, and a new threat comes to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first section has a tiny bit of attempted non-con. You can scroll right past the first seven paragraphs if you wanna skip triggery things.

Mayu hummed to herself as she walked down one of the more run-down streets of Konoha. She didn't usually come to this area, simply because there wasn't much there that interested her, but today she was on a mission. Well, not an  _official_ mission.

When she'd gone to the medical supply store to pick up some chemicals for a prototype, they'd been out of one that she needed. So had the Nara labs and the less reliable apothecary that sometimes surprised her. However, the owner of the apothecary had taken her aside in a whispered conversation to let her know that there was a man down by the less savory parts of the Flower District that should have what she was looking for, nudge nudge, wink wink. So here she was because while what she needed was now on order in the medical supply store, she didn't want to wait two weeks.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a scuffle down one of the darker alleyways, and she paused when it was followed by a whimper and low voice. Eyes narrowing, she looked around the street and saw it was empty.

Not surprising, since it was lined by shabby residential units and most people were at work this time of day. Using the stealth skills Kakashi-sensei had been teaching her in their one-on-one tracking lessons, she crept around the corner, darting behind a pile of trash.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll pay you for your time," a man's voice said, and Mayu wrinkled her nose. She did not want to see some guy getting serviced in an alley, ugh. She started creeping back, then she heard a whimper again - and not a happy one.

Chewing on her lower lip, she peeked around the pile of trash. She'd barely taken in the scene before she was standing and striding towards the reedy man pushing a girl - probably ten or so - up against a wall, holding his hand to her mouth while the other tried to stop her struggles.

The child's eyes were overflowing with tears as she kicked out at the man, who grunted when she made contact with his shins but didn't relent. Mayu took a few running steps before launching into the air in a roundhouse kick. The girl's eyes widened when she saw Mayu appear over the man's shoulder, and Mayu's chakra-filled kick connected solidly with his head.

He flew through the air with the force of it and hit the wall on the opposite side of the alley with a crack. Mayu darted over to him, a kunai in hand, even though she knew she wasn't allowed to just slit his throat as he was a civilian, as it would be considered excessive force. Even if he really, really deserved it.

When it became clear he was knocked out but still breathing - shame, that - she removed ninja wire from her pouch and thoroughly tied him after checking him for weapons. And if it was a little tighter than warranted, well, she was only a genin, after all, still learning how to do these things properly.

Mayu then turned to face the girl, who was still standing against the wall, eyes wide and focused on her. She was dressed in a miniature white kimono that was cut in the flowing style Mayu knew was popular in the Flower District at the moment. She had long, white-blonde hair that flowed down to her waist and bright green eyes. Her features were delicate, though the right side of her face was starting to swell, and she had a split lip.

"Hello," Mayu said gently. "My name is Mayu, I'm a shinobi of Konoha. Can you tell me your name?" She kept her body language unthreatening and didn't try to approach her. After a few moments, the girl spoke in a soft voice.

"I'm Harumi.”

"Ah, Harumi-chan, that's a nice name," Mayu said cheerfully. "Okay, I'm going to finish tying this guy up, then I'll take you to the hospital, okay?"

The girl nodded, and Mayu bit her lip at the way she swayed a bit on her feet and the glassy sheen to her eyes. Looking around, she tried to figure out the best way to leave the creep for the police to find. After a moment, she grinned, then took her depleted roll of ninja wire out and walked up the wall to a small balcony on the first floor.

Humming, she looped the wire through one of the slats, then returned to the still-unconscious man. After some maneuvering, she stepped back to view her work and nodded in satisfaction. The man was now dangling from the balcony, slowly spinning in the air, body slack.

"There." Mayu turned her attention to directing the girl out of the alley and into the more bustling parts of Konoha, keeping a hand on her arm since she was still unsteady. Standing up on her tiptoes, she scanned the crowd until she saw what she was looking for.

"Officer-san!" Mayu yelled and waved her hand to signal the Uchiha with the MPF badge on his arm when he turned his head to find the source of the yelling. Frowning, the man made his way through the crowd until he was standing in front of them, taking in Mayu's hitai-ate on her belt and the bruised, silent girl dressed in Flower District style dress next to her.

"Yes, kunoichi-san, how can I assist you?" he asked in a calm voice.

Mayu told him about the scene she'd come upon in the alley and gave him directions on where to find the perpetrator. With the way the officer's face darkened, Mayu was pretty sure the man would have a few more bruises by the time he was in his holding cell. "I'm going to take her to the hospital, I think she might have a concussion," she explained. "You can send an officer to take our statements there - my name is Nomaka Mayu."

He bowed. "Yes, Nomaka-san, I'll go collect him and take him to the station. Please stay at the hospital with Harumi-san until somebody arrives to take your statement." He then disappeared in a blur, and Mayu pulled Harumi along, chattering on about the puppets she was working on to try and keep the girl focused until they arrived.

Harumi giggled a little when Mayu was describing the way Akinobu-sensei had screamed and dumped tea all over himself when Mayu had one of her foot long beetles jump out from under the desk at him. When they reached the hospital Mayu checked them in and asked the nurse, who knew her well by now, to send Yoshino down if she was available.

A few minutes later, her mom bustled into the waiting room, heading straight for Mayu with a look of concern. "Mayu-chan, somebody said you asked for me. I swear, if you hurt yourself again on one of your gadgets - oh, who is this, then?" Mayu raised her eyebrow at the way her mom's voice switched from scolding to soft when her eyes fell on Harumi.

"Mom, this is Harumi-chan. I helped her out of a bit of trouble this morning, and she needs somebody to check her over." Mayu turned to Harumi, who was eyeing Yoshino suspiciously, and smiled.

"Harumi-chan, this is my mother, Yoshino. She's one of the best medics in Konoha, and I'd like her to look you over and make sure you're alright." She purposely kept the clan name out of the introduction, knowing it would probably make the girl more nervous.

Harumi bit her lip, and her eyes darted between them. Both women kept their faces calm and open, and eventually, she gave a hesitant nod. "Okay, but...I don't have any money," she whispered, and Yoshino waved that off.

"Meh, don't worry about that. This'll be pro-bono," she said and bustled the girl up out of her seat, frowning at the way she swayed. "You're a friend of Mayu-chan's, after all." Mayu watched as her mother chatted away to the girl about fall vegetables and the festival coming up, impressed with the way she set Harumi at ease. Why couldn't Tsunade have the same bedside manner?

When Harumi entered the room in front of them, Mayu stopped Yoshino for a moment with a hand on her arm. "Before you heal that, you'll need to take a picture," she said quickly, then moved past her into the room before Harumi could realize they'd paused.

Yoshino's eyes had narrowed at the implication, but by the time she entered the hospital room, she was smiling again. She went to take Harumi's vitals. "So, Harumi-chan, is there somebody we can send a message to so that they know you're here?" Yoshino said as she checked her ears and eyes.

"Um. My mother," the girl said quietly, and Yoshino nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure she'll want to know you're here. Mayu-chan, grab that notebook and pen from the table, there's a good girl. Now, write down your mom's name and address, and Mayu will get a message to her."

Mayu darted down a level to where the hospital's messenger service offices were located and jotted down a quick note before paying the bored-looking civilian at the desk. "This is urgent, by request of Nara Yoshino," Mayu explained as she handed over the name - Shuno Haruko, located in one of the upper-class brothels in Flower District.

That answered that question then - Harumi was being raised in a brothel, hence the style of kimono. Her mother was probably one of the workers. Since it was a high-class, well-known place, they wouldn't deal in children, so Harumi was probably used to run errands and serving food and such.

Task complete, Mayu hurried back upstairs after one quick stop and paused outside the door.

"I know, honey, but we really need to do this for the report. I'm guessing Mayu laid out whoever did this to you, and if we aren't careful, she could get into trouble. Please, I'll just take a quick picture and then we'll be done, okay?"

"O-okay, Yoshino-san," the girl said, and Mayu stayed outside the door until she heard the distinctive click of the camera before she entered.

"Okay, Harumi-chan, your mom should be here soon," Mayu said, then stepped forward to hold out a candy bar. "Here, this will help you feel better," she said and ignored her mom's beaming approval. She could be nice to strangers! When she noticed them and they weren't boring or annoying.

There was a knock on the side of the door, and Mayu brightened when she saw who was there. "Itachi-sempai! What are you doing here?" she said and bounced up onto the balls of her feet when he gave her a small nod.

"Ah, Mayu-chan, I was meeting with my father when Dai-san brought in the man you incapacitated earlier. Father asked me to accompany Dai-san while he takes your statement and check that you are well."

Mayu blushed and wrung her hands. "Oh! Fugaku-sama was worried about  _me?_ That's - he didn't need to -" Itachi's lip quirked up on one side as Yoshino's shoulders slumped.

"You are the teammate of his son, of course, he would want to ensure your health. You're familiar with Dai-san?" Itachi asked, and motioned to the officer that had helped them in the street.

"Oh! Yes. Hello, Dai-san, thank you again for your help earlier," she said with a bow, then turned to a nervous-looking Harumi.

"Harumi-chan," Mayu said gently, trying to remember the section on dealing with victims in the MPF handbook she'd...acquired a few years ago. She moved over to sit next to the girl, who relaxed minutely. "This is my friend, Itachi-sempai, and you remember Dai-san from the street?" the girl looked down at her fingers and gave a small nod. "They're here to talk about what happened, okay? If you want, I can stay here with you, or I can leave, whatever you -"

Harumi latched onto her wrist and shook her head. "Okay, that's fine," Mayu said in the same soothing tone Kiba used on scared puppies on the kennel, feeling a little lost. "I'll stay here until your mom arrives, alright?"

"Y-Yoshino-san too?" the girl asked, turning wide eyes to Mayu, who looked over to her mom.

"Yep! I'll need to heal up the rest of you once they get your statement. I took care of her concussion, Itachi-sempai, but thought I should wait for the cosmetic stuff until the MPF had it for their reports. I already took a picture," she said, and Harumi winced.

"Thank you, Nara-sama," Itachi said solemnly, and Harumi twitched in surprise when she realized who Yoshino was. Itachi then turned to motion Dai forward. Harumi answered the officer's questions shyly, with Yoshino's encouragement, while Itachi turned his attention to Mayu.

Mayu peaked over his shoulder as he took her statement. "Oh, I've seen statement reports before when I - uh - well, I've seen them before, but I've never watched somebody from the MPF actually take a statement!" she said excitedly, and Itachi sighed, then pushed her back with two fingers to her forehead.

"Mayu-chan, the witness isn't supposed to read the report." Mayu scoffed but subsided with a pout when he sent her a stern look.

" _Fine_ ," she muttered and continued to answer his questions.

"And what were you doing in that area?" Itachi asked for the third time, and Mayu beamed at him.

"I got lost, I told you!" she chirped and grinned when his eye twitched just a bit. She'd learned from Naruto that excess enthusiasm tended to throw people off the scent. Itachi's reply was interrupted when a gorgeous woman who was obviously related to Harumi burst into the room, eyes wide and panicked.

"Harumi!" she cried when she saw her daughter sitting on the bed, talking to the serious Dai.

The girl's face crumpled. "Mama!" she wailed, and everyone stepped back to give them some space. After the woman had spent some time fussing, she spun on her heel to give the four other adults a narrow-eyed stare.

"Somebody needs to tell me what's going on, right now," she said in a low voice.

Itachi stepped forward and handled introductions and the explanation of what had happened in a soothing tone. Yoshino had moved over to Harumi and started healing the bruise on her cheek and split lip, talking to her in a low voice. The girl was staring at the medic with large, adoring eyes, and Mayu couldn't really blame her. Yoshino was pretty awesome.

"You're the girl who saved Harumi?" the brusque woman had turned her attention to Mayu, who shrugged.

"I was doing my duty as a ninja of Konoha," she said, then turned to Itachi. "Hey, sempai, can I go? I have something I'm working on -"

Itachi raised his eyebrows in his version of rolling his eyes and motioned for her to leave. Mayu ignored the slightly affronted look on Harumi's mom's face, and Yoshino's pained one, before waving goodbye and darting out of the room. Who knew saving people would end up being so dull?

000

"You need to stop giving away the movements of your puppets with your body," Sasuke said for the fifth time, and Mayu threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

"I  _know_ that, but it's not easy!" she did not stomp her foot, okay?

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her but didn't reply, instead bringing a finger up to tap his lower lip in thought. She almost groaned - that expression generally meant a very painful training exercise for her future.

"You need to get used to doing one thing with your body while having your puppets do something else. You need to split your attention..." he turned and strode over to where Naruto was sparring with a clone and engaged the blonde in a whispered conversation. After a few minutes, which Mayu used to collapse on the ground and catch her breath, Naruto created ten clones, which then darted off into different directions. Forty-five minutes later, the clones had created an impressive looking agility course.

"You'll be running that," Sasuke said with a smug expression, "while your puppets attack me." Mayu gaped at him in shock.

"That's - that's -"

He raised his eyebrow in challenge, and Mayu glared. "It will improve your range, and your ability to split your attention."

"It's impossible!" she wailed.

"No way, nothing's impossible for Team Seven!" Naruto crowed, and Mayu drooped, already recognizing when she'd lost. With a sigh, she used her threads to unattach Bukimi Junior from the carrier Mayu had created for him.

Without Bukimi, it looked almost like a small, thick shield strapped to her back with four slots going up each side. When he was attached, his legs latched into them, and his head tucked up beneath her neck, leaving a round shell that Naruto jokingly said made her look like a deformed turtle. Mayu had just shrugged - they'd discovered that it worked well as a shield if she fed chakra into the wood to strengthen it, so it wasn't a horrible comparison.

"Fine," she muttered. "Let's just get this over with."

000

When she stumbled home from training with her team Mayu was covered in dirt, blood, and sweat and was full of regret for ever asking her crazy teammates for help on her puppetry.

"I hate him," she moaned as she stumbled blindly into the family room and collapsed on Shikamaru's lap.

"Ugh, Mayu, you're getting mud all over me - I just showered. Who do you hate?"

"Sasuke," she muttered petulantly and clung on tighter when he tried to push her off of him. With a sigh, he gave in and wrapped his arms around her.

"No you don't," he muttered as she put her nose into his neck to warm it up. It was freezing out, fall moving into winter and making everything a slushy, muddy mess.

They'd celebrated Shikamaru's birthday last week, and she'd spent hours creating this year's figurine, along with gifting him with a chakra stone she'd picked up at a festival on a diplomatic mission to Wave at the beginning of the month. She curled up further and looked down curiously to see if he was wearing it, feeling smug when she saw the silver chain disappearing into his shirt.

She brought a hand up and pulled the black stone out to set it in her palm and study the swirls of blue chakra moving through it. "Well, I hate his stupid training regimes," Mayu muttered as she concentrated on pushing a small tendril of chakra into the stone since it had started to dissipate.

Chakra stones weren't really good for anything except looking pretty, but she'd found herself feeling a little possessive lately, and the thought of him carrying around a part of her everywhere he went was too tempting to pass up. Creepy, yes, but it's not like Shikamaru didn't realize she was bit odd. He slid a hand up her arm to cup her smaller one in his palm.

"You're freezing," he said around a sigh, and she meeped as he put one arm behind her knees and stood, adjusting his hold as she dropped the stone and looped her arms around his neck.

She blushed a bit, and couldn't help but feel a little impressed at how easily he had stood even with her added weight. Between his extra training and missions and another growth spurt - he was now a few inches taller than her, and his shoulders had started to broaden - his strength had increased by a wide margin.

Shikamaru headed towards the bathroom, and she kicked her feet happily and grinned up at him. He gave her a small half smile and Mayu knew she probably had hearts in her eyes, but couldn't bring herself to care.

When they got to the bathroom, he set her on the counter, then moved over to turn the shower on so the water would warm up. He then shuffled over to stand in front her, face a mask of concentration as he reached around her to remove the pins from her bun.

"Did you have a mission with your team today?" Mayu asked, and he hummed his agreement.

"Courier mission to an outpost. Easy," he said and slumped with a sigh when her hair was free. "But a lot of running."

She laughed and he reached up to push a strand of hair out of her face. She tipped her head back and her breath caught in her throat when she met his warm brown eyes. His hand was resting on her cheek, and her smile faded as they both stilled. Shikamaru swayed forward and Mayu felt her cheeks warm but didn't move.  _Is he going to..._

"Shikamaru! Mayu! Come help me carry in the groceries!" They both jumped at the sound of the front door banging open and Yoshino yelling up the stairs. Shikamaru slumped and let out a dramatic groan before leaning forward and kissing Mayu on the forehead.

"Troublesome. I'll take care of that, you take a shower." He ran his thumb across her cheekbone before dropping it and stepping away, and Mayu couldn't help the small pout that came across her face, but after a moment sighed jumped down from the counter, ignoring her protesting muscles, and considering what a pain it was to be in love.

000

That night at dinner, Shikaku cleared his throat, and Shikamaru's eyes went from three quarters shut to half shut, and Mayu stopped her brooding about the maybe-almost-kiss to give him her full attention.

"The Hokage called all of the jounin that are in-village into the council meeting today," he said and Mayu cocked her head to the side. He was leaning back in his chair, relaxed, but the tension in his shoulders and empty sake cup in front of him said that it had been a long day.

"Oh?" Mayu asked mildly, mind racing. There were only a few reasons to pull the jounin and council together into a meeting. One was war. Mayu didn't think that was it. While tensions with Iwa were high, there hadn't been anything other than a few skirmishes and low-level backstabbing behavior. Just another day in the shinobi world. Another reason was -

"Tsunade-sama nominated Itachi-san as her successor, with the Daimyo's blessing." Mayu perked up and Shikamaru did a long, slow blink.

"What? Really? What did the council say? Oh! They agreed!" she said, bouncing in her chair and ignoring Shikaku's grumbling about her ability to read the answers to her questions on his face.

"They did. He's going to shadow her for the next thirteen months, and take over the position when he turns nineteen." Shikaku said.

"An Uchiha as Hokage, hm?" Yoshino said thoughtfully.

"Isn't he a little young?" Shikamaru asked around a yawn.

Shikaku shrugged. "Not really. He's been a jounin for seven years and was an ANBU captain for three. He's also arguably the strongest ninja in the village if you take in political and physical characteristics. Kakashi  _might_ be able to beat him in a fight, but everybody knows he doesn't want the post."

"Okay, but what's the rush?" Shikamaru said slowly, almost to himself. Mayu rested her cheek in her hand and admired the view as his eyes sharpened the way they only did when he was working through a problem.

"Tsunade-sama's injury," Mayu interjected. "It's worse than everybody's been letting on."

Shikaku pointed a finger at her. "Keep that to yourself. I mean it, Mayu-chan." he sighed and tapped his fingers on the table. "It's not mortal, but she has been weakened. It's part of why she's keeping Itachi-san close on hand until he turns nineteen. If the village is attacked, he needs to be there."

"What will Tsunade-sama do when Itachi-san takes over?" Shikamaru asked.

"She's going to take over the hospital. Actually," Yoshino hesitated before continuing. "Actually, she asked me if I'd take over the Trauma ward, and work directly with her, next to Shizune."

Shikaku's lips quirked up a bit, radiating pride, Shikamaru making a similar expression, and Mayu gasped. "Mom! You're so amazing!" She blushed at the praise and answered Mayu's rapid-fire questions about her new duties.

A few minutes later, Mayu straightened in her chair, eyes going wide. "Oh! I have to go - I just realized..." She stood, and ignored Shikamaru's groans about her leaving him with the dishes. She grabbed her jacket and a pair of boots and darted out into the chilly evening air.

As soon as she left the Nara compound she took to the roofs, heading towards the more run-down housing section of Konoha. When she found the right building, she ran down the side, flipping off the wall to land on her feet in front of the door.

Grumbling about annoying emo teammates, she ran up four flights of stairs, feeling a little smug that she wasn't even out of breath at the end of her dash while she pounded on a door. All that running around the Konoha outer walls with Sasuke to build endurance was paying off.

Naruto swung open the door, face cheerful and a mouth full of noodles. He slurped down the bite and waved the hand holding chopsticks towards her. "Hiya Mayu-chan! You want some ramen? I just finished this cup but I can make more..."

"We have to go," she said bluntly, stepping inside far enough to grab his shoes and push them towards him.

He blinked at her but obediently took the shoes from her. "Oh! Do we have a mission?"

"No, we have to go save Sasuke from his own angst fest," she grumbled, and Naruto's brow scrunched in confusion even as he tossed the chopsticks back towards his kitchen and started hopping up and down to pull his shoes on.

"Huh?"

She waited until they were out of the building and on the roof before offering an explanation. "Tsunade-sama and the jounin council announced that Itachi-sempai will be taking over as Hokage in a year," she said bluntly, and Naruto made a squeaking noise as he tripped and skidded across the roof of a clothing shop. Mayu sighed and grabbed him before he could go over the edge.

"But - but!" he sputtered as they started running again.

"Calm down, you're too young to be Hokage anyway. Besides, we have bigger problems. You know how Sasuke is about his brother."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. Yeah, they both knew how Sasuke was about his brother. When they arrived at the Uchiha house, Mikoto, who was starting to show a bit of a bump, looked worryingly relieved that they were there.

"He's gone to the Uchiha training grounds," she said in a low voice.

"Thanks, Mikoto-san!" Naruto called, and Mayu gave her a quick bow before grabbing Naruto's hand and tugging him in the right direction. When they finally arrived, the training grounds were looking suspiciously singed, but everything was quiet. Mayu pushed chakra into her nose, and eventually caught Sasuke's scent under the smell of soot.

She followed it to the large pond on the edge of the training field, where one lone slumped figure was sitting on the dock, feet hanging over the edge. "Ugh, could he be any more of a clichè," she muttered, and Naruto snorted.

They made their way down to their teammate, sitting on either side of him. For a few minutes, they were silent, each lost in their thoughts until Sasuke spoke.

"So you know, then," he said, voice bitter, and Mayu inclined her head. "I'm expected to be the Clan Head and take over the Military Police Force now. Second best choice, but everyone's so excited that Itachi-niisan has elevated our clan by receiving the Hokage title that they're okay with the  _concession_ ," he spat out the last word, and Mayu realized he was shaking with rage.

With a sigh, she put her hand on his back. Instead of comforting him, she gave a firm shove, sending him flying into the water with an undignified yelp. He surfaced, sputtering, and she raised an eyebrow at him as Naruto gaped at her from his spot a few feet away.

"Are you done being ridiculous now?" He didn't respond from where he stood waist deep in what had to be very cold water, glaring. "This pathetic jealousy you've got going for your brother ends now," she said. "One, it's incredibly dull watching you mope about it. Two, you aren't Itachi-sempai, and you need to stop comparing yourself to him, especially since anybody can see you don't actually wantto be him. You would hate being Hokage, just like you would hate being the Clan Head or the Chief of Police. Sasuke," she leaned forward, making sure she had his attention, "you are going to be an amazing shinobi. I can see it. Naruto and sensei can, too. But not if you keep trying to fit yourself into somebody else's mold."

With a huff, she sat back, arms crossed over her chest. For a few minutes, Sasuke just stared at her, still standing in the disgusting pond, water dripping down the ends of his hair and off his clothes. Finally, Naruto spoke.

"She's right, ya know! Itachi-san may be some sort of genius, but Mayu-chan and I wouldn't trade you in for him for anything. We trust your strength and that you'll always have our backs! Team Seven is going to be the strongest team Konoha has ever seen, believe it!"

Mayu smiled at him as Sasuke's face turned thoughtful. "I can't just turn down the Clan Head position," he grumbled.

"Sure you can," Mayu said easily. "I've been reading up on individual clan laws along with Konoha law since I decided I was joining the MPF. You have to agree to the appointment. Same goes for Chief of Police."

"But father -" he started around chattering teeth.

"Can find somebody else. You're better suited elsewhere. You'd hate the politics and posturing and paperwork," she cut him off with a shrug.

"W-well then what am I suited for?" he demanded, and she saw painful hope in his eyes, but still hesitated.

"That's probably something you should figure out for yours-" she cut off with a shriek as he darted forward and pulled her into the pond by the front of her jacket. She surfaced, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes and turning a venomous glare at Sasuke, ignoring Naruto's loud laughter.

"What the  _hell!_ "

"You did it to me first," he said with a sniff.

"Because you were being ridiculous!" she yelled.

"Well, you're being needlessly mysterious. We both know that you know where we'll be best suited. So just. Tell us. Please," he tacked on, and she sighed.

"Fine," she grumbled. "But after this, I expect you to start being more self-aware. You can't be a good shinobi or a reasonably content person if you don't even know yourself." She took a deep breath.

"Both you and Naruto will probably start out the first part of your careers as heavy hitters for the village, building a name for yourselves in highly visible battles. Like Kakashi-sensei, or the Legendary Sannin.

“From there...well, both of you would probably end up being a candidate for Hokage once Itachi-sempai is ready to step down in ten to fifteen years, but since Sasuke would end up murdering the council, it'll probably be Naruto that ends up there. As long as we make sure he beats out the other competition. I'm assuming Sasuke will be offered a stint in ANBU at some point. Just please don't let it turn you into even more of a walking broodfest."

Both boys were looking at her seriously, though Sasuke twitched at her dig. "Sasuke, you'll work closely with Naruto in a tactical role...maybe as Jounin or ANBU commander? You're good at leading, and identifying people's strengths, so. And you'll have a fierce enough reputation that putting you in a publicly visible leadership role would be beneficial. Like dad - he's actually a pretty terrifying figure to most foreign leaders. Anybody who was on the wrong end of his strategies during the war would think twice before crossing a force led by him."

She stopped when she saw they were both staring at her with serious expressions, then launched herself at Naruto, and pulled him into the pond with them. He let out a high pitched shriek, and Mayu burst into uncontrollable giggles. "Of course, first you'll have to actually get that strong, and stop being beaten up by civilian-born genin!"

Their discussion was put off in favor of a rough water fight that ended in them sporting blue lips, shivering, and looking half drowned. When they all tumbled into the Uchiha house, laughing and jostling each other, Mikoto was so relieved to see Sasuke in a non-brooding capacity that she just sent them upstairs to separate bathrooms to bathe without a scolding.

Naruto and Mayu both ended up in some of Sasuke's clothes, drinking hot chocolate in the sitting room and watching the snow that had begun falling on their shivering run back to the house outside the window. Mikoto had sent a message to the Nara household letting them know Mayu was staying over so she could wash and dry her clothes, which was fine with her.

"You didn't mention where you'd be in ten years," Sasuke said suddenly, and Mayu blinked at the two faces staring expectantly at her.

"Uh...well, I'll be an investigator for the Military Police Force," she said with a shrug. "Thought that was obvious. What?" she demanded when she saw their unimpressed faces.

"Chief of Police," Sasuke said suddenly. "Since I won't be taking it on, you can have that post. Naruto will need somebody he trusts there. Plus, you're always complaining about how much security sucks - you and I can come up with a much better solution if I'm Jounin Commander and you're the Chief of Police."

Mayu gaped at him. "Uh, Sasuke-kun, you do realize that I'm not an Uchiha, right?"

"So what?" Naruto interjected, and she groaned when she realized he was warming to the idea.

"So, the MPF is run by the Uchiha clan. They'd never accept a non-Uchiha leader!" she hissed.

"Just like Konoha would never accept an Uchiha as Hokage?" Sasuke said dryly, and she just sniffed.

"That's different," she muttered, even if it really wasn't.

"It's not!" Naruto said, leaning forward. "Especially if it's an Uchiha Hokage who supports your nomination!"

Mayu blinked at him, because, huh, sometimes he really showed surprising moments of insight. "I just...why in the world would they make me the Chief of Police?" she asked, feeling off balance. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.

"You're always doing that. You say that Naruto and I will be so strong and scary, or that we'll be running Konoha, but you never notice how strong and scary  _you_ are. Itachi-niisan told me you helped him solve a case already, and you're more clever than ninety-five percent of the adults we know. With your deductive skills, you'll probably be the best investigator Konoha has ever seen. Plus, you  _are_ strong - Kakashi-sensei is always saying you'll be just as good of a tracker as he is, and your puppets and inventions are terrifying. You're fast, too, and hard to land a hit on. I wouldn't want to fight you seriously," he said, and she gaped at him when she saw he was  _sincere_. Also, that might be the most she'd ever heard him say in one sitting.

"That's right!" Naruto said, standing and pointing a finger at her, causing her to lean back into the couch to avoid losing an eye. "You're a part of Team Seven, too, so you shouldn't underestimate yourself!"

"You're going to build a reputation with us - one even more, terrifying than the Sannin, and when Naruto's the Hokage, and I'm the Jounin Commander, and you're the Head of Security and Chief of Police, people will think twice before messing with us." Sasuke said with a sniff.

"And if they do mess with us, we'll kick their butts!" Naruto cheered. "So stop trying to stay behind, Mayu. If we're going to become strong, and have big dreams than you are too."

Mayu stared at them, wide-eyed before a small, shy smile grew on her face. "I - okay. I suppose I can't let you two do all the work.

000

Mayu was having a bad week. She couldn't pinpoint exactly why it was so bad, but she'd been irritable and achy and generally under the weather. The situation she walked into when she got home two evenings after she had promised Naruto and Sasuke that she would walk beside them instead of on the sidelines didn't help.

She'd found her family in the sitting room, with the addition of Harumi, looking adorable in a thick red winter kimono where she was sitting across from Shikamaru, giggling up at him as he taught her how to play Shogi. And he was  _smiling back at her_.

"Ah, Mayu-chan, you're home!" Yoshino said, forcing Mayu to break the death glare she was sending at Harumi. She grunted in reply and Shikaku raised an eyebrow at her from where he was doing paperwork in a chair.

Putting her nose in the air, she stalked past Shikamaru without saying hello - after all, he had  _Harumi_ to talk to, and plopped onto Shikaku's lap, ignoring his protests as she wrinkled his paperwork.

"Harumi has asked me to sponsor her for the Medic Corps. when she turns twelve in two months, isn't that great?" Yoshino gushed. The Medic Corps. took in Academy graduates who weren't on the jounin track and non-Academy trained students if they had a medic to sponsor them - somebody who took on the responsibility of teaching them chakra control and providing extra tutoring. It was basically an apprenticeship, and most high-level medics like Yoshino were expected to do it at some point.

Mayu gave Harumi a sharp look. "You're almost twelve? You look a lot younger." the girl turned her big, gorgeous green eyes on Mayu and smiled shyly.

"Yes, Mayu-san. I look young for my age." There was a pause, and then, "I never got a chance to thank you for saving me. If you hadn't shown up..."

Mayu didn't want to, but she felt herself softening a bit at the honest gratitude and admiration in the girl's eyes. "Ah, well, I'm glad I did show up. That guy was a total creep - he shouldn't have been treating you so roughly," she grumbled and was rewarded with a dazzling grin.

"I had always wished to go to the Academy, but mama wouldn't hear of it. She said it was too dangerous. I knew I didn't want to...follow in her footsteps, but I couldn't find anything I was good enough at. Then, you introduced me to Yoshino-san, and I realized I could still help people as a medic." Mayu had to hold herself back from gagging when Shikamaru sent the girl a lazy look of approval.

"I tested her chakra control and reserves - I think she'll do well on the exam with some practice. Mayu, I told Harumi-chan that you would teach her a few exercises to get her started this week since your chakra control is as good as any medic's," Yoshino said easily.

"You know I'm already busy," Mayu grumbled and winced at the combined glares of disapproval she received from her mother and Shikamaru. She glared back at the latter - what was his problem, anyway? He barely even knew Harumi. He raised an eyebrow, and she turned away with a huff. Let him disapprove. When she saw Harumi's downtrodden face, however, she sighed.

"Fine," she grumbled. "You can meet me at the bridge at training grounds seven half an hour before my team practice starts every morning, and I'll work with you. Seven-thirty a.m., don't be late."

Mayu then stood and stomped past Shikamaru, ignoring his sad eyes. "I'm going to bed, I don't feel well," she said, and if she slammed her door behind her, well, it was nobody's business but her own.

Mayu huddled into her coat for warmth as she approached the bridge the next morning, glad that she'd put on a hat and scarf. She almost groaned when she saw Harumi standing on the bridge, looking anxious and clutching a paper bag to her chest.

"Mayu-sempai!" the girl called, breaking into a big smile and waving at her. It was adorable, damn her.

"Morning," Mayu grumbled when she got closer, then leaned back as the girl bowed and shoved the paper bag towards her.

"I'm very sorry for taking up your valuable time. I promise that I will work hard and perfect anything you show me, or I'll - I'll - jump into the freezing cold creek!" Mayu twitched as she was reminded of a very green duo at the girl's promise. "Also, please accept these sticky buns that I baked as a token of my appreciation for your help."

Mayu reached out and grabbed the paper bag, which was emitting some seriously delicious smells. "Um. Thanks? Also, you don't have to call me sempai..."

The girl straightened and gave her a disturbingly earnest look. "But, that's what you are!"

"Er, right. Well, let's go sit under that tree - you shouldn't be in danger of getting hit with stray jutsu or kunai from my idiotic teammates there," Mayu muttered.

She then talked the girl through meditation until Sasuke and Naruto arrived. They both thought it was hilarious when Harumi called Mayu sempai but didn't seem bothered that she was hanging out with them for the first hour of team practice.

After working through some katas with Bukimi Junior, Mayu had Harumi stop meditating, and instead start on the leaf sticking exercise with a few soggy, brown leaves they dug out from under the snow. To Mayu's surprise, she picked it up fast, and after about an hour Mayu waved her off and told her to keep working on it as she did other tasks throughout the day. Harumi, who was wide-eyed after watching Mayu and Sasuke engage in a brutal taijutsu-only spar that ended in Mayu with a faceful of slush and Sasuke covered in nettles from where she'd sent him flying into a bush, thanked her profusely and left.

Mayu discovered while waiting for Kakashi to show up that the buns were even more delicious than they smelled, which only sent her spiraling into a foul mood that had Naruto and Sasuke putting some extra space between her and them.

When Kakashi showed up even later than usual Mayu spun on him, snarling. "I told you I couldn't do our individual practice into the evening today after our mission! Mom's been insisting we do one family dinner a week, and she'll kill both of us if I miss it. Guess I'll just have to wait  _another week_ until I can learn an elemental jutsu. Thanks a lot, sensei." She stomped past the wide-eyed jounin, whose hand was still raised in greeting.

Last week Kakashi had shown up with chakra paper so they could discover their Elemental Natures. Sasuke was, unsurprisingly, fire-natured with a secondary of lightning (that one was surprising). Naruto was wind, and Mayu was fire, as well. He had then promised to teach them each a C-rank jutsu during their individual training days. Today was supposed to be Mayu's but now they wouldn't have time.

She remained stubbornly silent and wouldn't even look at Kakashi, who was doing his best to look sad and remorseful as they did a supply run to a few local farms. Naruto and Sasuke were giving her wide berth, and by the end of the day she was cold, annoyed with the wary looks her team kept giving her and had a stomach ache.

"I don't feel well, sensei. I think I'm going to head home now," she pushed past him, ignoring the way even his hair was drooping and the side-eyes she was getting from Naruto and Sasuke, suddenly having to push back the urge to cry.

That night she was poking at her dinner, dodging Yoshino's gentle questions about how she was feeling and refusing to look at Shikamaru - she still hadn't forgiven him for the disapproving look he'd shot her yesterday over some pretty girl he'd just met - when she had an idea.

"Papa?" she asked.

"Hmm, Mayu-chan?"

"Can you teach me a C-rank fire jutsu? Please?" Mayu asked, breaking out The Eyes.

He scooped some rice up, not even looking up at her, and sighed. "Eh, Mayu-chan, can't you ask Kakashi-san? I'm pretty busy these days..."

Stung, she felt the tears that had been on the verge of making an appearance all evening prickle her eyes. "Right, so you can teach Shikamaru your super-secret clan techniques twice a week, but god forbid you to make time for me." She stood abruptly. "I guess since I'm not a Narait just isn't worth the effort!"

Before he could reply she let out a sob and ran out of the room, leaving Shikaku stopped mid-motion, chopsticks halfway to his open mouth, blinking in shock. With a plop, the rice fell from the chopsticks onto his lap, and he sighed and flopped his head forward.

"What," Shikamaru said from where he was sitting, staring at Mayu's now-empty chair, "just happened?"

Mayu spent the rest of the evening crying into her pillow and yelling at anybody who knocked on her door to go away before falling into a restless sleep.

She woke up the next morning to swollen, sticky eyes and pain radiating from her abdomen. "What..." she muttered, sitting up with a wince and pushing her hair out of her face. She moved her blankets to the side and peered down, eyes widening and an involuntary shriek escaping her when she saw the blood on her sheets.

Her brain had just caught up with the implications -  _moody, prone to tears, achy, pain in abdomen_ \- when her door opened and Shikaku burst inside, obviously having heard her yell in distress. He stopped short in the doorway, taking in her white face and the blood on the sheets. For a moment, they just stared at each other, and then Shikamaru was trying to peer around his dad, who was blocking the door.

"Mayu, are you - "

Panicked, she grabbed the closest thing to her - her alarm clock - and chucked it at Shikaku. "Get out!" she yelled. With a yelp, he ducked, and the alarm clock flew past him and hit the hallway wall with a  _thump._

He backtracked so quickly that he stumbled, and slammed the door behind him. There was a scuffle as Shikamaru tried to get past him to check on her, but Shikaku whispered something to him urgently that had him changing his mind, though they were both still standing outside the door.

"What in the world is going on up here?" Yoshino's annoyed voice said, and Mayu suddenly and desperately wanted her mother.

"Mom!" she called, then dissolved into sobs.

"Shikaku, get out of the way! What -" Yoshino slipped into the room and quickly closed the door behind her. Mayu caught a glimpse of a pale Shikamaru for a moment, but then she was focused on Yoshino, who took in the scene for a moment before her face twisted in sympathy.

"Oh, sweetheart..."

"Mom! I don't -  _I don't want it!_ It's such a pain...I thought I had another year, at least. I don't want it!" she repeated the last on a wail, and ignored the thump on the other side of the door that meant her father and Shikamaru were still hovering in the hall.

Yoshino let out a huff of laughter before she sat down carefully next to Mayu, well away from the stained portion of the sheets, and pulled her into a hug. Mayu sobbed into her shoulder. "This...is...awful! It's making me c-crazy. I'm crazy!" she wailed, and this time Yoshino really did shake with laughter.

"You're not crazy, sweetheart. Your hormones are just a little out of control right now. It's okay - we'll go to the hospital and get the shot that Tsunade-sama created for kunoichi. This'll be your first and last period until you're ready to have kids."

Mayu pulled back with a sniffle. Right, she had known that once she started her period, she'd be able to start taking the birth control shot that not only kept kunoichi from dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, but also prevented menstruation. "And the mood swings?" she said with a pout.

"Well, it won't totally cure you of being a teenager, but it'll help," Yoshino said wryly, and Mayu let out a wet giggle. "Okay, let me tell the boys you aren't dying, and I'll send Shikamaru to let Harumi and your team know you're taking a sick day. Then we'll go get your shot, and spend the rest of the day on the couch watching movies and eating chocolate."

Yoshino gave her a critical look. "And tomorrow I'll pick you up some sports bras - you're already growing a bit, soon it'll become obvious." Mayu let out a groan and flopped backward. Girls had it so hard.

000

The next day Naruto threw his arms around Mayu when she got to the bridge. He and Sasuke had taken 'I am meeting Harumi at the bridge half an hour early' to mean 'let's all show up half an hour early!'

"Mayu-chan! Shikamaru came and told us you were really, really sick yesterday. And when we saw Gai-sensei's team they told us that they'd seen you going to the  _hospital_. Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should go home and lay down..." Ugh, shinobi were such gossips.

Mayu waved them off. "I'm fine. All taken care of," she said and ignored the way Sasuke was peering at her suspiciously. "Really, I'm okay. I'm sorry I was so cranky at our last practice.”

"It's okay - if you weren't feeling well, it's understandable," Naruto said, and Mayu couldn't help but quirk a smile at him. Then Harumi was running up to her and shoving a special tea her mother swore strengthened the immune system at her, and the conversation was thankfully over.

Kakashi showed up only an hour late, which was practically early for him, and beamed at Mayu, who was sitting on the railing of the bridge watching Sasuke and Naruto spar. "Ah, you look better, Mayu." he stared at her expectantly, and she glanced over at him, realizing it was a question.

"Yes, thanks." She reached into her pouch and almost rolled her eyes when he dramatically flinched where he was leaning against the railing next to her. She held out a bag of chocolates. "Here, mom and I made these," she mumbled.

Delighted, he plucked them from her hand, and between one second and the next, half the bag was empty without him seeming to move. He hummed in pleasure, and she knew her apology for her temper was accepted.

When Naruto and Sasuke wandered over to them, Kakashi hid his chocolates away and clapped his hands once. "Okay! I thought today we could skip our mission, and instead focus on learning an elemental jutsu." Mayu straightened, suddenly eager, and beamed at her teacher to let him know she accepted his apology, too.

At the end of the day, Mayu and Naruto were decimating the trees around them with flame and wind bullets. Sasuke was attempting to electrocute five of Naruto's clones with Lightning Breath - a B-level jutsu where the user gathers lightning in their fist, then thrusts it forward to release multiple jets of electricity. Mayu grumbled a little over how many jutsu Sasuke already knew but wasn't too fussed. Kakashi was beaming at the fact that they'd all learned a new jutsu in a day, but it wasn't actually that surprising - he pretty much ended up with the genius team after all. Well, other than Shikamaru.

The truth was, both of the boys had higher chakra reserves than her - Naruto by a wide margin - and were more suited to ninjutsu. Mayu wasn't exactly a slouch when it came to her chakra reserves, especially for a female, due to her spending a lot of time meditating throughout the years, but becoming a ninjutsu specialist seemed like a waste of her other talents. Especially since she needed to keep her reserves up for her chakra strings.

Of course, she'd still need to master at least two elemental releases to be accepted to the MPF, starting with the easiest - fire - and then moving on to a second. Lightning, maybe? Earth seemed pretty useful, especially for their team setup. Though, she realized with a jolt, if she was really going to aim for Chief of Police, she'd probably need to add on a third. Ugh, dreams were so tedious.

When they finally finished practice, Mayu bounded up to the rest of her teammates. "Come over for dinner tonight. We can add in our new jutsu to some formations. Please?" She brought out The Eyes and they all caved.

"You should learn water release, Naruto," Mayu said with a yawn where she was perched on Kakashi's back. "It's not like you have to worry about the chakra you lose in the conversion."

Her cramps had come back with a vengeance, and her teacher had noticed the way she winced as she walked. Without another word, he'd swept her up on his back and she'd realized with a bit of embarrassment that he probably knew exactly why she'd been such a basket case the last week or so.

As her jounin-sensei, he had access to her medical records, after all. He'd probably run all the way to the hospital to snoop the moment Gai had told him he'd seen her entering the building. The only bright side was that he was probably more embarrassed than she was, and she had spent some time happily imagining the way his visible eye must have widened in horror when he read the notes from her doctor's visit.

"Why?" Naruto asked, more interested than anything. The boys had learned to take her observations seriously, after all.

"I'm guessing she's thinking about your and Sasuke-kun's combination attacks. Fire works well with wind, and water is a good match for lightning," Kakashi supplied, and Mayu nodded.

"Yeah! Like Lightning Jaguar and his partner," Mayu said, bouncing in excitement and ignoring Kakashi's grumbling about her jostling him.

Naruto and Sasuke shared one of their looks before Naruto shrugged. "Okay, sure," he said easily. "Pervy Sage said he'd start me on fuinjutsu, too, but so far all he's done is make me write and rewrite calligraphy and yell at me for being sloppy," he grumbled, and Mayu giggled.

"Hey, at least you don't have Gai-sensei yelling at you about the power of youth while he makes you do speed training until you drop. Mom regrets asking him for help so much, but doesn't want to give me the impression that giving up on a project halfway through is okay, so she keeps showing up for our training sessions," Mayu said with a giggle, and Kakashi shuddered.

He set her down on the front porch, and she darted inside after a quick 'Thanks, Sensei."

"I'm home! I brought my team over for dinner!" Yoshino popped her head out of the kitchen and gave her a small smile.

"You came at the right time to let me know - I'll add more rice to the cooker. You three wash your hands and come help me chop up more meat and vegetables," she said and smirked when the genin of Team Seven meekly made their way to the back bathroom to follow her directions before smiling warmly at Kakashi. "Kakashi-san - Shikaku and Ensui are both in the library. Let me grab you your own sake cup.”

Mayu and Shikamaru had just finished setting the table - they had given in and opened up and cleaned the larger formal dining area when Yoshino realized how often team dinners were liable to happen - when there was a knock at the door. "Oh! That must be Harumi - I told her to come to dinner so I could give her some books and check up on her progress. Shikamaru-kun, could you get the door?" Yoshino called, and Mayu scowled as he moved to do as she said without even a groan.

When he led the girl back in, followed by Kakashi, Ensui, and Shikaku, she had her wide green eyes turned up at Shikamaru, face flushed a please pink, and her hand was on his arm. Shikamaru had a lip quirked up at whatever she was saying, and Mayu pursed her lips and before she really thought about what she was doing, had moved to join them.

"Oh, Mayu-sempai! I'm up to three leaves now, isn't that great?" she said, and Mayu just hummed and glared at the hand that was still on Shikamaru's arm. Harumi faltered, and slowly pulled the hand away. "Um...Shika-kun was telling me -"

"Shikamaru," Mayu said sharply, turning her glare to the girl's face and ignoring Ensui's chuckles to her right.

"What?" Harumi asked, taken aback.

"His name is  _Shikamaru_." She then latched onto a surprised-looking Shikamaru and pulled him to the spot next to Sasuke, planting him firmly between the two of them before plopping down in a huff. Kakashi sat down next to her and she stared down at her plate as everyone else was seated - Harumi next to a fussing Yoshino at the other end - and focused on ignoring Kakashi's knowing eye-smile and Shikamaru's disappointed face.

Sasuke and Naruto were both sending death glares at Shikamaru, and she couldn't help but feel thankful.  _They_ saw the problem, so why couldn't her idiot...whatever-he-was see it too? Well, more than likely they just saw that she was upset and Shikamaru was the culprit, but, whatever.

She stabbed her noodles in frustration but listened closely when Kakashi pulled Shikamaru into a discussion on adding their new jutsu to a few formations. After a while, Ensui cut in.

"So, Kakashi-san, how is Mayu-chan's tracking training going?" Ensui asked, and there was something about his voice that set off an internal alarm. She looked up sharply but was distracted by Shikamaru reaching over her to grab some rice.  _Rude,_ he could have asked her to pass it to him instead of giving her the silent treatment. She sent him a glare before tuning into what Kakashi was saying.

"Ah, you were right - she's taking to it well. Especially visual tracking - I don't think we've had somebody as good at that aspect as she is for a decade or so. She supplements well with scent and hearing, too. And she's taking to suppressing her chakra like a fish to water."

"It's only because you're such a good teacher, sensei!" she gushed, and he patted her head while she beamed up at him. How could she have ever  _not_ adored her amazing sensei?

Shikaku slumped in his seat in a pout when he saw her staring up at Kakashi, and ignored Yoshino rolling her eyes at him.

A few minutes later, when the conversation had moved on to some newly promoted jounin, Mayu felt a prickling on the side of her head and sighed before giving into the inevitable. She turned to meet Shikamaru's steady gaze.

"Yes?" she said sweetly, ignoring the way Sasuke had tensed and tilted his head towards them even as he called Naruto an idiot for something.

"Why were you so rude to Harumi-chan?" he asked in a low voice, brow furrowed. "She's just a kid."

"Harumi- _chan_? Wow, you guys got close quick," she muttered, stabbing at her noodles.

He sighed explosively. "She's a sweet kid, and she looks up to you. Stop being a jerk," he snapped.

Mayu stiffened and turned slowly towards him, ignoring the way half the table seemed to have tuned into their conversation. "Telling me what to do, Shikamaru?" she said in a deadly calm voice. Because this wasn't how their relationship  _worked_.

Mayu didn't tell him to be less lazy, and he didn't try to make her into something she wasn't. Until now. The only other person he'd really taken her to task for was Ino, which was understandable - they'd been friends from infancy, after all, and he'd had it drilled into his head to watch out for her. She felt hurt well in her chest and ignored it in favor of her anger as she met his eyes.

"Apparently somebody has to," he grumbled and looked away dismissively.

Sasuke was gripping his chopsticks a little too tightly in his hand, and Naruto looked ready to launch himself across the table at the youngest Nara. While Mayu could sympathize with wanting to throttle him, it was pretty much anathema to her to allow Shikamaru to be hurt. So, with deliberate slowness, she picked up her glass of juice, moved it over his lap, and tipped the contents down the front of him.

"Oops," she said, then, ignoring his sputtering, turned away. "Looks like you need to change your pants. Maybe  _Harumi-chan_ can help you out with that," she hissed.

Silence had descended on the table, and Mayu concentrated on taking a bite of noodles.  _You're not going to cry, you're not going to cry..._ After a moment, Shikamaru let out a huff and stood, stalking from the room. Sasuke wasted no time in pulling her over into the empty seat, and Naruto scrambled up and moved around the table to sit on her other side.

Luckily, nobody said anything, and instead, the conversation started back up, a little awkwardly at first, and then more naturally.

When Shikamaru came back downstairs in fresh clothes, he took in the changes to the seating arrangements and sat in Naruto's old spot without complaint. He was probably happy to get away from her.

Mayu leaned into Sasuke's side, feeling a little better at the death glare the other three members of her team were shooting at Shikamaru off and on, but unable to banish the pressure in her chest. Because Shikamaru had chosen somebody else over her - a pretty, sweet, quiet girl who called him Shika-kun and obviously had a crush on him -

She cut off her thoughts and allowed Sasuke and Naruto to pull her from the table as everybody finished eating. Ensui followed team seven out to the living room and tugged her in for a hug. "Ah, Mayu-chan, being twelve is pretty tough, huh?" he said. "He'll figure it out - there's nothing stupider than a thirteen-year-old boy."

Mayu giggled a bit into his shoulder and decided she'd had enough moping to last her for a lifetime. It was  _dull_. She pulled back and smiled at him. “Right," she agreed, and he stood with a smile, ruffling her hair. Sasuke and Naruto were still hovering but seemed to have relaxed. The rest of the adults had wandered in behind them, and Mayu refused to wonder what Shikamaru and Harumi were doing.

She focused on Kakashi and Ensui's conversation and did a double take. Because...Ensui had that soft smile on his face that he only broke out for his family, and Kakashi was relaxed in a way that didn't happen that often. They were leaning towards each other, comfort with their close proximity in every line of their body. Warily, she increased the chakra flow to her nose, then let out a strangled yelp at what her senses were telling her, diving in front of Kakashi, putting his front to her back.

"Ensui-niisan, how could you?" she yelled, pointing dramatically at the Nara, who was now wearing an 'oh shit' expression.

"Mayu-chan, w-what are you..."

"You  _violated_ my  _sensei!" s_ he shrieked, and Naruto yelped out a 'what?' next to her, before suddenly two glowering boys were standing at her sides, blocking a spluttering Kakashi.

"You - did you even take him on a date first?" she asked and gasped at the guilty look that came across his face. On the other side of the room, Shikaku was looking slightly ill while Yoshino giggled into her hand.

"You didn't! Ensui-niisan," she said seriously and turned slightly to latch onto Kakashi's arm, ignoring his protests as he tried to pull away. "Kakashi-sensei is a  _delicate flower_ , you need to treat him with respect!"

"Mayu-chan!" Kakashi choked out.

"You do want to date him, right? Because if you're just using him for his body -"

"I do!" Ensui yelped, looking panicked at her murderous expression. "I want to date him!"

Kakashi had gone still next to Mayu, and she studied Ensui's expression before nodding. She then turned to Kakashi. "Do you want to date Ensui-niisan?" she asked him, and relaxed before he could respond, seeing the answer in his body language.

"He does! So it's settled. Ensui-niisan will pick you up from your house tomorrow at seven, Kakashi-sensei. And don't just wear your standard uniform," she scolded the two shell-shocked men. "Wear something nice! Ensui-niisan will make reservations at that fancy Akimichi seafood restaurant." She put a finger to her lips, thinking. "And he'll bring flowers," she added decisively.

Shikaku was now laughing so hard he was leaning back against the wall, while Sasuke and Naruto had lost all the color in their faces and backed away from the spectacle. Kakashi and Ensui were studying each other warily. Finally, Ensui gave a small jerk of his head. "Alright. Tomorrow at seven. We'll...go to the seafood restaurant," he grumbled, but Mayu could tell he was pleased when Kakashi returned the nod, then poofed away, leaving Mayu holding a potted plant from the Nara's front porch.

"Don't forget the flowers, Ensui-niisan - he'll think you don't mean it if you show up without them!" she then handed the plant to Ensui and dragged her teammates to the library, turning her nose up in the air as she passed Shikamaru and Harumi in the hall.

000

Two mornings later she was half-heartedly eating her rice, considering different ways she could get out of training Harumi that morning. The day before had been painfully awkward. Harumi had been quiet and unsure, and Mayu had forced herself to treat the girl with some semblance of professionalism.

It was pretty idiotic to blame the girl for stealing something that wasn't hers in the first place. After all, Shikamaru was hardly an object that she could lay claim to. If he didn't want Mayu romantically, she would just need to deal with it like the mature ninja she was supposed to be.

Needless to say, she'd been avoiding Shikamaru. She'd even stayed on Naruto's couch the past two nights, though she was forced to return home this morning to pick up a change of clothes. Mayu had made sure to come early enough that the chances of running into her family members were low, so she was surprised when Shikaku entered the kitchen, already dressed and mostly awake, a travel pack in one hand.

"Going somewhere?" Mayu asked. It wasn't often Shikaku left Konoha proper, after all.

"Ah, I have a diplomatic mission," he grumbled. "To Iwa," he pouted, and Mayu sat up, alarmed.

"Iwa! But they've been so aggressive -!"

"Inoichi, and Chouza are coming, and Kakashi, too. He told me to let you know you three should practice with Gai-sensei until he returns," Shikaku said, and Mayu bit her lip. No matter how relaxed Shikaku was about the situation, she knew it must be dangerous for them to walk into Iwa - especially since Shikaku was practically a boogeyman to them.

"Let me put together some packets for you guys," she said, and was out the door and heading to the shed before he could protest. When she returned a few minutes later, he was standing at the door, impatient.

"Mayu-chan, I need to leave soon," he said, and she ignored him in favor of pushing four paper bags at him.

"Kakashi-sensei can explain how to use anything you're not familiar with. You'll watch him, won't you?" she said, anxious, and he sighed, pulling her in for a quick hug.

"Of course I will," he grumbled.

"One more second!" she said and dashed into the library to grab a piece of paper, jotting down a quick note.

_Dear Kakashi-sensei,_

_Please be careful on this mission! Also, if you can, please watch out for dad. I gave you extra grenades in case you need them._

_Love you,_

_Mayu_

She ran back to where Shikaku was slumped by the front door, then folded up the note and shoved it into the bag with Kakashi's name written on the front. It was only after Shikaku had extricated himself from her hold and left that she realized how she had signed the note.

 _Whoops, that should send him into an emotional spiral,_ she thought to herself. He'd either be clingy in his own weird way when he got back or ignore her for a few days. It was hard to tell with him. Since she had meant it, even if she'd written it out so quickly she hadn't really been thinking about it, she decided it was fine.

Four mornings later she was watching Gai-sensei leap through the air, exclaiming on the power of youth as he demonstrated what she and Yoshino were doing wrong in the advanced level five katas that they needed to perfect before they could move on. As he reached the apex of his jump, sun glinting off the locks of his black hair, legs in a full split mid-air with his head thrown back and arms held up in what looked like supplication, she swore he seemed to pause and hang in mid-air for a moment like some crazed fashion-disabled angel. Yoshino's jaw had actually dropped open at the dramatic scene and Mayu resisted the urge to drop her face into her hands as he landed lightly, looking like a deranged ballet dancer when he ended it with a flourish and spin.

"As you can see, even though you must use much force and flexibility to achieve this move, it is done with a light touch and the power of your Youth!" Mayu was thankful for the first time that week that Shikaku wasn't around to witness their training sessions, as he'd taken to watching lately. Mayu was pretty sure he suspected Gai of having some sort of crush on Yoshino. Shikamaru, unsurprisingly, wasn't there, since they'd both been doing their best to avoid the other since their disastrous conversation almost a week ago.

Mayu admitted that she missed him - a lot. She'd been forcing herself to not act out of character, though she was pretty sure Sasuke and Naruto weren't fooled if the dark looks they sent at her house when they walked her home were any indication.

She covered a yawn, knowing Gai would take it as a challenge to wake her with laps around the field. She'd been working late into the evenings on a new prototype that Rika-sempai had helped her on since it involved some pretty specific molds. When Mayu had explained that if it was off even a little she could accidentally blow herself up just by using chakra too close to them, Rika-sempai had been horrified and insisted that everything be  _perfect_.

After the molds were finished, she had completed the last steps in her lab last night, and now had a dozen palm-sized beetles shaped in chakra-insulating metal. She'd dipped them in a black polymer so they wouldn't gleam and give away their position to any enemies, and filled them with the solution that had blown up the Inuzuka forest all those years ago.

The only way to push chakra into them - thereby setting them off - was a small divot in the top of the shell. Applying force wasn't enough, you had to push the chakra in at a very specific point to activate. Only somebody who had good enough control to create, say, a dense string of chakra and then be able to perfectly place it at the activation point and pulse chakra through would be able to make her little babies explode.

On the belly of each beetle was a layer of the adhesive that she'd used to accidentally stick her face to her workbench, covered by a thin layer of paper that had to be peeled off to expose the sticky side. She planned to use them as semi-long range explosives - she could stick them to a surface and feed chakra into them when she was ready to ignite. Mayu knew from experience how difficult it was to remove that adhesive without the solution she'd created, so once they were attached to something they'd be stuck there for good.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Sasuke, who was still sporting bed head. He stared for a moment as Gai picked Yoshino up and sent her flying through the air, yelling encouragements as she scowled down at him but still executed a perfect split in mid-air. He then gave a small shake of his head and turned towards Mayu.

"Hey, we have a mission," he grumbled, and she raised an eyebrow. They'd never been assigned a mission without Kakashi before if she didn't count the Sasuke Retrieval mission. "It's running messages and picking up supply requests from outposts. Itachi-niisan said it was standard and we'd have a chunin as a team leader. We're supposed to pack for two weeks, and wear warm gear." He handed her the scroll, and she read through it quickly.

"That's a lot of running," she muttered, and Sasuke hummed. "I'm guessing you need to pick up a few things...I know I do. I'm betting Naruto is majorly underprepared for two weeks outdoors in the cold." She nibbled her lips and looked at Sasuke, who sighed.

"He probably can't afford all the gear he needs. The idiot is terrible at budgeting," he grumbled.

"He'll be upset if we pay for it," she said with a frown.

"Not if he doesn't know we did," Sasuke smirked at her, and she grinned back.

"Okay, make me a list of what you need. I'll pick up supplies for us after I'm done training. Then you two can meet me here and we'll pack and go over those new formations. I'll give him a low-ball answer when he asks how much it all cost - make up some bull about a Nara discount. You two can just plan on staying over," she said, handing him the scroll.

"You sure you can afford to put in for the idiot's gear?" Sasuke asked after a moment of hesitation, and she huffed.

"Yeah, I just got a gigantic check from Akinobu-sensei. You know that desk I designed? With all the hidden compartments and weapons slots?" Sasuke grunted and looked warily at where Gai was forcing Yoshino's body into a truly painful looking contortion. "Well, Tsunade-sama was seen buying three - I'm guessing so she had extra when she inevitably destroys it - and now everybody wants one. He's got backorders that will take a year to fill."

Sasuke snorted. "She probably wanted a place to hide her sake," he grumbled, and Mayu giggled.

"Probably. Anyway, it was one of the designs we agreed on a profit share for, so..." Sasuke nodded his understanding.

"I'm going to go wake up the idiot and make sure he actually eats healthy today. We'll come over later." Mayu waved him off, unbothered by his abrupt departure, then held back a groan as Gai turned his attention to her.

"Mayu-chan! Come, we will start our speed training for the day! If you are not fast enough to move onto the sixth stage of the Deadly Dance Style in three months' time, I will run around Konoha two thousand times!"

000

Four days later Mayu was sulking by the fire that Sasuke had started, pointedly ignoring their team leader, who was ignoring her right back. They'd made good time so far, already hitting two of the ten outposts they were assigned.

Mayu knew Sasuke and Naruto had to be feeling uncomfortable with the silence between Shikamaru and herself. The only time they spoke was to discuss mission details, and she was always unfailingly polite. She wasn't stupid enough to snipe at her captain on a mission, after all. No matter what Ensui-niisan said she wasn't  _that_ much of a brat. Plus Shikamaru was pretty cute when he was giving out orders...she barely resisted smacking a hand to her forehead at her thoughts.

Mayu was actually getting pretty tired of their mutual silent treatment, but wasn't sure how to broach the subject, and didn't think that she should in the middle of the forest on a mission, anyway.  _When we get back, I'll corner him,_ she thought with determination and glanced at him from under her eyelashes where he was sitting across the fire.

He was watching her, and for a moment their eyes met, his searching, and hers probably wide and pathetic if her feelings were showing on her face at all. Her heart gave a small thump in her chest, and she was glad for the darkness around her that hid her blush.

"Hey hey, Mayu-chan!" Naruto called, thumping down next to her and drawing her attention from Shikamaru. He held out a delicate orange flower that she knew grew on a hardy bush that for some reason flowered in the winter. Something about the seeds spreading and lying dormant during the cold months so that they were already scattered as far as possible once spring hit... "Isn't it pretty? I thought it'd look nice against your hair."

He hummed a tune as he carefully used one of her pins to place it next to her bun. "There!" he said with a satisfied smile, and she beamed back at him.

Sasuke, who had returned with him, had finished telling Shikamaru that their perimeter run showed nothing other than trees and rabbits had been about for at least a week. He turned and studied the flower critically before giving a small nod. "Looks nice," he grunted, then sat down on Naruto's other side.

"Oh, Sasuke- _kun_ ," Mayu cried, clasping her hands under her chin and fluttering her eyelashes. "I've been waiting and waiting for you to notice me! Finally, it's happened! The beginning of our love story."

He snorted and rolled his eyes, throwing a nut at her that she dodged easily as she and Naruto broke down into laughter at her fangirl impersonation. Shikamaru stood abruptly. "I'm taking the first watch. You should get some rest, we're leaving early." He moved stiffly to the nearest tree before jumping into the branches.

"What's his problem," Mayu grumbled, holding her hands out to the fire to warm them for a moment and ignoring the boys' identical  _really?_ looks at her question. Cursing her stubbornness, she couldn't help but wish that she had made up with him before this mission. If they had, she could be snuggling him for warmth instead of fighting to swallow past the lump that had taken up permanent residence in her throat.

 _Screw the mission, I'm talking to him first thing tomorrow_ , she thought as she fell asleep sandwiched between Naruto and Sasuke. Mayu took the last watch, waking the boys as the sun was just starting to peek out from behind the mountains. They all shivered miserably in the cold pre-dawn morning, quickly putting on their layers while Mayu, already dressed for her watch, cleaned up the camp, looking over it with a critical eye to be sure they weren't leaving any signs that they were there.

Once she was satisfied she nodded at Shikamaru, who just motioned for them to move out, eyes still bleary. Her chest warmed as she realized that even when he was angry with her, he trusted her - he hadn't even double checked her work. He had Mayu take point, since she could scent and hear danger from further away. Sasuke had taken up the rear, with Shikamaru and Naruto flanking, and they passed the morning easily that way, leaping through trees.

When Shikamaru came up next to her and motioned for them to stop for a break, she jumped to the ground, taking a moment to stretch as Shikamaru dug through his pack for ration bars. Once he handed them out she made surreptitious motions behind his back to the boys to give them some privacy. Sasuke gave her an unimpressed look, but grabbed Naruto by the wrist and pulled him to the other side of the small clearing they'd stopped at.

Biting her lip she turned to Shikamaru, who was eyeing their teammates with suspicion as they showed a surprising amount of interest in a dying bush. "Shika," she said in a quiet voice when she was about two feet away from him. His eyes darted to her and widened a bit. When he didn't reply, she continued.

"Can I...talk to you for a minute?" she asked, swallowing her nerves.

"Mayu...we're in the middle of a mission," he said, but didn't look away from her, and she could see the painful hope on his face.

"I know, but, can you just give me five minutes? Please?" His eyes softened, and he opened his mouth to reply, but then the wind shifted.

Mayu's eyes widened at the strange scent that met her still-chakra-enhanced nose, and she cut him off. "Incoming!" she yelled. A rustle and whistling in the air that she would never have heard without Kakashi's training had her grabbing Shikamaru and pulling him to the ground. "Down!"

She felt the wind of something moving incredibly fast pass right over her head, then the thunk of it meeting a tree trunk.  _Kunai,_ her mind supplied and she and Shikamaru both flipped onto their feet.

Mayu's feet still hadn't touched the ground when she reached for her scroll carousel, sending it into a spin and letting her fingers dance over the face until she felt the raised symbol for the one she needed. With a flick of her wrist and the application of chakra, Bukimi Junior poofed into existence in front of her just as she put her back to Shikamaru's. Arms outstretched in front of her, she moved Junior so that he was between them and the threat.

Two men now stood in the middle of the clearing, standing between them and Naruto and Sasuke, who were also standing back to back. Her eyes were drawn to the larger of the two, and not just because of his size, though he was incredibly tall and broad. He was wearing a dark cloak with red clouds emblazoned on it and had a huge sword wrapped in bandages attached to his back. His skin was  _blue,_ his features shark-like, especially when he grinned at them, flashing razor sharp teeth.

The other man was smaller, and he also had a large sword strapped to him, this one uncovered, and was wearing the same cloud covered cloak. He was facing Sasuke and Naruto, so all she could see of his features was that he had white hair. Mayu ran her eyes over them, cataloging as much as she could before they were forced to engage.

"You're in Fire Country, and you've just attacked Leaf Shinobi on our own turf. Surrender your weapons and come with us quietly," Shikamaru said in his most bored tone.

The blue-skinned one let out a sharp bark of laughter. "I don't think so. How about this: your jinchuuriki comes quietly, and we let the rest of you live." Mayu's mind raced with the implications as Shikamaru jerked slightly next to her, but didn't give any other indication of his surprise. Mayu knew Naruto wouldn't be so circumspect, so she spoke before he could.

"I don't know where you got your information from, but there's no jinchuuriki here. Do any of us  _look_ like we're a weapon of mass destruction?" she scoffed, and almost sighed with relief as the shark-man's beady eyes focused on her instead of Shikamaru.

"Oho, could it be that you don't know about the monster in your midst?" he said and gave that same creepy grin. "I guess that makes sense - wouldn't want word of who was housing the Kyuubi to get out."

"Funny that  _you're_ flinging the word monster around," Mayu hissed, and was satisfied when she saw his eyes narrow at her a bit. _Direct hit_. Shikamaru leaned back into her - a warning, don't push too far - but didn't say anything, content to let her pull information from them. "Do you have a name, or should we just call you Shark-Boy?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't give my name out to people unless they earn it," he said with a small shrug. "Tell you what, you draw blood, and I'll tell you my name, girly," he said, and for the first time the other one spoke, though he didn't turn his back on Sasuke and Naruto.

"Oh, does that mean I get to kill somebody?" he asked in an eager voice, and Mayu had to grit her teeth to keep from saying something nasty.

"That depends, Suigetsu," the man replied, ignoring the other's cry of "Hey, how come they don't have to earn my name?"

"If they hand over the jinchuuriki, then nobody else needs to get hurt."

Shikamaru stiffened at the same time she did, not missing the implication that Naruto  _would_ be getting hurt. Mayu opened her mouth to reply, but Shark-boy cut her off. "Don't try and bullshit us - we know the blonde one is the jinchuuriki."

"And how did you know where we'd be?" Shikamaru asked, voice cold. Mayu would like to know that, too, actually.

Shark-boy shrugged. "We didn't. It was just luck that we sensed him while we were taking care of other business on the border. This is more an attack of opportunity."  _Lie_ , Mayu's brain supplied and ground her teeth. Another traitor, great.

"You can't have him," Sasuke spat from the other side of the clearing, and Mayu barely kept herself from groaning at his interjection. Didn't the idiot know she and Shikamaru were trying to pull information from the guy? He was helpfully chatty, after all.

"So it's a fight, then," Shark-boy said, and rolled his shoulders. "Very well."

"Formation Two," Shikamaru muttered. "We need to get back to Sasuke and Naruto." She nodded, and they both moved. Mayu released the blades in the joints of Junior's legs, sending him sailing towards Shark-boy in a spin, pushing chakra into it so that Junior was moving so fast he was only a blur. Both she and Shikamaru took off at a sprint while Shark-boy darted backward, faster than Mayu thought was possible with his size, and brought his wrapped sword around in a whistling arc towards her puppet.

Reacting quickly, with one eye on the terrain so she didn't eat it (and okay, maybe Sasuke's brutal training with the obstacle course was paying off), she leapt from the ground into a tree, pushing against the trunk with her feet and sending herself spinning through the air like an arrow towards Naruto and Sasuke, using the momentum to tug Junior out of the path of the large wrapped sword. The puppet spun around the blue man, and she released a hail of senbon directly at his face from Junior's eye sockets just as Shikamaru sent threads of shadows racing towards the man's other side.

Shark-boy's eyes widened, and he bent backward, head almost touching the ground and body arched, to avoid the simultaneous attack. Mayu landed next to Naruto, who was holding his now-bleeding bicep in his right hand while he crouched on the ground, teeth bared. A moment later Shikamaru landed lightly beside her, and she positioned Junior in front of them in a defensive position. Sasuke, Sharingan activated, was barely holding his own against a wildly grinning Suigetsu.

"Naruto, let's hit him with wind and fire as soon as we have an opening," Mayu muttered, and he nodded. Sasuke crouched under a powerful swing of the large sword and lashed out with his kunai. It made contact but seemed to somehow go  _through_ the white-haired man's leg without leaving a mark. Almost like...

While Suigetsu was distracted, Mayu and Naruto both made the appropriate hand signs and took in a deep breath.

"Wind Release: Wind Bullets!"

"Fire Release: Fire Bullets!"

At the hail of wind and fire coming at him Suigetsu grinned, and then dissolved into water. Sasuke quickly leaped to their side, while Mayu frowned. That hadn't been a clone - he would have displaced when Sasuke hit him with the kunai.

"What..." she said.

"He can turn himself into water," Sasuke said shortly, and Mayu blinked.

"Of course he can," she muttered and turned her attention back to the two cloak-clad figures.

Suigetsu had reappeared next to Shark-boy across the clearing, who was dabbing at a small bleeding cut on his cheek with a feral grin. It seemed like Shikamaru had landed a hit, even if it was a small one.

"I see I underestimated you - it's been awhile since somebody has drawn my blood. A Konoha puppet user, a Nara, and an Uchiha. Guess your Hokage wasn't as stupid as I thought she must be, sending one of her assets off without proper protection."

"He has a  _name_ ," Sasuke spat.

"Y-yeah," Naruto spoke up from beside her, drawing strength from Sasuke's support. "Uzumaki Naruto - you better remember it - I'll be the Hokage someday."

Mayu glared as the man let out a full belly laugh, honestly amused. "Sorry, kid, but you won't be getting the chance. I suppose since you did earn it, I'll tell you my name." he gestured at the cut on his face, which had already closed up. "Hoshigaki Kisame, and this is my sword, Samehada."

Shikamaru stiffened next to her. "I've heard of him from rumors in Intelligence," he said in a low voice. "We need to get out of here. He's an S-ranked missing-nin from Kiri."

Mayu's eyes widened, and her mind raced. The last time they'd faced an S-ranked threat, she'd spent a month in the hospital and a few weeks acting like a moody zombie. "Who do you work for?" she called to buy time, and hopefully gain some information. He raised an eyebrow at them, and she shrugged, "Unless you two are wearing matching cloaks as some weird couples thing," she added on.

Suigetsu stiffened. " _Couples_ thing?! You're first - I think I'll lop off your arms and legs before I finally kill you," he said, purple eyes gleaming with true pleasure at the thought.

"Hey, I won't judge whatever kinky things you're into," she said as Naruto let out a low growl at the threat to her person and Shikamaru shifted minutely to stand in front of her.

Kisame laughed again and put a hand on Suigetsu's chest to keep him from leaping at them. "You're funny, kid, but it ain't gonna save you," and then he moved through hand signs so rapidly that she couldn't even call out a warning before what seemed like thousands of gallons of water was gushing out from where Kisame was standing and filling the small clearing.

Mayu tried to leap out of the way but was caught up in a huge crashing wave and all she could do was curl up into a small ball as she was pulled into the current. She lost all sense of what was up and what was down as her body tumbled through water, bouncing off of what she assumed was tree trunks. Her lungs were starting to burn with the need for air when she was finally expelled from the tide of rushing water, leaving her coughing up what little she'd inhaled and gasping for air as quietly as she could.

As soon as her vision cleared, she forced herself into a crouch, ignoring the multiple pains now making themselves known throughout her body. She had been pushed further into the trees, and she couldn't see any of her teammates, though they could be close and just hidden by a large trunk or brush.

Mayu needed to find Naruto - Kisame had obviously been trying to separate them. She was surrounded by ankle deep water, which was bad, considering one of their opponents could be anywhere with his ability to turn his body to liquid. And how much of a powerhouse was Shark-boy if he could do such a large water release? S-ranked, indeed.

Mayu jumped onto the trunk of the nearest tree and quietly ran up its length, suppressing her chakra like Kakashi had taught her in their tracking lessons, though she doubted it'd keep somebody as strong as Kisame from finding her.

Reaching the first branch, she crouched down and removed her wet cloak despite the fact that she was already shivering in the frigid air. It would only weigh her down, and she needed to be fast to survive this. As she bundled it up and quietly removed a scroll to store it in, feeding chakra into her nose and ears so that she would hopefully catch the scent of Fish and Water that their enemies exuded, a glint caught her eye about fifty feet away. Narrowing her eyes, she leaned forward, and almost cheered in relief when she saw Junior lying half-submerged in water. Carefully, she leaped to a branch above him and quickly tugged him up onto the branch next to her using chakra threads. He was a little waterlogged, and she'd need to deal with a few cracks, but for the most part was fine.

Moving quickly now, she sealed the puppet and her cloak into a scroll. The most important thing she'd need now was speed if she wanted to get out of this alive. Their only chance was to escape, after all. She took a deep breath, and strained to hear any sounds, increasing the chakra flow in her ears minutely, and was rewarded with the sound of a battle happening to the east of her.

Moving as quietly as she could, she moved from branch to branch, the sounds of shouts and metal ringing out coming closer.

Mayu crouched low on a branch when she arrived on the scene, quickly taking in the situation. Shikamaru and Sasuke were standing in front of Naruto, who looked a little worse for wear. His jacket was ripped and bloody on one side, the skin beneath shredded, though it was already beginning to heal.

All three were still soaking wet and had also discarded their cloaks. Sasuke had blood dripping from a gash on his cheek, and Shikamaru was down on one knee, panting. What really drew her attention, however, was Kisame's sword. It was unwrapped, and covered in what looked like scales, which were extending out from its body and  _quivering_.

 _It almost looks...alive_. Suigetsu was standing next to him, teeth bared and looking a little singed on one side. Mayu gave a fierce grin - even somebody made of water couldn't escape the combination of Shikamaru's brain and Sasuke and Naruto's strength, though it looked like they'd paid for their small victory.

Currently, they were on opposite sides of an area free of trees that was too small to really be a clearing, studying each other. The stalemate was coming to an end, though - she could see it in the feral grins on the faces of the cloak-clad figures.

"I think we should stop playing around, don't you, Suigetsu?" Kisame said, hefting his sword - which, wow, had a creepy mouth along with scales. Mayu reached into the extra pouch she'd added to her belt and grabbed out two grenades, quickly pulling out the pins and counting down as the white-haired ninja stepped forward, eyes gleaming.

_Seven...six...five..._

Mayu threw one, then the second in quick succession, and they landed with a splash at the feet of the two missing-nin, whose brows furrowed in confusion for just a moment. Then in an eruption of mud and flame, the area they were standing in exploded.

Mayu flipped out of the tree to land in a crouch in front of her team, noting that both Kisame and Suigetsu had disappeared. She hadn't really expected to catch an S-rank criminal and his obviously-strong partner with that trick, but it would have been nice.

"Mayu, you're okay!" Naruto yelled, but she didn't have time to respond as a now-familiar scent of fish warned her. With an undignified yelp, she twisted to the side, barely dodging Samehada as it landed with an eruption of mud and water where she'd just been standing, splattering her as she did a back handspring to avoid the kick Kisame sent her way.

"The sword - it drains chakra!" Shikamaru yelled, but she was too busy diving into a roll and barely missing having her head taken off by the creepiest sword in the world to answer.  _Don't let it touch you, got it_.

Mayu spent the next 30 seconds using every bit of the speed and flexibility training Yoshino and Gai had taught her just to avoid Kisame's swings and kicks. There was no chance for retaliation, and she didn't have the luxury of checking to see how her teammates were faring against Suigetsu. The water and mud being kicked up into the air, and the way Kisame's cloak fluttered and spun with him made it difficult to read his movements, though he was so fast it was only instinct and her increased senses keeping her from being filleted at that point anyway.

 _I can't keep this up,_ the analytical part of her brain informed her.  _He's going to score a hit eventually_. Her mind was spinning into possible ways to get out of the situation when what had possibly become her favorite phrase ever broke into her thoughts.

"Shadow Possession Complete," Shikamaru's voice sounded strained, but she didn't waste time thinking about that. Kisame had been forced to pause mid-swing, face almost comical in its surprised annoyance, but Mayu didn't know how long Shikamaru could hold him.

"Cocktail!" Mayu yelled out, so he'd know what she was planning. She jammed her hand into her pouch and pulled out two Mayu cocktails, leaping back as she threw the vials at Kisame, knowing Shikamaru would release the missing-nin at the last possible moment.

Her feet touched the ground, and she watched as the vials flew closer and closer, Kisame's eyes darting to follow the movement. Just a second more - Mayu inhaled as the nin disappeared, and was dimly aware of Shikamaru gasping out a warning and falling to his knees as the area burst into flame where Kisame had been standing.

 _He broke out...so easily! So this is what fighting an S-ranked nin is like..._ her feet had barely touched the ground when she heard the slightest rustle of cloth behind her. Mayu tried to gather the speed to dodge, or block but wasn't fast enough. A leg -  _roundhouse kick, this is going to hurt_ \- appeared at her side, and all the air was forced from her as it connected with her middle.

Her body folded over on itself as she flew through the air. Desperately, she fed chakra into her back right before it connected with a tree, which splintered and buckled under the force that she hit it with. Stunned, gasping for air, she tried to get her body to move, already understanding what the follow up would be. Sure enough, Kisame was flying towards her, sword raised and an almost joyous grin on his face.

 _Move, move!_ She demanded, and managed to pull herself to her knees, but knew it wasn't going to be enough. Somebody was screaming her name - no, two someones - Sasuke and Naruto.

She raised one hand in the air as if to ward off the blow as the sword descended. Mayu stared up at her death, frozen in disbelief. A blur that smelled of home and that perfect spicy blend rammed into her, lifting her and covering her.

"Shika," she gasped as he wrapped his arms around her and dove out of the way of the descending sword.  _He's not going to make it,_ the horrified realization hit just as the sword connected with Shikamaru's side, sending them both flying through the air. With a gasp, she forced her body to finally respond to her commands, wrapping her arms around Shikamaru and twisting them so that when they hit the ground, most of the force hit her already-bruised back.

Mayu moaned but was quickly distracted by Shikamaru's cry of pain. Scrambling out from under him, she caught sight of a shredded flack jacket and shirt and what looked like strips of skin - Mayu forced herself not to react, and instead spun around to crouch in front of him, bringing up a kunai to block the sword Kisame was already bringing down on them.

Her hand was shaking, and she  _knew_ Kisame was too strong for her to block, but she had to  _try_ -

"Uzumaki Barrage!" Naruto's voice broke into her thoughts as three of him appeared in midair, their kicks connecting with a surprised-looking Kisame at the same time, sending him sailing across the clearing and interrupting his swing. Two of the Narutos dispelled at the force, but the remaining was already creating two more, which grabbed Mayu and Shikamaru, who moaned weakly in pain, and launched into the air to land on a large tree branch, next to a panting and furious Sasuke.

Mayu pushed the boys out of the way, ignoring their questions on whether she was okay, and scrambled over to Shikamaru, who was laying on his stomach and on the verge of unconsciousness. For one long second, she just stared at the damage, wide-eyed, bile rising in her throat.

Then, she gave her head a shake, took a deep breath, and ripped her sweater over her head, leaving her in only a long-sleeved shirt. "Shika, I'm sorry, this is going to hurt," she heard her voice saying before turning to Sasuke, who was staring at Shikamaru's torn and bleeding side in shock. Mayu couldn't blame him, not really, but they didn't have time for it if they were going to get out of there and get Shikamaru to the hospital. They had to because he had already lost so much blood, and god, she could see one of his ribs -

"Sasuke, quickly, bandages," she gritted out and took a deep breath before balling up her sweater and pressing it against the wound, which started just at his rib cage on his side and expanded down to his hip, and almost all the way to his spine. Shikamaru let out a weak cry of pain.

"My clones are keeping them back, but not for long..." Naruto said, and Mayu nodded mind racing.

"Help us wrap the bandages around him," Mayu said, and wanted to scream at how her voice was shaking. Because now was  _not_ the time to break down - she had to get her team out of there.

As Naruto moved to help a near-unconscious Shikamaru into a sitting position so Sasuke and Mayu could wrap bandages snugly around him, and hopefully stop the bleeding -  _there was so much blood -_ the boy actually spoke.

"Mayu - the new jutsu - Sasuke. Water is weak to lightning. Use it to stun, then your explode and run formation." Mayu's eyes darted to him, and she swallowed and nodded. His face was pale, his eyes dilated, and he was gritting his teeth in pain. "Mayu - you have to run. Just. You have to leave me."

For a moment, everyone stopped and stared at him, and then an angry yell of "How many damn clones can one person make? They don't even have the decency to bleed," from Suigetsu had her shaking off the shock.

"Shut up," she hissed. "We aren't leaving you, idiot!"

His eyes hardened. "I'm your commanding officer, and I'm ordering you to -"

"We're team seven - we don't leave people behind. People who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum," Naruto said in a serious voice.

"Right," Mayu said, and Sasuke nodded. Shikamaru glared but didn't have the energy to fight.

"Naruto - Sasuke will need to move fast, and so will I. We're going to tie Shikamaru to your back so you can still make clones. We should do the blow and run after Sasuke stuns them, but add the switch and bait formation we were talking about - you know the one?" Mayu asked, talking fast.

Naruto nodded, even as Sasuke gently laid Shikamaru on the blonde's back and Mayu used bandages to secure him. "Getting Shikamaru to the hospital is your highest priority," she said seriously.  _On top of getting you away from the crazy nin that want to kidnap you._ "If we have to, Sasuke and I will hold them off with some of your clones, then make an escape."

"But -" he started to protest. Mayu's eyes widened as she caught a small rustle of a cloak, and it was all the warning her team needed to leap from the branch seconds before it exploded in a shower of wood under Suigetsu's sword.

They dropped to the ground, Shikamaru letting out a whimper at the movement, and Mayu forced herself to ignore it and concentrate on the two missing-nin, who were looking more annoyed than they had before, that flanked them. They moved to stand back to back as Kisame cracked his neck.

"You're underestimating the Akatsuki if you think you'll be able to get away with just your little tricks and  _teamwork_ ," Suigetsu sneered, and Mayu's brow furrowed at the unfamiliar name of what was probably their group as she tucked it away for later. She refused to believe there wouldn't be a later.

"Naruto, clone toss," Sasuke murmured, and the blonde nodded, bringing his hands up in the sign for shadow clones even as he leaped straight into the air, probably heading for a branch, and two clones popped into existence.

Both Kisame and Suigetsu rushed towards them, but if there was one thing Team Seven was, it was fast, thanks to their various crazy teachers.

Mainly Gai for her and Itachi for Sasuke - she'd seen a few of his own brutal practice sessions. The clones grabbed Sasuke and tossed him into the air, even as he made the hand signs and called "Lightning Release Bullet: Powerful Breath!" and pointed his fist towards the ground as he twisted to face the missing-nin.

Mayu sprinted for a large tree ten feet away from her, sending chakra strings into her pouch to pull out five of the new exploding beetles she'd created that week that she had grabbed on a whim, thinking they might have a chance to test them at an outpost. Hopefully, they worked as well as she thought they might.

She vaulted into a jump just as Sasuke's lightning hit the water that was still covering the ground  _take that Kisame_ and the area around them lit up in an eerie blue, streaks of lightning running across the clearing.

Five more chakra strings were used to peel off the paper covering the adhesive on the beetles as Mayu's feet hit the tree, and she used it to push herself into a spin. The beetles whipped out in a spiral around her, and she sent them soaring at Kisame, who was down on one knee, shaking off the effects of the lightning, his sword stabbed into the muddy ground in front of him while he used the handle as a prop.

With a feral grin, she stuck all five of the beetles to the sword and pushed chakra into the small divot. Kisame's eyes widened and he grabbed at one of the beetles but wasn't able to pull it off. Mayu went into a backflip away from the imminent explosion and watched as Sasuke did the same, noting where he landed next to Naruto and Shikamaru just before Kisame and his sword were engulfed in a fairly impressive explosion, if she did say so herself.

Not taking a moment to celebrate the fact that her slapshod plan had worked, she put all her attention on lighting up the area, knowing Sasuke and Naruto would do the same. Ten chakra strings dove into her pouches, coming out with smoke bombs and exploding tags that she then sent out into the area, igniting at random intervals. Mayu took off running even as she continued peppering the area with explosions and plumes of multi-colored smoke, feet barely touching the ground she was moving so fast. Reaching into her pouch with a hand, she pulled out two more grenades - the last of them - and tugged out the pins, tossing them over her shoulder as she went, coughing and squinting her eyes in the low visibility.

There were too many explosions and too much smoke flying through the air for it to be just her work, and she grinned ferally at the damage her team was doing.

If she found it confusing and overwhelming, she imagined it was probably much worse for the missing-nin. Finally, she came to a stop after a very impressive roll next to her team, who were looking a little wide-eyed at the destruction. Shikamaru looked like he had lost consciousness on Naruto's back - probably for the best since all the jostling that would be happening while they ran would hurt.

She tried not to think about the fact that blood had already soaked through the bandages. If she did, she wouldn't be able to focus, and they needed her brain to get through this. Just as she appeared next to them, to their obvious relief, Naruto created four sets of four clones, which then henged into perfect copies of their group, including a bloodied and passed out Shikamaru.

Without having to say a word, they pulled out the last of their smoke bombs and activated them before the four sets of their team took off in opposite directions. Mayu and her teammates ran with a single-minded focus that meant she didn't feel the bruises, aches, or exhaustion that were sure to set in eventually.

They took to the trees, which blurred past her, her only thoughts  _get away get away get away get away_. She was feeding a constant stream of chakra into her nose and ears, hyper-focused on their surroundings, because if they were being pursued she needed to know  _now_.

Mayu thought maybe half an hour had passed when she heard the faint sound of feet hitting branches, and her head whipped up and to the right. "Incoming, fast," she rasped, and both Naruto and Sasuke halted next to her as she turned her nose to the breeze, trying to pick up a scent.

"There's - there's four of them, I think," she whispered, tilting her head in confusion. When she finally caught a scent, she wilted in relief.

"Gai-sensei," she whispered, and Sasuke hung his head for a moment in relief. They could really use an adult at that moment.

Naruto swallowed but didn't say anything as Team Gai burst into sight, then came to a halt in front of them. Mayu stared at Gai as he studied her with an uncharacteristically serious expression, before leaping much more slowly than she knew he was capable of to land next to her.

"Mayu-chan," He said in a gentle voice, and reached slowly towards her to put a hand on her shoulder. She jolted, then realized she was still crouched defensively, kunai in her hand, and probably looked like a wreck. She glanced at her team and realized they all looked like they'd been through the wringer. Sasuke was bleeding from multiple places - how had she not realized that - and Naruto's jacket was torn apart and bloody from where Kisame had gotten him. They were all soaked and covered in mud, and Mayu was pretty sure she had some nasty cuts from the hit Kisame had landed, and probably a broken rib. And Shikamaru...

"Shikamaru!" Mayu croaked as she stood and fumbled to put her kunai away with shaking fingers. "He - he's hurt, he's really..."

Gai turned to Naruto and strode over to gently exam Shikamaru, face grim. "Report," he said, and Naruto jolted a bit.

"We were running a check and supply request pick up to outposts when we were attacked by two missing-nin," Sasuke said after a moment in a raspy voice. "Shikamaru recognized one of them - an S-ranked missing-nin from Kiri named Hoshigaki Kisame. We fought them, and in the end were able to escape. Mayu took a fairly bad hit, and should probably be checked for broken ribs or internal bleeding. Shikamaru was hit with a sword that...shreds skin and sucks out chakra," he said the last with a small tremble in his voice, and Mayu found all of the walls she'd built up to keep herself from feeling her pain and panic start to crumble.

"Is he -" she stumbled forward as Neji helped Gai gently cut down Shikamaru and lower him gently to his stomach.

"He's alive. Tenten, check Mayu-chan's ribs and wrap them if they need it. Neji, how is Shikamaru-san's chakra?"

Mayu ignored Tenten gently lifting her shirt, and the shocked intake of breath at what she could already feel was a very bruised torso in favor of watching Neji activate his Byakugan and frown. "His chakra levels are extremely low. He needs medical attention immediately..." he drifted off as Shikamaru's wound was revealed, and Tenten faltered from where she was wrapping Mayu's ribs with Sasuke's help.

Naruto gagged and looked away, and Shikamaru groaned, his eyelids fluttering open. Unaware that she'd even moved, Mayu found herself on her knees next to him, reaching out a dirty and bloody hand to lay against his face. "Shika, you're going to be alright," she whispered, ignoring the gazes of the others around her as a few tears escaped.

He stared up at her, eyes blinking slowly before his lips moved and he spoke in a rasp. "M-Mayu, My Mayu," he whispered, and she let a small sob.

"I need - he needs some water," she said, and after a moment somebody pushed a bottle into her hands.

"We're going to rewrap your wound, Shikamaru-san," Gai's still-serious voice said. "I'm sorry, but it'll hurt."

"Already hurts," he grumbled, and then accepted a small sip of water from Mayu.

The next five minutes were probably the worst of Mayu's life - much worse than when she'd been stabbed, or stuck in her crumbling mindscape. Mayu clung onto Shikamaru's hand and whispered encouragements and promises as he tried to hold back screams of pain while Gai grimly pressed bandages into the wound and Tenten and Neji helped securely wrap more bandages around his torso.

Shikamaru kept his eyes on her own the whole time, and she couldn't stop the tears that dripped down her face even as she tried to smile at him.

"I know it hurts, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. You're going to be fine, I'm sorry, it's okay..." Naruto and Sasuke were on their knees beside her, each putting a hand on her shaking shoulders. When Shikamaru finally passed out, it was both worrying and a relief - at least he wasn't in pain any longer.

"We need to move. Those missing-nin could still be on your trail," Gai said, then offered Mayu his signature grin, even if it was shaky. "Don't worry, Mayu-chan, my team will get yours safely back to the village, where Tsunade-sama will cure your beloved with the power of her youth. I will carry Shikamaru-san on my back, and Lee will take Mayu-chan. Sasuke, Naruto -"

"We can run," Sasuke said seriously. "We're fast, too, so we won't hold you back." Mayu didn't argue about being carried - with the pain that was starting to radiate through her body, and how much chakra she'd used up on her chakra threads and increasing her speed and keeping it flowing into her ears and nose, she  _would_ hold them back.

Swallowing, she leaned down and pressed a kiss into Shikamaru's hair. "You better not die," she whispered before standing up allowing Lee to help her onto his back. Tenten gave her a small, sympathetic smile as Sasuke and Naruto grimly lifted Shikamaru onto Gai.

"Don't worry, my bosom companion!" Lee yelled next to her, causing her to wince - she was still enhancing her hearing, after all - "Shikamaru is strong, he will make it to the village!"

Mayu swallowed but didn't have time to answer before Gai was signaling for them to move out. They ran with only one break for fourteen hours straight before the gates of Konoha came into view. Lee had enthusiastically explained how they happened to be returning from a mission of their own close by when they saw the explosions and plumes of colored smoke rising above the tree line.

"Gai-sensei recognized your Signature Style and we came to investigate! When we arrived the battlefield was destroyed and empty, and Neji used his Byakugan to identify where you had gone." Mayu had given Neji a small smile when she heard that, and he responded with a nod.

"The missing-nin probably knew all that noise would draw attention, and decided to escape instead of pursuing. I wonder why they even attacked in the first place..." Tenten said thoughtfully, and Mayu exchanges uneasy glances with her team and didn't answer.

Mayu was exhausted from being on constant alert, waiting for Kisame and Suigetsu to appear. She'd dozed for an hour or so sometime during the night, but kept jolting awake, afraid Shikamaru had stopped breathing while she wasn't watching.

He continued to bleed steadily, and his face had lost more and more color as the night continued and moved into dawn. It was around six in the morning when they finally dashed through the gates, and Shikamaru was barely breathing, his heartbeat horribly slow. Mayu knew because she'd been focusing her enhanced hearing on him for the past few hours.

A chunin from the gate fell into step beside Gai. "We have a major injury paired with chakra depletion. Please fetch Hokage-sama if she is available. There is also an S-class threat within Konoha's borders."

The woman's eyes widened, and she gave a small nod of understanding before veering off to the right and taking to the roofs. "Gai-sensei, Shikamaru is -"

"I know, Mayu-chan, we're almost there." A minute later, they burst through the doors of the emergency room, and Gai started calling out codes to the nurse on duty, who hit a button and ran to help him pull Shikamaru off his back.

Mayu awkwardly clambered off of Lee, swaying in pain and exhaustion for a moment before she darted to Shikamaru's side just as two medics and a stretcher burst into the room.

"Shikamaru!" Yoshino's soft, shocked voice said, and Mayu started as she realized one of the medics was her mother. Of course - she was now heading the Trauma Ward, so it only made sense she would be here. For a moment their eyes met, Yoshino's darting over her, taking in her ripped, muddy, and bloodstained clothes before she visibly pulled herself together and turned to where Gai was gently laying Shikamaru on his stomach on the stretcher. Mayu's vision swam at the sight of the blood-soaked bandages, and Sasuke and Naruto caught her before she could hit the floor.

"Shikamaru," she whispered, and Naruto pulled her into a soggy and muddy hug.

"He's okay, he's alive, your mom is going to take care of him..." she was vaguely aware of Sasuke petting her hair and demanding that somebody come and take a look at her when the sweetest thing she'd heard for a long time cut into the chaos.

"What the hell is going on here!" Tsunade stormed through the waiting room, haori billowing around her, people dashing out of her path, and brown eyes hard. She stopped as she took in who exactly who was in her waiting room and let out a breath.

"It's Team Seven,  _of course,_ it is," she muttered as she moved to Yoshino's side. "Somebody report!" she barked.

"Shikamaru was hit with a sword that sucks out the victim's chakra and...shaves more than cuts, Tsunade-sama," Sasuke said in a surprisingly strong voice from where he was kneeling next to Mayu on the floor. She struggled to stand, and he and Naruto helped her.

Tsunade pursed her lips as she moved the bandage to the side, hands already lighting to green and hovering over the wound. "Yoshino, prepare trauma room two. Somebody find Shizune, we'll need all three of us. Neji, go and fetch Itachi, tell him he's in charge of this cluster until I'm out of surgery," in a gentler voice, she turned to a white-faced Yoshino, whose eyes were staring at the wound on Shikamaru's back. "Will you be okay? I could use you, but not if you can't focus."

Yoshino's face hardened and she straightened, before her - steady - hands turned green and she held them up before nodding firmly. Tsunade sent her a sharp grin. "Okay, people, let's move. And somebody get over here and look over the rest of the team." Mayu took a few wobbling steps towards the doors leading to the trauma ward as the medics disappeared with an unconscious Shikamaru through them, only Sasuke and Naruto's gentle hands stopping her from following.

Slowly, the pain from her injuries and her exhaustion seemed to seep into her consciousness, and she let her teammates lead her to an empty row of chairs, ignoring the eyes on her and the medic asking them questions with a clipboard in her hand. Eventually, Gai stepped forward and began enthusiastically filling out their paperwork. Mayu stared down at her dirty blood-caked hands and noticed distantly that they had begun to shake.

 _You're in shock,_ she thought as she allowed a medic to gently pull her to her feet and lead her away. Sasuke and Naruto were on her heels, but the medic, a tall, middle-aged woman with black hair pulled back into a bun and brown eyes turn to them.

"I'm sorry, but you can't come with us into the exam room. Family only." They stopped, unsure, but obviously not wanting to leave her. They were all shaken - they'd almost lost Naruto, hell, they'd almost  _died_. Sasuke took an unsure step back, and her hands darted out and grabbed their wrists.

The medic started at the sudden movement, then frowned. "Miss," she said gently, but obviously knew better than to grab an in-shock and injured ninja, even if she was just a genin. "You need to let them go, so I can take a look at you."

Mayu glared at her. "They're coming," she said flatly.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "You'll have to undress so I can heal your ribs." Naruto blushed brightly, and Sasuke shifted, but she ignored them.

"They'll avert their eyes," she gritted. The medic opened her mouth argue, and Mayu spoke over her, voice cracking and loud in the suddenly silent waiting room. "I'm not going without them!" The thought of going anywhere without them when she'd already lost Shikamaru -  _no, he's fine, he's fine_ \- was enough to drive her from shock straight into near-hysteria

Sasuke and Naruto forgot their embarrassment and stepped up to her, sending a glare at the medic, who caved under the combined annoyance of her team. With a sigh, she threw her hands in the air. "Fine, but then you two can explain to Yoshino-san why her only daughter was shirtless in front of two boys."

The exam was a bit of a blur (broken ribs, bruised kidney, chakra depletion, multiple minor contusions) - she knew the boys were there, and that they somehow managed to coax her into the attached bathroom in her room and talk her through a shower from the other side of the door. She got as far as sitting on the toilet wrapped in a tiny towel and then found she couldn't get her limbs to respond anymore.

The image of Shikamaru's limp, lifeless body laying on the stretcher before it disappeared through the doors ran on repeat through her brain, and in that moment she hated her ability for perfect recall. One of the boys must have run to grab Tenten because eventually she slipped into the room and helped Mayu into a set of too-large sweats and a t-shirt.

Their faces were masks of relief when she finally stumbled out, and Tenten scolded them when they tried to help her. "You're still filthy. Jump in the shower and change into the sweats Gai found for you, then you can fuss."

Tenten pushed her into the bed and piled extra blankets on her. An indeterminate amount of time later, Sasuke and Naruto were standing anxiously by her bed, hair wet. Mayu lifted the blankets, and after a moment of indecision, they both clambered into bed on either side of her.

She lay between them for awhile, staring up at the ceiling as the heat from their bodies slowly seeped into her. "I love him," she stated, and they both twitched at the sound of her voice. When they didn't say anything, she continued. "I mean, he's my...my person, you know? I'm not...I can't imagine anything without...without..." she couldn't even finish the thought.

Hesitantly, Naruto reached out and wrapped his hand around hers, and Sasuke scooted closer. Mayu realized she was crying, and turned her face into Sasuke's shoulder and clung to Naruto's hand. She must have dozed off eventually because the next time she was aware, the haze that had been over her thoughts had mostly lifted, and while she was still lying down, she realized that Naruto and Sasuke had shifted into sitting positions. She was drooling on somebody's leg and somebody else was running a gentle hand through her hair in complete opposition to the low angry tones they were using above her.

"Don't be an idiot," Sasuke hissed, and Mayu wrinkled her brow at his tone.

"I'm not being an idiot!" Naruto said in a voice that was surprisingly quiet for him. "You and Mayu could have died because of me. Shikamaru might  _still die_ because of me. Because I'm a - a mon -"

"Don't finish that sentence," Sasuke said in a low angry voice. "If what happened to Shikamaru was your fault, then Orochimaru hurting Mayu is my fault," he said in a flat voice. "Something both of you keep insisting isn't true."

Naruto was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "I'm not...I'm a danger to the people around me. Whoever these...Akatsuki are, they're strong. And they know what I am. As long as you're my teammates, you're in danger. It's not...it isn't  _fair_ of me to keep you close..."

Mayu decided that was quite enough of that, and groaned as pain twinged in her back and side when she sat up. "Mayu!" Naruto yelped, and helped her sit up. Sasuke adjusted her pillow behind her, and she motioned for a glass of water on the stand next to Naruto's side of the bed, where he was practically sliding off. The bed was pretty small for the three of them, but they were somehow making it work. He handed her the cup, and she drained it, giving a sigh of relief.

"When I was six," she said in a quiet voice, and both boys turned serious eyes on her at her tone, "I found evidence that an elder of the village had been kidnapping orphans and homeless children and using them to build his own private army." They both gaped at her, obviously not expecting that to be the childhood memory she whipped out. Her lips twisted into a bitter smile, and she shrugged. "I've always been too smart for my own good, I guess. That's probably why I was on the list of children he planned on taking next."

They stiffened, but she was staring out the window at the darkness of full night.  _I must have slept for a few hours._ "That's how I met Papa. I was...desperate, and went to him for help." A true smile broke out across her face. "And he believed me, and took me into his home and protected me while he got the evidence together he needed to bring Shimura Danzo down." Sasuke twitched at the name, but Naruto seemed clueless as to who he was. "Then, he and Yoshino took me in. Shikamaru, too, I suppose," she said, throat tightening at his name. She knew he wasn't dead - she'd have been able to read that on the boys' faces if he were - but if he was out of the woods they would have let her know by now. Swallowing, she forced herself to continue.

"It was...amazing, finding a family," she said quietly and looked over at Naruto, whose blue eyes were sparkling. "For a few months, it was perfect. But there were some powerful people who'd become afraid of what they thought I might know about the things they'd done. People who helped Danzo keep what he was doing quiet. That's why Watana tried to kidnap me. He...he hurt Shikamaru when he tried to keep me safe," Mayu looked down at her hands, the memory of Shikamaru's tiny six-year-old body flying through the air flashing through her mind.

"I felt just the way you do now, Naruto," she turned and gave him a steady look, and his eyes darted away from hers. "I couldn't stand the thought that the people I'd come to love, and the first to love me in this life, were in danger because of me. But they refused to let me go." Mayu took a shaky breath. "It took awhile, but after everything was over, I realized something. They didn't see protecting me as a burden, because...they loved me. And when you love somebody, you're  _happy_ to help them take on their troubles. Forcing them to watch while I got hurt, pushing them away, that would be much, much crueler than letting them take some hits while standing by my side." Gently, she put her hand over his. "I know this is true because it's the same way I feel about you. You're family, Naruto, so I'm afraid you won't be able to push Sasuke and me to the sidelines on this."

For a moment, silence fell over the room, Naruto's wide, blue eyes staring at her in disbelief. "You really mean..."

"Idiot, she wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. You know Mayu doesn't sugar coat things. We're...your family," he muttered, and when Mayu glanced over at him, his cheeks were pink and he was glaring at the wall.

"Well said," Itachi's calm voice said from the doorway, and they all jumped, Naruto let out a small screech.

"Oi! Knock before you just burst in on somebody!" Naruto yelled at him, wiping surreptitiously at his eyes.

"I apologize, I was under the impression that you three were shinobi," Itachi said wryly, though his face remained blank as he walked sedately to the chair by the bed and sat. "How are you three feeling?"

Sasuke grunted and Naruto shrugged. Mayu completely ignored the question in favor of her own. "Have you heard anything about Shikamaru?"

He dipped his head. "I just spoke to Shizune. He is still in surgery, but Tsunade-sama believes he will make a full recovery, though there will be significant scarring and he'll be off-duty for a few months."

Mayu dropped her face in her hands. "Oh, thank god," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears. Itachi gave her a moment to collect herself before speaking.

"Gai-san told me what he could of the men who attacked you. Jiraiya-sama took a team to pursue, though we aren't holding out hope that they'll still be in Fire Country."

Mayu took a shuddering breath and rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand before straightening. "I guess you need our reports," she rasped, and Naruto moved to refill her cup of water. She gave him a thankful smile before taking a long drink.

"I do," Itachi said. Mayu closed her eyes, pulling up the memories from the last day so she wouldn't miss any details.

She watched Itachi closely when she got to the part when Suigetsu revealed the name of their organization and - yes, there, just a slight twitch. "You've heard of them before, this Akatsuki," she said carefully, and he went still.

"That is...classified," he said, and Mayu glared at him.

"You know, my team is getting really tired of being screwed over by these things that are too classified for us to be warned about," she snapped at him.

Itachi's eyes sharpened and he straightened in his chair, going from caring older brother and sempai to terrifying s-ranked future kage in a blink. All three of the genin stilled under his gaze, though Mayu didn't lower hers. He was hardly the first super-ninja to try and intimidate them, after all. After a moment, he relaxed, and the ominous pressure that had filled the room released.

"I'm sure you are, but, that does not change the fact that it is still classified. I will speak with Tsunade-sama about what we can and cannot tell you when she is finished with Shikamaru-kun."

Mayu narrowed her eyes. "Well, let's see what we can...deduce about this threat until then," she said sweetly, ignoring Sasuke's groan and Itachi's annoyed face twitch as she relaxed back into her pillows and crossed her arms over her chest. "Let's start with the name. Akatsuki...Dawn. Which says that they believe they're the...solution, or opposing force to some sort of darkness. The fact that they're going after the most destructive forces in the Elemental Nations without a care for collateral damage smacks of terrorism."

Itachi's face was even blanker than it had been before, and Mayu gave him an innocent smile. "The members are strong, though I suppose they'd have to be if they're off collecting Jinchuuriki like some sort of twisted hobby. Well connected, at least in our village, since they seemed to know exactly who our own Bijuu-holder is. Of course, we seem to have a serious security problem these days, so it could just be us. How am I doing, Itachi-sempai?"

"It would benefit you to be very careful here, Mayu-chan," Itachi said in a calm voice that promised unpleasant things to people who didn't listen to it.

She opened her mouth to respond, but Sasuke slapped his hand over it. "We understand, Aniki. We'll be careful."

Mayu glared out at the world but didn't argue. But if they thought she was going to drop it, they had another think coming.

000

Mayu sat down next to Shikamaru's bed, having gone home to shower, eat and change at Yoshino's urging. It had been three days since he came out of surgery, and Tsunade had just taken him off of the medication that was keeping him in an induced coma while he healed.

She reached out and gently pushed back a lock of his hair that had fallen forward, then sighed, and laid the violin case she'd brought with her on her lap, snapping open the four brass latches on the front. "I've been practicing in private," she said conversationally as she opened the lid and ran one hand down the smooth surface. "I didn't want to play for you guys until I'd at least stopped screeching every third note. I've already gotten pretty good, so I thought...I could play for you now. Before, I read a lot of articles about the healing power of music. Complete drivel, of course, but, just in case..."

She gently lifted it from its case, along with the bow, before closing the lid and setting it to the side. Taking a deep breath, she put her chin on the rest and raised the bow to the strings, running it lightly over the surface and playing a few notes before moving into  _Sarabande_ , or what she remembered of it from her past life. Diana Holmes had chosen to learn violin when her father insisted on a 'classical' instrument on top of the piano mostly to annoy him. She knew Sherlock used it as an obnoxious form of stress relief, and so had rebelled by choosing his instrument over her father's, who played the cello.

She'd then proceeded to practice at three a.m. every day for a month until Mycroft bribed her into a more sane schedule. Part of why she loved the violin was because it was how she finally convinced Mycroft to build her a shop in the garage where she could create her gadgets. Her lips quirked up at the memory as she moved into  _Partita for Violin Solo No. 1_ \- why not stick with Bach?

She closed her eyes and relaxed into the movement of the bow over the strings and the concentration required to not only remember the song but force her muscles to remember as well. When she opened her eyes after a few minutes, she jerked in surprise when they met a pair of open, unfocused brown ones watching her, causing her violin to shriek in protest. For a moment, she just stared, and then she was setting her violin haphazardly on the rolling table next to her and stumbling over to him.

"Shikamaru, you're awake." She put her hands on either side of his face, and put her forehead to his, not wanting to risk hurting him by hugging him. Her hair was down and fell to form a curtain between them and the world. He slowly reached up, hand shaking, and wove his fingers through the still-damp blue locks, humming in response. It was more of a rasp, really, and Mayu knew he was probably thirsty, but she took a moment to just breath the same air for a moment, eyes clamped shut against tears, though a few were still falling. After a moment she pulled away, ignoring his sound of protest, and moved to fill his water cup with shaking hands from the pitcher next to her violin.

He watched her steadily as she opened a package holding a straw, then sat gently on the side of the bed, careful not to jostle him, and put it into the cup, holding it for him as he took a few greedy pulls of the liquid. When he turned his face away she reached over and set the cup gently on the table, then turned back to him.

His face was lined in pain, and he was still too pale, with dark circles under his eyes. But he was  _alive_. He lifted his hand again, despite it obviously being painful, and brought it to her face, running his thumb across her wet cheek. "Ah," he said in a raspy voice. "I made you sad again. Sorry."

She blinked at him and took a shuddering breath that was almost a sob before laying her hand on his and turning her cheek into his palm. "It's me who's sorry. I can't believe I ignored you for a whole week over some girl. I thought - I thought you were going to _die_ ," she choked out. "And the last real interaction we had was me pouring a glass of juice on you."

His lips quirked up a little. "Eh, I kind of deserved it."

Mayu shrugged. "You weren't wrong, either. I wasn't being very nice to...her," she said, still feeling annoyed at Harumi for generally existing. He raised one eyebrow, and she looked away, blushing, but didn't make him ask out loud since talking seemed a little difficult for him - probably because of the oxygen tubes they'd removed only yesterday.

"She's very pretty, and she...she  _likes_ you. And you smile at her. A lot." Mayu knew she was wearing her petulant expression, but couldn't help herself. Mayu was supposed to be the only girl Shikamaru smiled at, after all.

He huffed out a laugh. "Idiot girl," he whispered. "Like I could think anybody is prettier than you. I'm just being nice. Mom asked me to look out for her and she's a sweet kid. And I guess after hearing what happened to her I felt protective," he had to stop and catch his breath, and she frowned, even as her chest filled with warmth at his words. Shikamaru thought she was  _pretty_ , prettier than anybody else. It was just like Shikamaru to want to protect somebody that he thought needed it - it was one of her favorite things about him when it wasn't making her jealous.

"I'm getting a doctor, you're in pain," she said instead of trying to come up with a suitable reply to his words, but he shook his head.

"Just. Sit with me for a bit," he whispered, eyes pleading, and she swallowed as she realized that Shikamaru hadn't thought he'd see her again when he passed out. He had thought he was going to die.

She gave a small smile and nodded, relaxing. "You play well," he said after a few minutes of her running her hand through his hair and adjusting his blankets, filling him in on the things he'd missed.

Mayu shrugged. "I'm getting better. I remember...more than I thought I would, once I actually started playing. Diana Holmes was much better at it," she said with a wrinkled nose. "She could also sing, and was tall and gorgeous," she said a bit wistfully. "It was almost unfair, the way the Holmes family had brains, looks, and talent. Though I guess their terrible personalities balanced it all out," she said and grinned when he let out an amused huff of air.

"Well I'm a pretty big fan of Nomaka Mayu," he said sleepily, and she beamed at him.

"You're not so bad yourself," she said gently, then frowned when she saw the tension in his shoulders. "That's it, I'm getting a nurse. You're in pain," she said firmly and sent him a glare when he tried to protest. "I'm getting a nurse." He pouted, which made her heart squeeze in her chest - he was so adorable it actually hurt sometimes.

The next hour was a blur of nurses and medics coming in to check his vitals. Yoshino heard through the grapevine that he was awake, and Mayu carefully put her violin in her case and stepped into the hall to give them a few minutes of privacy. Mayu wasn't the only one who'd been hit hard by Shikamaru's close call, after all.

Yoshino gave her a long, firm hug on her way out and a watery smile. When Mayu entered the room again, Shikamaru's eyes were closed, and she moved as silently as she could to the chair and sat down. "Play more for me?" he startled her by mumbling, though the words were slurred and he didn't open his eyes.

"Sure," she said and took the violin from its case and began to play.

Mayu was sitting at the end of the bed meditating - there was less space there now then there had been when they were children - instrument back in its case, when the door clicking open drew her attention. She opened her eyes at the two figures that had slipped into the room, and with a small gasp, carefully inched off the bed and threw herself at Shikaku. He was obviously just back from travel, and his arm was in a sling, but he was there. He pulled her close, and she felt his lips in her hair.

"Mayu-chan, you and Shikamaru are going to turn my hair grey," he muttered, and she gave a wet giggle.

"You already have some grey hair," she muttered, and he tightened his grip before stepping back. He moved to stand by a still-sleeping Shikamaru, her hand giving the faintest tremble as he brushed his finger across his cheek. She turned away, and Kakashi was standing in front of her. He knelt and put his hands on either side of her head, studying her intently.

"You're okay?" he said gruffly, and she nodded. He looked exhausted but unharmed for the most part. He relaxed at her nod and loosened his grip enough that she could wriggle forward and give him a hug, which he returned for a brief moment before stepping back.

"What happened?" she whispered, and he shrugged.

"Eh, Iwa nin are so touchy. You take out a few platoons more than a decade ago and they just can't let it go," Kakashi said with an eye-smile. "The talks went well, but a few of your dad's biggest fans couldn't resist giving us a fond farewell at the border."

Mayu looked over at her dad, who just shrugged sheepishly. "At least tell me you four sent them back with their tails between their legs," she said with a huff, and Kakashi reached out and patted her on the head.

"Your father's fierce reputation has been upheld," he said cheerfully. "That reminds me," a piece of candy appeared in front of her face. "That's for not dying. Good genin." he patted her head, then disappeared.

Mayu pouted. "I wanted to ask him how his date went," she said with a sigh.

000

A week after Shikaku and Kakashi's return, Sasuke and Mayu were sparring at training ground seven, waiting for the rest of their team to show up. It was normal for Kakashi to be late, of course, but Naruto hardly ever was.

"Maybe we should go check his apartment," Mayu said from where she was lying on the ground where she had landed after a particularly spectacular combo attack from Sasuke, gasping for air.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "No need, there he is." Mayu sat up and frowned when she spotted a dejected Naruto slowly walking towards them, an uncharacteristically subdued Kakashi by his side.

Mayu jumped up and bounded over to them, Sasuke keeping up easily. "What's wrong?" she asked, and Naruto looked down at the ground, hands fisted at his sides. She looked at Kakashi, who sighed.

"Jiraiya-san came back from his search for the missing-nin that attacked you on your last mission," he said, and Mayu perked up. "They didn't catch them, though they tracked them pretty far." she deflated, but couldn't say she was surprised.

"So what's got the idiot looking so pitiful?" Sasuke huffed, and Naruto gave him a half-hearted glare but didn't say anything, which Mayu found more alarming than anything else. Swallowing, she accepted what they were about to say - after all, she'd been mulling the problem around in her head for a week, and liked to think she could predict most people's behavior even without the full picture.

Taking a deep breath, she reached out and grabbed his hand. "Don't worry. Even if you have to leave for awhile, you're still a part of Team Seven," she said. Naruto looked up at her, eyes wide.

Kakashi sighed, then put his hand on Naruto's head. "It's true," he said.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke asked in a strained voice, and Naruto's face twisted.

"I have to go on a training trip with Ero-sennin. For - for two years," Naruto muttered, and kicked at the ground.

"What? Why can't you just stay here and train with us?" Sasuke asked with a scowl and crossed his arms over his chest.

"He's in danger here," Mayu said and looked at the ground. "Jiraiya-sama is good at disappearing, and he's strong - strong enough that even the  _mysterious_ Akatsuki would hesitate before attacking."

"Ah, it's for his safety. Jiraiya-san can also teach him things that I...can't," Kakashi said in a strained voice.

They all went quiet for a moment, then Naruto put his hands on his hips and his eyes flashed with familiar determination. "I'll come back stronger than ever, believe it! Then we'll become a team that's even cooler than the Sannin!"

Mayu laughed, and put a fist in the air, channeling her inner Gai. "Yosh! And none of us will go crazy and start lusting after prepubescent boys!"

Kakashi groaned, and Sasuke snorted, then went stiff when Mayu and Naruto gave him expectant looks, poses firmly in place. He smirked and crossed his hands over his chest. "And then, we'll go hunting. Orochimaru and the Akatsuki won't know what hit them."

They beamed at each other (well, Sasuke smiled a bit) and then all three turned to their teacher, who rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, and I'll be the famous teacher of the strongest ninja of your generation," he finally said, and while he didn't pose he did give them an eye smile.

"Right! So, when do you leave, Naruto?" Mayu asked, already going through a list of things she needed to prepare for him.

"Uh...tomorrow," he said meekly and winced at Sasuke and Mayu's combined shouts of dismay.

000

Mayu stumbled down the road, cursing the sun as it came up over the horizon. She'd stayed up all night working on her little project, and now she was going to  _miss him_. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw her team, plus Jiraiya, still standing at the gates when she came around the corner.

"Mayu!" Naruto called, and waved wildly until she came to a stop in front of them. "I knew you wouldn't miss saying goodbye," he said, but the strain on his face told her he wasn't actually that sure.

"Yes! Sorry, I'm late, I was just finishing this up in Akinobu-sensei's shop." She dug into her pouch and pulled out a tangled mass of silver chains and charms.

"Crap," she muttered as she stared at it with consternation. "Shouldn't have put them all in the same pocket..." she began picking at the knots, narrowing eyes that were blurry from lack of sleep to see them in the early morning light while Naruto bounced around her.

"What is it? Is it a present?" With an aggravated sigh, Kakashi plucked the mess from her hands and lifted his headband, using his Sharingan to get a better look at it in the low lighting.

"Isn't that an abuse of doujutsu?" Mayu grumbled, and her sensei didn't bother answering. After a ridiculously short amount of time - genius, indeed - Kakashi had four looped silver chains hanging from his finger, each with a single silver tomoe hanging from a small hole drilled into the thin, pointed end where the chain looped through.

"Thanks, sensei!" she chirped, and grabbed one, unhooking it and motioning Naruto forward so she could loop it around his neck.

"There! I thought these were fitting since two of our team members have the Sharingan. And, look!" She held up one of the charms to the light and the rest of her team leaned in to see what she was pointing at, Jiraiya joining them out of curiosity. A small, delicate  _7_ was engraved in the large end of the comma, and Naruto exclaimed in delight.

Sasuke gave a small, pleased smile and reached out to pluck one from Kakashi's still outstretched finger. Mayu beamed at him as he smoothly put his own on while Naruto fiddled with his with a small smile. She then grabbed the third, nerves that her team would think her present childish or stupid settling, and fumbled a bit as she put it on. When it was latched, she turned to Kakashi, who was holding the last one and studying it.

"It's okay if you don't want to wear it, Kakashi-sensei. I know it's probably a little -"

"Mayu-chan, don't be mean. If you didn't want me to wear it you shouldn't have made me one!" he said, and dramatically clutched it to his chest. She giggled, and he eye smiled and held it out to her. "Well, put it on me," he said, and crouched down.

Mayu's eyes widened, and she reached forward and took it from him, unclasping it and stepping forward. Both Naruto and Sasuke had gone quiet, and she bit her lip as she carefully latched it around his cloth-covered neck and stepped back. He stood, and for a moment the four of them stared silently at each other, solemn.

"Well, Kakashi-kun, I think you might win the prize for the most disgustingly adorable team," Jiraiya said. "Fugaku-san will be horrified."

Mayu glared at the Sannin for ruining their moment and pointed at him. "You'd better keep Naruto safe," she said, and Sasuke grunted in support. Who knew grunts could be supportive?

"That's right," Kakashi said, moving to put an arm around Naruto's shoulders. "If his genin teammates can fight off the Akatsuki, I expect you should have no trouble." Mayu rolled her eyes but didn't say out loud what they were all thinking - only luck and their team's extremely loud and visual escape plan saved them.

Jiraiya straightened and gave them a serious look. "I promise, I'll protect him with my life." For just a moment Mayu could actually see where he got his fierce reputation from. Then he grinned and struck a ridiculous pose, and the moment was lost. "Well, it's time to get on the road, my little apprentice. Say goodbye!"

Mayu pulled Naruto into a tight hug. "If you can, write to us, okay?" He nodded against her shoulder.

Sasuke stepped forward, and for a moment they just looked at each other, before Naruto grinned. "Take care of Mayu-chan and Kakashi-sensei, huh? They're always getting into trouble," he said cheerfully, and Sasuke smirked at him while Kakashi and Mayu made identical offended sounds.

"Don't fall behind while you're gone, idiot. I don't want a weakling for a Hokage," he replied.

Kakashi sighed when it became apparent that their goodbyes were done, and pulled Naruto into a rough, short hug. "Don't forget about your poor sensei while you're gone."

"I won't. I'll be back before you know it!" Naruto said, smiling so wide his eyes were closed. Mayu swallowed because two years was...a long time.

"Here," she mumbled and shoved one her now-recognizable paper bags into his chest. "If I can, I'll send you more."

"Oho, did your girlfriend make you lunch, Naruto-kun?" Jiraiya boomed, and Naruto and Mayu both wrinkled their noses at the word 'girlfriend' while Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure Naruto would be willing to  _share_ some of the goodies I put in there with you later, Jiraiya-sama," Mayu said sweetly, and Kakashi choked on a laugh when Naruto's smile turned mischievous. The Sannin had enough sense to look a little worried.

The three of them stood and watched as Naruto's form grew smaller and smaller until he was just a speck, and then he wasn't there at all. Finally, Kakashi cleared his throat and put his hands on their shoulders. Mayu realized she was gripping her tomoe charm in her hand and forced herself to tuck inside of her shirt before looking up at him.

"The Hokage wants to see us this morning. Come on, I'll treat you to breakfast before we go see her." And if they decided that ramen would make the perfect breakfast, well, not many people were awake yet to judge.

When they entered Tsunade's office, she was sitting at her desk, though it was suspiciously empty of the usual pile of paperwork. A rustle in the corner drew Mayu's attention, and she almost laughed when she saw Itachi set up there in his own desk, almost buried by the work that would usually be on Tsunade's workspace.

The woman took them in and snorted. "You three look pathetic. Stop moping for god's sake, it's not like he isn't coming back." She ignored their glares in favor for folding her arms on the desk and lacing her hands together, piercing them with a serious look.

"I understand you want to participate in the Chunin Exams in four and a half months," she said, and Mayu and Sasuke exchanged uneasy looks. They hadn't actually discussed what they were going to do now that Naruto was gone.

"Don't even think about it," Tsunade snapped as she caught onto their thoughts. "You aren't waiting two years for Naruto to come back. You're impressive for your age, and I need you in the ranks. I also need you to make a good showing at the Chunin Exams. People need to know that we're still strong after the invasion. You and Sasuke are a perfect example of the strength people can expect from our village."

Mayu sighed but didn't argue - it would be a waste to keep them both as genin for any longer.

"You'll need a third member to take the exams," Tsunade continued.

"I'm guessing you have someone in mind," Kakashi drawled, and Tsunade smiled sharply. Mayu narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"That's right. I took on an apprentice ten weeks ago. She's just finished her training in the Medic Corps, and I want her to take the chunin exams as quickly as possible. She'll be assigned to your team for the next four months." Tsunade handed the file to Kakashi, who grabbed it and held it away from his students' prying eyes.

"She hasn't completed any missions," he said dryly, and Tsunade scoffed.

"Her hours at the hospital so far will substitute for the D-ranks, and your team can easily do the required C-ranks before then."

"Who is she?" Sasuke demanded, and Mayu could see he wasn't any happier about the 'replacement' than she was.

Tsunade shrugged and leaned back. "You know her - she was in your class at the academy. She was the top kunoichi of your year, in fact. Her name is Haruno Sakura."


	9. Sakura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura adjusts to the crazy that is Team Seven, the newest Uchiha arrives, and Mayu and co. are off to Yugakure to take the Chunin Exams.

Kakashi slumped against the sheets, unwilling to get out of bed and face his team that morning. Sakura's induction was...not going well. Oh, she was smart, and already had the makings of a talented medic-nin according to every written report by her teachers in the Medic Corps. Tsunade claimed she had even started utilizing some of her super strength techniques after only three months of being her apprentice, which had to make her some sort of prodigy.

Now if only she would do more than fiddle with her clothes and stare at Sasuke at team practices. It had been a week since Tsunade had placed the girl on their team, and the frustration Mayu and Sasuke felt with her was almost palpable. He was beginning to understand their reactions to Tsunade's announcement of their new team member.

"You're giving us a  _fangirl?!"_ Mayu had screeched in outrage, and Sasuke's whole body had twitched in horror. Of course, Tsunade hadn't appreciated the disrespect to her precious apprentice, and Mayu had wobbled out of the meeting with a goose egg on the side of her head and one of her more ferocious scowls.

Now he would have to go to another team practice where Mayu glared at Sakura and 'accidentally' set off her grenades a little too close to the girl when she was distracted by staring at a sulking Sasuke. Or quietly place one of her puppets right next to Sakura so that when she turned her head she startled and screamed.

"But Kakashi-sensei, it's not my fault she has no situational awareness!" was Mayu's answer every time. He knew that Mayu was going to break and do something really crazy soon if the situation didn't change. Then he and Sasuke would have to come up with a good place to hide the body and give Mayu an alibi so that they didn't lose yet  _another_ team member.

Kakashi groaned, then turned and buried his face in Ensui's shoulder. The man's chest vibrated under his cheek in silent laughter. "I suppose you're thinkin' about the 'disaster that is your new team member' - Mayu's words, not mine," he said.

Kakashi grumbled, then lifted his face to glare blearily at the Nara. "Actually, I was thinking about what horrible things  _your_ precious little Mayu will do to her if Sakura doesn't get over her - reticence." He stuck his lower lip out into a pout, not missing the way Ensui zeroed in on the movement and licked his own lips. "Tsunade will never forgive me if I let my students kill her apprentice."

Ensui hummed, eyes still on Kakashi's mouth. "Well, there's part of your problem - you should probably start thinkin' of the new girl as yours, too. Sounds like she just isn't used to working on a team."

Kakashi sighed. "I'm already going prematurely grey with the three I started with. Another might just push me over the edge." Ensui smirked, then rolled over to cover Kakashi's body with his own.

"You shouldn't dwell on your problems. Here, let me distract you."

An hour later - two hours after he told his team to meet him - he cheerfully appeared next to Mayu and Sasuke, who were leaning against the bridge railing. They were silently arguing with each other using only glares and meaningful looks. Sakura sat reading a thick tome that made Kakashi bored just from standing within ten feet of it.

"Good morning!" He called, and Sakura glared up at him, annoyed. "You're late," she grumbled. He eye-smiled and opened his mouth to reply but Mayu cut him off.

"Ugh, do you really have to come here right after doing... _that_...with nii-san?" His hair drooped.

"Mayu-chan, do you not approve? Do you not think I'm good enough for your precious nii-san?" He laid a hand on his chest dramatically, and she rolled her eyes dismissively. "Well, it's Tuesday, my students! You know what that means - sparring day!"

"Sensei, before we start, Sasuke and I have something we need to tell you," Mayu said in a rush and latched onto the Uchiha's arm, who was making his 'I'm in pain' face. Kakashi was immediately suspicious when Mayu widened her eyes innocently at him.

"What is it, Mayu-chan? If you blew up another training ground, I'm not going to cover for you agai-"

"Oh no! Nothing like that," she said with a chuckle, and her eyes darted to Sakura, who had stood up and was looking at them in curiosity.

"I just wanted to let you know that Sasuke and I are in love," she said bluntly and pulled the boy firmly against her side. He went stoically, and Kakashi gaped at him. He wasn't entirely surprised that Mayu had come up with some hairbrained scheme, but he wassurprised his one normally sane student was going along with it.

Next to him, Sakura stiffened, and a tiny bit of killing intent seemed to leak from her. Of course, this just encouraged Mayu, who laid her head on Sasuke's shoulder and batted her eyelashes. "We're completely head-over-heels for each other! After practice today, Sasuke is gonna go ask his dad for a betrothal and everything. Yep, he's totally off the market."

Sasuke closed his eyes for just a second too long to call it a blink, and Kakashi could tell he was imagining strangling his teammate.

"Is that right?" Kakashi said doubtfully, and Mayu nodded energetically, eyes again darting over to Sakura. "Sasuke?"

The boy seemed to be slowly losing parts of his soul as he did so, but he nodded. "Yes," he snapped and jumped when Mayu put an elbow into his side. "I...can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her," he grumbled, and Kakashi would have laughed if Sakura didn't look so heartbroken next to him.

He shot a look of disapproval at his students - really, cruelty wasn't the way to build teamwork. Unless it was him dolling it out. "Well, let's get sparring, shall we?" Mayu said, obviously sensing his patience coming to an end. "How about Sakura and I go first?"

Sakura stared at the girl, seeming dazed for a moment, before narrowing her gaze and tugging on her gloves. Kakashi could almost see the dark aura around her. "Fine," she gritted out.

Kakashi chuckled nervously and opened his mouth to suggest a different match-up, but Sasuke subtly shook his head at him, and he snapped it shut. He'd give his students a chance if only to see what they were up to.

No sooner had he said 'Go' than Sakura was speeding across the clearing, face twisted into rage and fist pulled back. "SHANNARO!"

Mayu's eyes widened, and she squeaked as she jumped backward out of range. Sakura simply redirected her punch to hit the ground in front of Mayu, and Sasuke's and Kakashi's mouths both dropped in shock as she blew a small crater into the dirt.

Mayu's eyes widened comically as the force of the ground buckling up sent her flying into the air. She twisted to recover, but Sakura had followed her with a chakra-laced leap and connected a powerful kick to Mayu's side that had her sailing all the way across the clearing, where she slammed into a training post that cracked under the force of the hit.

Sakura wasn't done with Mayu yet, though, and was already running full tilt at the dazed girl, arm primed for another no-doubt devastating punch. Kakashi made a noise in the back of his throat, and with a few hand signs intercepted the raging pink-haired girl, grabbing her wrist and spinning around on his heel before releasing his hold and sending her whipping through the air.

His interference seemed to pull Sakura out of her anger because when she stood, her eyes were wide and her hands were shaking.

"I don't think Tsunade-sama taught you her tricks so you could use them to kill your teammates," he snapped, crouching down to check on a coughing Mayu. Sasuke was already there, lips pursed and cheeks red with annoyance. "No matter how much they may deserve it."

Sakura dashed over. She was wringing her hands, remorse clear on her face. "I - I'm so sorr-"

"That," Mayu rasped as she pressed a hand to her side, "was  _awesome._ You were really channeling your inner Tsunade-sama, huh? I knew you were holding back but - wow!" Mayu was now staring at the girl with wide, sparkling eyes, and Kakashi groaned at the obvious signs of a new hero worship. "You were super scary, Sakura! I mean, I really thought I was gonna die!"

Sasuke sighed and put two fingers to his forehead. "Are you done baiting her now? Because I'm not going to actually get engaged to you just so we can do well in the chunin exams," he grumbled.

"I - what? You aren't really getting married?" Sakura said, looking horribly confused. "And why are you complimenting me? I - I think I broke your ribs!" Now the girl just looked angry again, and both Kakashi and Sasuke found themselves leaning away from her. Mayu, of course, seemed even more besotted.

"That's okay! I mean, you can just heal them right?" She scrambled to sit up, wincing, and Sakura's medic-nin training must have kicked in because she was kneeling next to the girl, scolding her and gently supporting her with a hand on her back.

"I'm still pretty new at it, we should probably take you to the hospital -" She began, and Mayu cut her off with a nervous laugh.

"No need, no need, I trust you!" she said, eyes wide.

"You just don't want Yoshino-san to find out you were baiting the apprentice of the Hokage into kicking you across the training field," Sasuke grumbled.

Mayu pouted, and turned The Eyes to Sakura, making her twitch. "Please Sakura? After all, you're the one who broke them!" Kakashi glared at Mayu as Sakura twisted her hands before giving in after Kakashi nodded his approval at her. If she ended up making it worse, it would only serve Mayu right. Plus, Kakashi could have her at the hospital in less than two minutes if need be.

Mayu laid down, and Sasuke helped Sakura lift her tunic so it rested just above her ribs. All three winced at the bruising, though Mayu just poked it with a curious finger until Kakashi slapped her hand away.

Furrowing her brows in concentration, Sakura brought a green-lit hand to Mayu's ribs. All of them watched as the bruise faded, and Mayu relaxed as the pain lessened. When Sakura pulled her hand back, she wiped sweat from her brow and flipped the long pink braid that had fallen over her shoulder back.

"Well," Mayu said cheerfully, "I'd say you're definitely strong enough that we'll do well on the exams, now that we're past that whole timid thing you had going on." Mayu wrinkled her nose, and Sakura glared at her, a vein throbbing in her forehead. Of course, Mayu just continued talking, completely unfazed.

"I mean, I figured you must be strong if  _Tsunade-sama_ took you on as an apprentice, but you've barely tried all week." Mayu gave Sakura a stern look. "Team Seven has the worst luck in the world. You're going to have to get a little dirty if you don't want to die horribly the next time we're attacked by an S-ranked criminal. Plus," she said, cocking her head to the side as Sasuke looked up to the sky, probably asking for patience, "Sasuke and I have  _goals,_ you know? We're going to make our international debut at the chunin exams in four months, and with your genius healing and super strength there's no way we won't blow all those other substandard teams out of the water."

Sakura stared at her for a long moment before saying, "You think I'm strong?" And of course, that's the part a teenaged girl focused on out of the whole disturbing speech. Why did the universe insist on punishing him in the form of genin?

"You just kicked me across the clearing after punching a crater in the ground. Don't be dull, meek doesn't suit you. Or anybody really." Mayu waved her off as she stood, carefully stretching her muscles. "Okay, I guess it's Sakura and Sasuke's turn since I lost." She then leaned over and whispered something in Sakura's ear that had the girl's bright emerald green eyes widening before they narrowed in determination.

Kakashi then watched in amazement as the previously timid Sakura darted after his alarmed-looking male student, fists smashing craters into the ground that he just barely dodged.

"What did you say to her?" He finally asked Mayu, who was sitting cross-legged looking smug next to him.

"I told her that Sasuke once told me he wouldn't consider marrying a girl who couldn't keep up with him in the ninja arts," she said with a shrug.

"There's no way he ever said that. We both know he hasn't considered marrying any type of girl at all," Kakashi said mildly.

"I lied." She looked so unrepentant that for a moment Kakashi just sat and marveled at the evil genius that was his student. "Until she spends enough time with him to realize he's not this weird ideal she and half the girls in my graduating class made him out to be, it's the best way to motivate her." She patted his shoulder when he cringed. "Don't worry, she's pretty smart, she'll figure it out eventually. Maybe the first time he throws one of his weapons across the field like a child because things aren't going his way." Kakashi marveled at the hypocrisy of that statement before wisely deciding to let it go.

They both winced as Sakura picked up a large boulder and threw it at Sasuke while he was mid-leap. He dodged, but only barely.

"Uh, sensei, maybe you should just call it a draw," she muttered, and he nodded sagely at her advice.

000

Mayu shuffled into the house, in a good mood but moving carefully due to her still-throbbing ribs. She had known Sakura must be strong if she worked under Tsunade, but that kick reminded her of the hit she'd taken fighting Kisame. Not quite so powerful, but it still felt like her insides had been rearranged.

"I'm home!" she called, and her lips quirked up at the half-hearted, mumbled reply that came from the kitchen.

She entered the room, and her heart gave a little thump at the sight of Shikamaru sitting at the kitchen table, a pile of heated up stir fry from yesterday on a plate pushed off to the side. He was slumped over a scroll, chin on his hand and eyes moving slowly across the page, but he paused to look up and turn his little half smile at her.

"Hey," she said, knowing she'd paused awkwardly at the door to stare somewhat creepily, but even almost three weeks after their run-in with Akatsuki, she was hit with mind-numbing relief to see him (mostly) whole and healthy.

Her thoughts must have shown on her face because he leaned back and held out his hand to her in invitation. Not needing to be asked twice, Mayu scurried across the room, and carefully, so as not to aggravate his still-healing injuries, sat down across his lap, with her legs hanging to the side. He wrapped his arms around her in a loose hold and leaned forward so that he was now reading over her shoulder.

With a sigh she leaned against him, nuzzling into the junction where his shoulder curved into his neck. He was absentmindedly running a hand up and down her back while he read, and she found herself getting drowsy and curling up into him.

Eventually, he shifted, reaching forward and picking up his chopsticks to carefully bring a bite of food to his mouth. Her stomach growled at the smell of ginger, soy sauce, and garlic, and he gave an amused huff. Then he grabbed another bite of food and brought it to her mouth without his attention wavering from the scroll.

"Yay," she cheered before accepting the bite. They sat there for another twenty minutes or so until they'd finished the plate. Shikamaru then sighed and winced.

"You must be getting sore," Mayu said, and carefully scrambled off his lap. "Here, I'll clean up the kitchen, let's get you to the couch," she cooed, and he let her help him stand, looking amused at her fussing.

She then led him to the couch, which had extra pillows and blankets on it already. He'd been released from the hospital a few days ago and had been napping and slouching around the house ever since. Yoshino had stayed home with him the first couple of days, but Mayu knew she had left about two hours ago for a shift at the hospital, deeming him healthy enough to make it on his own for the few hours it would take for Mayu to return from team practice.

Mayu helped him lie on his uninjured side, ignoring his smirk as she adjusted the pillows propped behind his back for extra support and covered him in blankets.

"You want your scroll, or are you going to nap?" She finally said, crouching in front of him.

"Nap," he said decisively, and she giggled before tugging the blankets higher.

"Alright, then. I'm going to take a shower after I clean up the mess in the kitchen, then I'll come to sit in here with you. I finally got Sakura to actually make an effort in sparring, so I'm going to take what I learned from watching her and come up with some team formations," she said.

"And how'd you do that?" he mumbled, eyes already closing.  _He's so adorable,_ she thought to herself even as she shrugged and stood.

"My winning personality," she chirped, before skipping off to the kitchen.

000

It was evening, and Shikaku and Yoshino had both joined them in the living room, work spread out before them while Mayu and Shikamaru quietly discussed the new formations she was working on. The calm atmosphere was destroyed by the front door flinging open. They all tensed, then relaxed when Ino appeared at the living room entrance.

Mayu blinked once at the fury that was present in every line of the girl's body. "Ino, what are you doing here?" Shikamaru grumbled, but the Yamanaka completely ignored him, instead stomping to stand directly in front of Mayu, hands on her hips, the promise of death on her face.

"Is it true?" She asked, voice trembling with suppressed anger. Shikamaru's brow furrowed and his eyes darted between the two of them while Mayu searched her brain for anything she'd done that would piss off the Yamanaka heir recently. She came up blank.

"Um, I have no idea what you're talking about, Ino," she finally said and shrugged a little helplessly at her parents' identically confused faces.

"Are you really engaged to Sasuke-kun?" Ino's lower lip actually trembled as she said it, and Mayu's eyes widened a bit in realization. But how...

"Who told you that?" Mayu asked carefully, doing her best to keep the evil glint out of her eye.

"Billboard brow! She said that you and Sasuke announced that you were in love and getting betrothed at team practice today!" Shikamaru sat up more quickly than he probably should with his injury, and Mayu frowned at him when he paled.

"Shika, be careful -"

"You  _what?"_ both of her parents yelled at the same time, drawing her attention back to the matter at hand.

"And that's...all she told you?" Mayu asked, and Ino's eyes narrowed.

"She also said that Sasuke-kun - that he said," the girl actually looked a little heartbroken. If she had taken even a moment to actually get to know Sasuke instead of just stalking him, Mayu might even feel bad about what she was about to do. "That he said he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with you."

Stunned, disturbed silence fell over the room, and Mayu couldn't blame them. Thinking of Sasuke saying anything so sappy was pretty disturbing.

"He did say that," Mayu allowed herself to look a little smug.

"And that he was going to talk to his dad tonight about a betrothal," Ino continued, and Mayu nodded easily.

"Oh, yep, he said that too." A screech rose in Ino's throat, and the girl pointed a shaking finger at her.

"I - I won't let you get away with this!" she yelled, tears filling her eyes, before she spun on her heels, long ponytail swaying, and ran from the room. A second later, the front door slammed so hard that the pictures rattled on the wall.

Mayu glanced at her family. Yoshino was frowning at her as if trying to work through a particularly difficult puzzle. Shikaku and Shikamaru had both lost all of the color in their faces and were staring at her in outright horror.

Mayu couldn't help it - she  _cackled._ "Oh my god!" she said around her laughter. "I had some serious doubts about Sakura, but she might just make a good team member after all. Oh, she is evil - totally evil!"

"Explain," Shikaku finally snapped out. "And if the explanation includes you actually being engaged to an  _Uchiha..."_ Shikamaru let out a small whine from where he was still frozen in shock.

Mayu flapped a hand at them. "Oh, jeez, no. Could you imagine marrying that ball of angst? No way. We just pretended to be in love to get a rise out of Sakura today," she said easily, leaning forward to scribble a few notes on the margin of her 'Oh Shit, Everybody Run!' formation. In Mayu's opinion, it was one of the most important formations for team seven to perfect, with the way their lives worked. After a few moments of heavy silence, she looked up to see three disapproving faces aimed at her.

"Ugh, what?" she asked, throwing her hands up in the air. "It wasn't just for fun, you know. We couldn't get her to commit to fighting - partly because she's actually pretty shy, and partly because she's worried about what Sasuke will think of her. I remembered that the only two things that could really get her temper going at the Academy were Naruto being...well...himself, and any perceived competition for Sasuke's non-existent affections."

Yoshino's lips quirked up and she leaned back. "So you pretended to be competition."

"Yep! It totally worked, too. She launched me clear across the training ground with one kick! And then she healed me up once Kakashi had pulled her from her rage-induced fugue state," she said cheerfully, ignoring her father's groan. "It was really scary." Her eyes shone for a moment as she remembered their training session.

"But, we did tell her afterward that we weren't actually madly in love, which means," she leaned forward, excited, "that she totally used it to mess with Ino! Told her the whole story...except the part where we made it up. Classic!" Mayu said with an evil  _fufufufu._ "I wonder how long we can keep up the ruse," she continued thoughtfully. She was pulled from her musings when Shikamaru stood a little too quickly.

He swayed in place, face still white, and she got to her feet as well, amusement forgotten in lieu of concern, and reached for him. "I'm going to go lay down," he said abruptly, then turned and hobbled from the room as quickly as he could.

"Do you think he's mad that I'm messing with Ino?" she asked, wringing her hands and missing the amused looks her parents exchanged behind her back.

"Yeah, Mayu, that's probably it," Shikaku drawled, and Yoshino hid a giggle behind her palm.

000

Mayu was shoving eggs in her mouth and frantically trying to finish up the formations she was working on when loud knocking broke the Nara's quiet-as-usual morning routine. Yoshino frowned and set down her chopsticks before moving to answer the door. Shikaku didn't even twitch from where he was slouched in his chair. Shikamaru continued doing what he'd been doing all morning - shooting Mayu odd, furtive looks while ignoring all of her gentle and not-so-gentle questions about what was bothering him.

"Oh, Harumi-chan, I didn't think you were coming over until - oh, okay, then, come on in," Yoshino's confused voice said from the door, and then Harumi was bursting into the kitchen, distress in every line of her body.

"Is it true?" she gasped, her focus entirely on Mayu, and Shikaku groaned dramatically and lowered his head to the table.

Mayu swallowed her bite, blinking at Harumi in confusion, who had her fists clenched at her sides and was gasping as though she'd just run all the way there from the flower district. "Is what true?" she finally said.

"You - are you and Uchiha Sasuke really in love and getting married?" Shikamaru made an odd choking sound, and Yoshino dropped her face in her hands from where she was standing in the doorway.

Mayu gaped at Harumi, mouth working before she finally leaned back. "Huh. Gossip sure does travel fast in this village."

Harumi let out a gasping sob, to Mayu's continued confusion, and ran from the room. Reminiscent of Ino's exit yesterday, the front door slammed behind her. For a moment, the whole family just sat in stunned silence.

Mayu huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, she's a bit capricious, isn't she?" at her family's disbelieving stares she threw up her hands. "What? It's true! Two weeks ago she was infatuated with Shikamaru, and now she's all heartbroken over Sasuke's fake engagement?" She was actually feeling a little insulted on Shikamaru's behalf. Sure, she didn't want the girl to stare at him with those big eyes, but to just throw him over for Sasuke? She loved the broody guy like a particularly annoying brother, but he did not make good boyfriend material.

"Unbelievable," Shikamaru finally breathed, and Mayu nodded in agreement.

"That's what I'm saying," she said and missed the long-suffering looks her family exchanged over her head in favor of gathering her dishes.

A few minutes later she was leaning over to grab her boots in the entryway when the front door was flung open with enough force that it slammed into her shoulder and knocked her to the floor.

"What the  _hell,"_ she snarled at Kiba, who had burst inside looking manic, a blushing Hinata and stoic Shino standing on the porch behind him.

"Is it true?" He yelled, grabbing her shoulders and putting his face in hers.

"Is what -"

He shook her a little, and her head bobbed back and forth on her neck. "Is it true? Did you and the Uchiha bastard elope!"

000

Sasuke had also arrived to practice that morning with a stack of ideas for formations, though the first thing he did was march over to stand in front of Mayu and Sakura, who was leaning against the railing giggling over Ino's reaction to 'the news.'

Mayu blinked at him, then held herself very still, knowing that particular look on his face didn't bode well for her. "There," he said with as much dignity as he could muster, "was a  _pack_ of  _crying girls_ waiting for me at the gates of the Uchiha compound today."

Both Sakura and Mayu exchanged guilty looks. "Itachi-niisan laughed at me. He never laughs!"

"Well," Mayu said after a moment, "If it makes you feel better, both Ino and Harumi practically assaulted me over it," she said with an eye roll. "Kiba  _actually_ assaulted me," she grumbled and Sasuke's eyes sharpened while Sakura held up a hand and tugged her glove more snugly onto her fist with the other.

She rolled her eyes. "Not  _really._ He just knocked me over and shook me a little. Said all this stuff about how I was one of his best friends and he didn't want to watch me suffer as my soul slowly withered in my body for the rest of my life. That tying myself to Sasuke was like tying myself to an angst-filled hell." Sasuke's eye twitched as Mayu cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. "It was actually kind of sweet."

"Formations," he growled, and Mayu held up her hands in surrender. They spent the rest of the morning looking over and practicing what they'd each come up with, Mayu ignoring Sasuke's dark mood while Sakura sent him furtive, nervous glances.

The team formations were a good way to get Sakura to come even more out of her shell. It made sense - anything that was tactical in nature usually got the girl's full attention. It also proved that she didn't get top grades for nothing. She made some good suggestions to improve on them and intuitively understood the whys behind each move without needing a long-winded explanation.

"I'm also pretty good with genjutsu, so we should account for that," the girl admitted with a shrug. "Tsunade-sama says they're a good thing for any medic-nin to know since it's useful when you're trying to hide or misdirect."

"How serendipitous! It just so happens that I want to work with you three on genjutsu today," Kakashi said from behind them, causing all three to jump in surprise.

Mayu perked up. They hadn't had a chance yet to see just how well her mind cave protected her from genjutsu. She stood, ready to start peppering her sensei with questions, and blinked as the world wavered in front of her. She wrinkled her nose as she saw two images - one where her sensei was standing in front of them eye-smiling, and another where it was just them on the bridge. The first was wavering in and out of existence, and she brought her hand up and released a burst of chakra into the 'wrong' image in her mind cave with a  _'kai!'_

The illusion of her sensei disappeared, and she glanced over at Sakura, who was just lowering her own hands from her release, and Sasuke, whose eyes were bleeding from the red of his Sharingan back to black. "Well," Mayu said, "today should be fun."

Two hours later, Mayu had discovered that for the most part, she was able to recognize a genjutsu almost automatically, though things tended to get a little overwhelming when they were layered. All of the images, sounds, and feelings piled on top of each other made it difficult to focus, and she found herself having to drop all the way into her mindscape to sort through them once or twice.

Once Kakashi realized she would lose focus for a moment before dispelling if the illusions were complicated enough, he began taking advantage of it, attacking her in those few seconds of weakness. Mayu was learning how to sort through the contradictory input while keeping focused on reality quickly as a result.

By the end of it, they were all gasping on the ground, bruised and humiliated, while Kakashi hummed happily where he was reviewing the formations they'd been working on, adding his own notes.

"I see you're working your team hard, Kakashi-taicho," a serene voice said, and Mayu flapped a hand at Itachi in greeting from her prone position.

"Not your captain anymore, Itachi-san," Kakashi said cheerfully, and Itachi hummed.

Sakura had struggled to her feet as soon as she realized who had joined them, somehow giving a bow without falling over. "Hello, Itachi-sama," she said.

"Hello, Sakura-san. How are you finding team seven?" Mayu almost laughed at the look on the girl's face, but Sakura just mumbled something polite.

"If you're here to ask whether you and I will be family by law soon, the answer is sadly no," Mayu said.

"Ah, no, Otouto explained the...situation to me this morning when we were forced to find an alternate route out of our compound." Mayu turned her head to peer at him when she realized his voice sounded a little choked. She grinned at the slight amusement on his face, ignoring Sasuke's death glare.

"I'm actually here to give you a mission," he said.

"Personally delivering missions now?" Kakashi asked lightly, and Itachi shrugged.

"I was hoping to convince Sasuke to join me for lunch, and thought I'd drop it off to you since I was coming anyway." Something in his tone made Mayu narrow her eyes suspiciously as Kakashi accepted the scroll. Sure enough, he groaned when he opened it.

"We have the livestock protection detail this year? What did we do to piss Hokage-sama off?" Kakashi said in a voice that would have been a whine if he wasn't a mature, grown-up jounin of Konoha. Itachi's lip twitched as the three genin moved to peer at the scroll curiously over their sensei's shoulder.

"Protection detail for...the sacred and revered offering of sustenance, a signifier of the continued peace between Hoshigane Village and Bana Village of Hot Water Country?" Mayu read, a little disbelieving, over his shoulder. "Sensei...is this for real?"

000

It was for real. Mayu stared at the ten chickens clucking and bobbing their heads and generally acting chicken-like in their temporary pen. Their feathers were oiled and they had tiny little headdresses on and seemed like particularly healthy and fluffy specimens of their species.

"Every year we make the trek with a gift of the ten best stock of whatever animal has been chosen as the symbolic offering between villages. Then, when we arrive the festival begins, the livestock is slaughtered and cooked, and afterward a treaty is renewed between our two villages," the headman of Hoshigane finished explaining to an incredibly bored Kakashi.

"So, are you expecting trouble, then, sir?" Sakura asked, pulling her gaze from a large red hen with a little blue headdress perched on its head.

"Oh, well, yes. Some of the neighboring villages are...uncomfortable with the close relations of Hoshigane and Bana. Generally, they try to sabotage the procession in some way every year, so we've taken to pooling our resources and saving up for a shinobi escort," the man grimaced, and Mayu had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. People were so weird - who tries to sabotage a bunch of goats or cows or whatever?

As they set off with the wagon carrying ten primped chickens, Mayu cursed Tsunade's over-protectiveness. She'd chosen the least-dangerous C-rank she could find to send them on, not wanting their 'piss-poor luck' to end up maiming or killing her apprentice. Now, they had the most boring C-rank in the history of C-ranks - something that the Hokage generally used to punish annoying genin and their sensei.  _Huh, maybe we would have gotten this one regardless,_ Mayu mused. Well, at least for once she got an easy mission. Her last one was enough excitement for her for awhile, thank you very much.

000

The rival villages hired Grass nin because of course, they did. As Mayu attempted to shoot poisoned senbon at an extremely ugly chunin opponent from Junior's eye sockets, she was forced to duck out of the way of a screaming and flapping chicken, sending her shot wild. Sasuke easily swiped them out of the air before they reached him, and she yelled an apology at his death glare.

"Guard the chickens and villagers, Mayu-chan, we'll take care of the ninja, Mayu-chan," she grumbled, snatching two chickens out of the air and shoving them into one of the two remaining crates that were still whole, now stuffed overfull of panicked and not-so-perfectly groomed chickens. The headman and his contingent were hunkered down behind them in the wagon, wide-eyed but mostly calm.

Mayu turned back to Mr. Ugly Chunin, glaring through the feather that was stuck in her hair. Before she could say anything snarky, however, she was thwacked in the back of the head by another screaming bird.

"That is it!" she yelled over the cacophony of terrified chickens and combat around her. "Puppet Release: Bladed Volley!" Bukimi Junior, with a few pulses of chakra into the correct releases, was suddenly standing on his back legs, his body arched upwards, the other four limbs held out in front of him menacingly. With barely a whisper of sound, blades extended from the ends of the appendages, and his fangs seemed to elongate as they too released blades.

The chunin paused, unsure, and Mayu took advantage of his hesitation, pushing Junior into a blur of motion as he skittered across the ground menacingly. The legs extended in the air began pistoning forwards in stabbing motions that moved so fast they were hard to follow with the naked eye.

The chunin tried to jump back, but Mayu had been doing speed training with her puppets, and he was too slow to avoid the sharp ends of the blurring knives. Mayu heard the headman gasp as Junior's blades stabbed into the chunin multiple times.

Mr. Ugly let out a horrified scream, and Mayu rolled her eyes. "Calm down, I'm not going to kill you, you baby," She grumbled. She didn't even want to imagine Naruto's face if he ever found out she killed somebody over a bunch of chickens, no matter how fancy they were dressed.

The chunin stared down at the multiple puncture wounds on his chest with a look of disbelief. Mayu counted down in her head as the paralytic on the blades took effect, keeping an eye out for any other stray ninja, and sighed with relief when she hit zero and he stiffened before falling to the ground.

Twelve hours later, after Kakashi forced them to groom and oil the chickens back to perfection (the headdresses weren't salvageable), they delivered all ten birds safely.

"You weren't kidding," Sakura said dazedly as they entered Konoha. "Team Seven really has the worst luck." Mayu glanced at the feathers in the other girl's hair and scratches on her arms and face, and didn't comment. She was pretty sure she didn't look much better if the amused chunin at the gate were any indication.

000

Saving a flock of chickens from halfway decent nin was a team bonding experience, it seemed because things were better after that. Not perfect - getting used to having a medic-nin, no matter how strong, in lieu of a ridiculously energetic ball of sunshine who could create a hundred solid clones on demand was an adjustment.

Of course, having somebody to heal you mid-battle was pretty amazing. Three of their new formations focused specifically on covering Sakura and her patient and/or patients while she healed them. They even had a team practice that focused on her healing them  _while they fought_ , which was just awesome.

Of course, she was still learning, which was why Mayu was sitting in the hospital waiting room waiting for Sasuke to get a nasty gash healed from their most recent C-Rank. At this point, Tsunade had given up on believing Sakura wouldn't be traumatized by her time on Team Seven - she probably gave up after the Chicken Incident, really.

This last incident hadn't even happened on the mission itself. Kakashi-sensei had treated them to a soak in a hot spring on the way back from a boring but arduous escort mission. A group of samurai with a grudge against their sensei's whole family line had also decided to stop there.

If there was one thing Mayu had never wanted to see, it was her team racing through the forest in nothing but the tiny towels the resort had provided. At least sensei was talented enough to keep his bits and bobs covered while dodging arrows and swords. His three genin, however, were still working on that level of skill.

"I can't believe Uchiha Sasuke is the first boy to see me naked," she said out loud in a mournful voice. The nurse that was walking by her tripped, the tray she was holding clattering across the floor in a cacophony of metal against the linoleum.

"I'm guessing there's some sort of context to that," the calm voice of Uchiha Itachi said next to her, and she grimaced and glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. She hadn't even heard him approach. He raised an eyebrow, then sat in a chair next to her.

"You'll read all about it in the mission report," Mayu grumbled. He hummed, looking unconcerned with the fact that Sasuke had been ogling naked girls. Sakura would probably never recover.

"He's fine, by the way - just needed a little more healing than Sakura was comfortable with," Mayu finally said after a moment.

He nodded, and Mayu turned her full attention to him. He seemed...troubled. Considering she couldn't usually get a solid read on him, that probably meant that he was having a nervous breakdown.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked, deciding blunt might be the way to go. The nurse had picked up her tray, red-faced, and escaped down the corridor, leaving just them in the small waiting room.

Itachi turned and studied her, visibly making an effort to pull his mask back on. "Nothing is wrong. I am well," he said after a moment and resumed staring at the wall.

 _Well, this is awkward._ Mayu tapped her fingers on her knee, bored and annoyed that she couldn't figure out what was bothering Itachi. After a moment, she decided to break the silence with the most shocking thing that came to mind. "Ne, Itachi-sempai, is Sasuke, you know,  _average_ for someone his age? Because if so, I have to say, I don't know what the big deal i-"

"Mayu," he said with a sigh, and she grinned.

"Yes, sempai?" She made sure her eyes were wide and innocent and was rewarded with a small quirk of his lips.

Silence descended, and Mayu could practically feel his angst - she pretty much had a radar for it after almost a year of hanging out with Sasuke. About ten minutes later, Itachi finally spoke. His voice was low and outwardly calm, but there was stress beneath the surface.

"Tell me," he said slowly, "if you had an...organization." He stopped talking, and Mayu turned her full attention to him, studying his profile. After a moment, he started speaking again. "If you had an organization, and you noticed that there seemed to be an influx of spies and...traitors over the period of a decade." He stopped again, and this time Mayu could see that he wasn't going to continue. Uchiha sure were terrible when it came to asking for help.

She leaned back and hummed. "Well," she said carefully because she'd been  _thinking_ about this, dammit, and here was her chance to voice her opinions. "I think I'd probably study the ones that I had already rooted out. Their history, their day-to-day actions, their friends, and family. That sort of thing. Then, I'd look for patterns across them. Red flags, I suppose. Build a system, and use that to find others in your...organization that also have some of those warning signs. You might," she said slowly, turning to stare back at the wall, "even be able to find the kingpin. If there was one."

Itachi had gone very still next to her. "Would you," he said quietly.

"Yes. And I'd make sure that as little people as possible knew about the project. And I'd choose my analyst carefully - in an organization filled with traitors, it wouldn't do to choose the wrong person as your troubleshooter."

There was a tense silence for a moment, which was broken when a grumpy Sasuke stomped up to them. He avoided Mayu's gaze, and she rolled her eyes. "Please, like we wouldn't have eventually seen each other naked with our luck. Don't worry, Uchiha, I still respect you," she said with a huff. He glared at her, which she ignored, bouncing out of her seat.

"Well, I'm going to go home now. I'll see you later, Sasuke-kun!" she called, darting out of the room. Two sulking Uchihas was too much for any person to bear. She didn't know how Mikoto handled it.

"I'm home!" she called.

"Welcome home!" three voices chimed from the kitchen, and her stomach growled at the smell of dinner. She took off her shoes clumsily in her rush and skidded into the kitchen in her socked feet.

Yoshino, Shikaku, and Shikamaru sat in their usual places, and she moved forward to kiss Yoshino on the cheek. She faltered when Shikamaru stiffened as she approached, and instead of plopping into his lap, gave him a small hug and sulked over to Shikaku, pushing at him until he leaned back with a sigh so she could curl against him.

"Why do you smell like sap," he grumbled as she plucked his chopsticks out of his hand and took a bite of his yakitori, ignoring Yoshino's half-hearted scolding about getting her own plate.

"Probably because I was running through a copse of pine trees naked," she said happily after swallowing her bite and reveled in the sounds of Shikaku and Shikamaru choking on their own spit while Yoshino closed her eyes for a moment.

"And what were you doing fleeing naked through the forest, Mayu-chan?" she finally said.

"Oh, we were at a hot springs when some of Kakashi-sensei's family's arch nemeses showed up or something." She paused for a moment, and they all looked at her warily. "Mom," she finally said, holding up her hands a few inches apart, "is this normal sized for a boy's p-"

"Okay, Mayu-chan, why don't we leave the boys with cleanup, and you and I will go upstairs and have a talk," Yoshino yelped out as Shikaku made a sound like he was dying.

Shikamaru, for some reason, looked a little smug behind his mask of horror.  _They're so easy to traumatize,_ she thought as she happily waved goodbye to them while complaining about still being hungry to Yoshino.

Despite the horror that was 'the talk' with her mother (who had actually looked a little sympathetic on Sasuke's behalf as she gave a diplomatic answer that amounted to no, that's actually a bit below average for your age), she slept well that night.

Until banging on the front door woke her at about four a.m. She groaned into her pillow but sat up quickly when she heard Sasuke's panicked voice calling to her from the porch. She flung back her blankets and almost face planted in her rush to get out of bed, and took the stairs four at a time, hearing her family scrambling to catch up with her.

Mayu flung open the door and was faced with a pale and sleep-rumpled Sasuke. His hands were shaking and she could see the whites of his eyes.

"Sasuke! What is it? Is someone hurt?" She asked, and he reached forward and grasped her shoulders.

"Mayu," he rasped. "I need - I need you to come with me. It's, it's..."

Shikaku gently moved Mayu to the side. "Alright, son, take a deep breath. There you go. Now, tell us what's wrong."

Sasuke licked his lips and forced himself to relax. "It's mom. She's in labor."

Mayu blinked at him. "Did something go wrong?" She demanded.

"No," Sasuke said a little sheepishly and Yoshino sighed behind her, muttering something about overdramatic Uchiha. "I just...she was in pain. She didn't say anything but I could tell, and father and Itachi-Niisan were freaking out, and I just." he stopped, looking constipated, and she knew he was trying to gather the nerve to ask for help. "I was wondering if you'd come to the hospital with me to wait," he muttered, and Yoshino  _cooed._

"Sure, let me grab my stuff," she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. She turned to walk upstairs and came face to face with a sulking Shikamaru.

 _I am so done with whatever's going on with him,_ she decided suddenly. Before he could argue, she grabbed his hand and pulled him after her, as Yoshino invited Sasuke to wait in the kitchen and Shikaku muttered something about going back to bed.

Mayu ignored Shikamaru's protests and pulled him into her room, closing the door behind them. She turned and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "I don't know what your problem is, Nara, but I'm tired of you ignoring me or glaring at me all the time." When he slouched and stared at the ground mulishly, she took a shuddering breath, and let her lower lip wobble as her eyes filled with tears.

He glanced up, and his eyes widened in alarm. It didn't take much effort to allow her tears to fall. "Do you not want me around anymore?" she asked quietly. "Is it because you got hurt protecting me?"

"What? No!" He stumbled forward and pulled her into a hug. She buried her face in his shoulder, taking a deep breath of his spicy scent. "Then what is it?" Her words were muffled against his shoulder but he picked them up anyway.

"It isn't anything you've done. It's just me being weird," he finally said.

"But why?" Mayu pulled back and looked up at him, not attempting to hide the misery on her face, and he actually flinched before looking to the side and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I just - are you and Sasuke dating?" he finally blurted. Mayu's mouth dropped open and she stared at him in shock for a minute. He shifted in discomfort, and she cleared her throat.

"Sasuke is...a good friend, but there's no romantic interest, despite the rumors going around of our imminent betrothal," she said with a huff. She still got glared at by random girls and the occasional boy as she walked down the street. It was hilarious. "Is that really what this has been about?" His cheeks were red, and she narrowed her eyes when he gave a jerky nod.

"It just...didn't seem right to always be hugging you and touching you if you had a boyfriend," he grumbled. It was partly the truth, but it wasn't the whole truth, she could tell.

"Shika," she said slowly. "You have to know, that you don't have to worry about that." He met her eyes, and she swallowed. "After all, the only one I lo-"

"Mayu!" Sasuke's annoyed voice called up the stairs. "Are you almost ready? We're missing it!"

"It's not a movie, you idiot!" Mayu yelled back, frustrated. "It's going to take hours, and we're just going to be sitting in the waiting room!"

"Just  _hurry up!"_ She let out an explosive sigh and gave Shikamaru a sheepish look.

"We'll finish this up when I get back, okay?" she said gently, and he nodded. After a moment of hesitation, she pulled him into a hug, which he returned. "Now get out, I need to get dressed before we end up with pieces of him all over the living room after he explodes."

The next ten hours were, to put it very lightly, dull. Itachi and Sasuke were entertaining for a while since they spent the whole time pacing around and looking ready to either throw up or start killing nurses with Great Fireballs. Mayu simply spread out the designs she'd been working on for ninja wire shooters (inspired by Spiderman's web shooters, though nobody but her would ever know) for said idiot Uchihas.

At some point, Sakura wandered in during her break, and Mayu declared her undying love for her when she brought hot tea. Sakura blushed and rolled her eyes, then turned her sharp eyes to the plans, asking rapid-fire questions. She mostly ignored Sasuke, too embarrassed about the shared nudity of their last mission to do much except hand him a tea. He barely noticed her discomfort, instead grunting out a thank you and returning to the very important task of trying to set the waiting room doors on fire with his eyes. Itachi was much more polite, but he was also obviously distracted.

Mayu was dozing in a hard plastic chair when Fugaku finally entered the room at four in the afternoon, a small smile quirking his lips up. Itachi and Sasuke both stood quickly, and Mayu followed a little confusedly, wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth.

"It is done. They are both fine, and would like to see you," Fugaku said, and Mayu grinned at Sasuke, bouncing up on the balls of her feet.

"Congratulations, Fugaku-sama," Mayu chirped, and he inclined his head at her. "Well, go on, you lumps," Mayu said in exasperation at their dazed expressions, and gave them both a little shove. "Go meet your new sibling."

They took a few steps, following Fugaku, and Mayu turned to pack up her things as they disappeared through the doors. Honestly, were all men this ridiculous? She imagined Shikaku pacing around a waiting room while Chouza and Inoichi tried to calm him, and snorted. Yeah, she could see it.

She had just swung her bag onto her shoulder when a huffy Sasuke came back through the doors. "Are you coming?" he demanded, and she blinked at him.

"Uh, Sasuke, I don't think your parents want me in there right now -" she cut off with a yelp as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her through the doors, grumbling about idiots as he stalked down the corridor with her helplessly following in his wake. He released her at the entrance to Mikoto's hospital room, and she stood awkwardly outside of it as Itachi reached down to take a small bundle from Mikoto, who looked tired but still as regal and beautiful as always, even in a hospital bed. Seriously, their clan wasn't made of humans.

Mayu leaned against the door and let her lip quirk up as Itachi stared down at the tiny face of his new sister in awe. Sasuke had sidled up next to him and had a similar expression on his face.

"Meet your sister, Uchiha Chiasa," Mikoto said quietly, pride in her voice.

Itachi swallowed and smiled down at her. "Hello, Imouto," he whispered. After a moment he carefully gave the bundle to Sasuke, who held her awkwardly but with no less care.

"Chiasa-chan," he said softly, and Mayu felt incredibly fond of her teammate at the clear adoration in his voice.

"Mayu-chan, come over here," Mikoto demanded, and she started a bit.

"Ah, are you sure, Mikoto-sama -" The woman gave her an unimpressed look that had Mayu setting her bag on the inside of the door and moving quickly to stand next to Sasuke. Fugaku was standing on the other side of Mikoto's bed, watching the proceedings with more softness than she'd ever seen from the man before. Which basically meant that he looked ten percent less severe than usual.

Sasuke turned towards her, and she blinked down at the wrinkled, red face of the baby in his arms. She had read that they looked a little squashed when they first came out, but it was certainly different to see it in person. Sasuke glared at her as if sensing the direction of her thoughts, and she smiled innocently at him.

Mayu swallowed as he offered the baby to her, and she glanced at Mikoto, who gave an encouraging smile. Biting her lip in concentration, as death by Uchiha was on her list of top ten ways she  _didn't_ want to die, she carefully took the baby.

Her breath caught as the bundle squirmed a little closer and her mouth opened in a big, dramatic yawn. Okay, so that was a little cute. "Say hi to your nee-san," Sasuke whispered, and Mayu's eyes widened and darted up to him, but he just ignored her. "She's going to help us keep you safe," he said, running a finger across the tuft of soft-looking hair on her head.

Mayu blinked a few times - she was  _not crying, okay?_ \- before smiling down at the wrinkled, ridiculous thing that had somehow already started worming its way into her heart. "That's right Chiasa-chan. We're going to have a lot of fun messing with your big brothers when you get older," she said and giggled at three identical indignant noises from the men in the room and one soft laugh from Mikoto.

000

By the time she got home, Shikamaru had left for the first mission he'd been on since he was injured. He had gone with Ino, Chouji, Asuma, and the third member of the team they'd been assigned to work with for the chunin exams. She let out a breath of relief - they'd keep him safe since he was probably still a bit out of shape.

She spent the next two weeks in a flurry of last-minute training, stocking up on tags and smoke bombs, and finishing up Sasuke's wire shooters. Ensui had left on a mission two days before Shikamaru, so she also made sure to pop by Kakashi's apartment with leftovers every once in a while.

After all, now that he was dating Ensui it was her responsibility to make sure he didn't get lonely. Or something. Also, she kind of liked just sitting around his apartment playing with his ninken and ignoring his protests about how she was spoiling them. He had even let her help him train a batch of new puppies a few times and had taken her on another solo tracking mission.

When she dropped off the wire shooters, Itachi had looked at the sleek, black metal box attached to a leather wrist holster in undisguised interest. She realized that she'd never actually given him any care packages before, and felt a jolt of guilt that she shrugged off.

After all, she'd agreed to teach him her secret mind cave technique when he asked shortly after the announcement that he'd be the next Hokage. Not that it was particularly difficult to teach - it was much more time consuming on his side than hers. Though the nerd probably loved to meditate, so.

Mayu had practically snatched a fussing Chiasa from Sasuke's arms when she arrived, shoving her gift at him to keep him from protesting. The infant calmed down, and both Itachi and Sasuke ignored her smug expression with aplomb.

"Are you tired of hanging out with a bunch of grumpy boys, Chiasa-chan?" Mayu asked cheerfully and felt her heart warm when two wide dark brown eyes moved to her face. "Why can't all Uchiha just be women, you're so much cuter than the Uchiha boys, yes you are," she cooed, and Sasuke and Itachi ignored her harder.

She gave up on getting a rise out of them with a pout at Chiasa, who just blinked up at her. "You two should go test them out now and give me notes on adjustments. I'll take them home and work on them tonight. Have to move fast if you want to use them for the chunin exams, Sasuke."

Chiasa grabbed a handful of her hair, which she'd kept down that day, and tugged. "Oh, and since I'll turn thirteen while we're on the road to Hot Water, mom wants to have a dinner tomorrow to celebrate. Ensui should be back by then, and Shika's supposed to be home this afternoon. You should bring Chi-a-sa-chan," she said, singing the last bit down at her new favorite Uchiha. "And Itachi-sempai, you're welcome, too, if you can get Tsunade-sama to let you out from behind her pile of paperwork."

"If I'm able, I'll attend," Itachi held up the contraptions. "We will test these in the afternoon, and then bring you notes."

Mayu ended up heading to Akinobu's shop to make the adjustments needed on her latest gadgets after dinner. A harried-looking Sasuke had dropped off the wire shooters and their notes before mumbling something about baby powder and taking off.

She didn't emerge from the shop until the next morning, and she stumbled directly over to the Uchiha house, shoving the shooters into a sleepily blinking Sasuke's hands before turning around without a word to start making a dazed, wavering path towards home.

A sigh, and then she was being swung onto her teammate's back, where she fell asleep to the sound of him grumping about her habit of working through the night. When she woke up she was in her bed and somebody was running a hand up and down her back.

"Mrph," she said, and perked up as a low chuckle reached her ears. "Nii-san," she muttered and flopped herself towards where she could feel him sitting on the bed without opening her eyes or letting go of her pillow. Two arms grabbed and dragged her, blankets and all, onto a warm lap and she snuggled into him.

"Hey sweetheart," he rumbled.

"H'was the mission," she slurred, curling further into his heat.

"It was fine. Got back just in time for your birthday party. Can't believe you're thirteen." He laid his cheek on her head and she hummed. Ensui cuddles were the best.

After a moment he sighed. "Alright, sweetheart, your mom sent me up to get your ass outta bed." He cleared his throat, and his voice was amused when he spoke next. "She wants you to shower, and has laid out a very pretty birthday outfit on your desk."

"Noooo," Mayu groaned, but they both knew she'd wear it. Otherwise, Yoshino would make a sad face, and then scold her, and then make another sad face.

"Come on, I know you can smell all that food your mom is making, and I have it on very good authority that you haven't eaten since dinner last night." He was disapproving, now, and Mayu sighed but sat up.

"Sasuke's a dirty fink," she grumbled, and looked up into Ensui's face, visibly starting at what she saw. He looked  _exhausted._ It seemed like every time he came back from one of his missions he looked more and more tired. Mayu knew Shikaku and Yoshino had been trying to convince him to take a position in the village so he wouldn't have to go out into the field as often, but so far he'd resisted. She gnawed on her lower lip.

"That dirty fink carried you all the way home from the Uchiha compound on his back when you were too exhausted to walk straight," Ensui rolled his eyes, and either didn't see or chose to ignore her worry.

Mayu opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She'd need to be careful how she brought up the subject of his retirement from fieldwork. Deep in thought, she let Ensui shove her robe and towel in her hands and push her towards the bathroom.

Mayu woke up a bit in the shower, and when she emerged in her robe, Shikamaru was leaning against the wall in the hallway, obviously waiting for his turn. She brightened. "Shika!"

He smiled at her wearily as she practically leapt to stand in front of him. "You look so tired! Was your mission tough? Hmm, no, it was fine...oh, you're so cute! You rushed to make it back in time for my birthday dinner. But you shouldn't have, you're still recov -" He cut her off with a finger to her lips and a roll of his eyes.

"I'm fine, Mayu-chan. I'm going to take a shower and nap, okay?" She nodded happily, then leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"I missed you," she mumbled, then hurried to her room to get dressed. She wrinkled her nose as she picked up the bra her mom had seemed to have decided she was wearing with two fingers. It had  _underwire,_ something she hadn't dealt with yet. Her breasts had continued to grow the last few months - she was pretty sure shinobi women mature physically earlier than civilian ones, for whatever reason (of course she had theories, but it wasn't on her list of priorities of things to pursue) - but she'd been sticking to sports bras so far. Which wouldn't work with the thin, wine red short sleeved blouse her mother had laid out. With a sigh, she fiddled with the straps until she had it on. She then pulled on the slim fitting white capri pants and blouse with the air of somebody walking to their doom.

She grabbed a brush and the white hair ribbon that Yoshino had obviously put out for her and slumped down the stairs. She followed the sound of Yoshino's voice out to the backyard, where Ensui and Shikaku were in full pout mode as they were bullied into setting up long fold-out tables and chairs.

"Uh, how many people are you expecting?" Mayu asked a little nervously when she spotted the large piles of chairs waiting to be set up, and Yoshino jumped a little guiltily.

"Oh, just a few people, nothing too crazy." Her nervous laugh had Mayu raising an eyebrow in disbelief, but Yoshino had already pulled her back upstairs. She spent the next half an hour getting her hair braided, and to her surprise, Yoshino even forced Mayu into stillness as she applied eyeliner and some lip gloss.

When she turned Mayu to stand in front of the mirror the result shut even Mayu up. For about five seconds.

"Huh, I really am going through puberty," she mumbled, poking halfheartedly at her developing hips and breasts, which were now a solid B-cup. "These'll stop growing soon, right?"

Yoshino tipped her head back with a sigh, obviously having hoped for a different reaction. "Probably not, Mayu. You'll have some curves. You already do - look how grown up you are!"

Mayu had to admit, she looked a little less child-like than she assumed she would, and it wasn't just the clothes and makeup. Her face had lost some of its baby fat, leaving her cheeks a little more defined. Her grey eyes were still wide in her face, especially with the eyeliner making them even more distinct, and her lips were full without being pouty. The blouse and pants hugged her just-developing body, and she had grown taller, too. She'd never be tall, exactly, but she'd be at least average height, which was a relief. She wasn't a great beauty like Ino or Mikoto, but she would probably still be considered cute by an unbiased observer.

The doorbell rang, and Yoshino brightened, then yelled, "Shikaku get the door!"

Mayu winced and rubbed her ear, but Yoshino was too busy rummaging through her closet and pulling out a pair of red sandals to notice. "Aha! Now everything really is perfect." Mayu meekly followed her mother down the stairs, knowing an already lost battle when she saw one.

The party turned out to be fun, despite the staggering amount of people that had shown up. Yoshino could be so sneaky when she wanted, seriously.

Sakura had arrived in a pretty red party dress and spent most of the night staring at Sasuke or glaring at Ino, but she seemed to have at least figured out that hanging off of him wasn't getting her anywhere. Thank god.

Shikamaru stayed glued to Mayu's side all night, and she caught him staring at her a few times with enough intensity that it made her blush. Mayu was pretty sure the looks and the way he put a possessive arm around her when Kiba arrived was more than just friendly. Especially when he kept it there for most of the rest of the evening. She leaned into his side happily enough, for once not annoyed at the way her stomach fluttered when he got anywhere within ten feet of her.

A small part of her brain was panicking because she wasn't actually sure what to do next. Something had obviously shifted in their relationship in the past month, but for all that she had memories from another life, she didn't know what the natural progression was from here. Did she talk to him? Ask him out? Pull him into a corner and - she forced herself from that train of thought forcefully for fear of somehow passing out from blushing too hard.

The point was, she didn't know how to deal with the whole dating thing. Mayu resolved to ask Ensui about it when she came back from the exams if Shikamaru hadn't made a move first. Ensui pretty much knew everything. For now, she'd just enjoy Shikamaru's extra attention.

It was with that thought that she unashamedly plopped into his lap after he was done with his plate and shoved her nose into his neck. He stiffened, then sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "Mayu-chan, people are staring," he grumbled.

"So? They're just jealous. They wish they had their own Nara-chair," she said haughtily. He chuckled, and she leaned back to grin at him, enjoying the way his eyes swept over her face and his hand tightened on her hip and - oh, yep, hello hormones.

"You never told me what you think of my birthday outfit," she said in a teasing voice that she hoped was coy, and he visibly swallowed after glancing down at her chest for a moment.

"It's pretty," he said, and his voice was a low rumble.

She stuck out her lower lip. "Just pretty?" she pouted, and he smirked at her. She shivered when his thumb slipped under her shirt to rub the skin of her waist.

"The outfit is just pretty," he said, and she pouted harder. "You're beautiful in it, though." Mayu blinked at him as her cheeks flared red. Damn, only thirteen and he already had some serious game.  _He must take more after Ensui-nii,_ she thought as a vague memory of Shikaku forgetting her mom's birthday that year and then spending a week on the couch surfaced.

"Ugh," a voice said from behind her, making her jump. She craned her neck back to look at a disgruntled Ensui. "I don't even know what to do with this. I can't beat up my nephew for hitting on my sister-figure. This family is so screwed up," he slumped into his rarely-used pout, and Mayu knew she wasn't the only one with a red face now.

"Your mom says it's time to open presents," Ensui grumbled. "Just...please don't have sex for at least another year." Mayu scrambled out of Shikamaru's lap, and they spent a good half an hour avoiding each other's gazes.

Harumi had shown up. Yoshino had finally told the sulking girl that Sasuke and Mayu weren't in the middle of an epic romance because she was once again cheerful. She'd passed her exam and was officially training to be a medic, much to Yoshino's eternal happiness.

Mayu forgave Harumi a little bit for flirting with Shikamaru in the past (could she really blame the girl for seeing his clear superiority?) when she gifted Mayu with a healing salve for the exams. "I made it myself, Mayu-sempai," she'd said earnestly. "I know Sakura-san is an amazing medic, but it should help if she runs out of chakra or you're separated."

"Thank you very much Harumi-chan. This is very thoughtful," Mayu said and smiled at the girl, who stuttered and blushed. For some reason, this made Shikamaru glare at nothing and wrap an arm around her from his spot on the bench next to her. Mayu narrowed her eyes at him for any sign that he was interested in Harumi, and relaxed when she didn't find any.

Sasuke had gotten her fingerless gloves with small hidden wicked-looking blades on the knuckles that released when she hit a release next to the thumb. Mayu had squealed and hugged him - he'd gotten her a gadget, she was so proud - and then put them on.

Shikamaru had gotten her a custom made dagger set. The light gleamed across the blades, which were about eight inches long, and the hilt and sheaths were a sapphire blue. She stared stupidly when she saw the Nara clan symbol etched in black on the hilts and the leather of the thigh holsters they'd come with.

Mayu ran her thumb across it and looked at him, and her breath caught at the possessive expression that crossed over his face for a moment. She knew that a boy didn't just give out gifts to girls with their clan symbols printed on them. Mayu was pretty sure this counted as some sort of declaration of...something. Though how much could you really declare at the age of thirteen? Was she reading too much into this? Ugh, why was romance so difficult?

Shikamaru met her gaze steadily, though she could see he was nervous in the way he tensed his jaw and brought his shoulders up a bit. After a moment, she wrapped her arms around him and placed a kiss on his cheek that just brushed the corner of his mouth. His breath stuttered, but he returned the hug.

"Thanks, Shika," she said as she pulled back, and couldn't stop the small smile that made its way onto her face. He blushed and returned it, reminding her so much of the first time she saw his smile, when they were just six years old sitting across from each other over a shogi board, that her heart gave a painful thump in her chest.

"Yes, we get it, you two love each other. Now open my present!" Kiba yelled, making a few people chuckle and breaking Mayu's trance. Yoshino was giggling and whispering with Chouji's mom a few feet away, and Mayu raised her eyebrow when she noticed Itachi sending Shikamaru an unreadable but somehow still terrifying look. How he managed to look intimidating with an infant in his arms, Mayu would never know.

When she looked up from opening the high-quality kunai that the Inuzuka gave her a new set of every year, she blinked when she realized that Kakashi had somehow replaced Shikamaru next to her on the bench. Ensui was now standing next to his pouting nephew and rubbing at his forehead, grumbling something she couldn't hear from where she was sitting. Kakashi eye smiled and held out a terribly-wrapped package.

"Mayu-chan, be a good girl and open my package next, hm?" She decided not to question her sensei's sneakiness and plucked the package out of his hand. When she opened it, she ended up staring at it in shock for a few minutes.

"Sensei this..."

"I saw you staring at this the other day and thought you might like it. Is it okay?" He said it in a relaxed voice, but she could tell he was nervous. In her hands was a toolkit from the best blacksmith in possibly all the elemental countries.

Mayu had seen it and immediately wanted it - it was exactly what she needed for her gadgets and puppets. They were all stored in a leather satchel that rolled shut for ease of travel and was obviously extremely high quality. The selection of tools was so perfect the kit almost seemed to have been made with her in mind. It was also incredibly expensive - the cost of at least a solo B-rank mission.

She had run her fingers over it in awe for only a moment before turning away while they were walking through the market a few weeks ago on their way to a team lunch. Kakashi must have noticed (duh, he noticed everything) and went back for it. Mayu looked up and met his eye. "Kakashi-sensei, this is amazing. Thank you so much." Then she threw her arms around his neck and gave him three consecutive kisses on his masked cheek before he managed to push her away, looking harried.

She giggled as he became visibly flustered and patted her on the head twice before disappearing. Where he'd been sitting was a box of Mayu's favorite candy.

"That man is so weird," Yoshino muttered.

000

Mayu stood awkwardly outside the door to Shikamaru's room, shuffling her feet and gnawing on her lower lip. Finally, after five minutes of her hemming and hawing, the door was yanked open, and a sleep rumpled Shikamaru glared at her. She gaped at him for a moment, taking in his messy hair and low slung pajama bottoms and hoping her nose didn't start to spontaneously bleed. Why, hormones? Why?

"Either come in or stop hovering," he grumbled. Mayu shyly followed him into his room and shut the door behind her. It was almost midnight - she'd spent the last few hours packing and repacking for the exams.

"Can - can I sleep in here tonight?" she whispered, and he shot her an unreadable look.

"Of course," he finally said, and slipped into bed, holding up his blankets so she could follow. After a moment of hesitation, she scooted over until her head was on his shoulder. She wrapped one arm around his chest and tucked the other between them.

Their legs tangled together easily, a position they'd been in many times before, but it felt different now. Shikamaru was running his hand through her hair, and she hummed happily.

"Wish you could come with us to Hot Water," she said with a pout.

"Me, too. But at least you'll come back here to train between the second and third stages," he answered and she nodded. Tsunade didn't want to risk Orochimaru taking another stab at Sasuke while he was cruising around a weaker village for a month. Mayu also suspected that she thought a full month with Team Seven out of the village might actually result in the end of her apprentice. Not a completely unlikely scenario, really. Not for the first time, Mayu wondered what it was about her team that attracted so much trouble.

She waited for him to add something - what, she wasn't sure - but he remained silent. A few minutes later, she fell asleep with a feeling of vague disappointment.

She woke up to an empty bed, which was strange since Shikamaru usually had to be removed from his blankets with a crowbar, but she just shrugged it off. She got dressed and grabbed her things, thumping happily down the stairs with an armful of supplies.

"Papa!" she called when she caught sight of him at the kitchen table. "Can you help me figure out how to get these daggers and my kunai pouch situated?"

"Sure, come over here," he said, and she obediently dumped two daggers, a roll of bandages, and a kunai pouch on the table. She already had her carousel scroll on her right hip and her tool pouch on her back left hip. She watched closely as Shikaku adjusted the straps of the holster for her daggers, pulling them snug but not so tight that they'd cut off circulation.

Mayu made a noise of understanding when he placed the kunai pouch so that the hilt of the dagger was situated above the top of the pouch, though most of the sheath was hidden behind the leather bag. That way, she could easily draw and sheath the dagger and still get to her kunai.

"Thanks," she chirped before pouncing onto his lap and taking a large bite of his eggs.

He sighed, but wrapped her in a hug and kissed her temple. "You're lucky you're so cute," he grumbled, and she grinned at him.

Mayu had bid farewell to her family - Shikaku and Yoshino acting as they normally would, while Shikamaru blushed and couldn't seem to look directly at her face, though his hug was just as amazing as they always were. Ensui met her just as she was leaving the house, and walked with her until they were forced to part so he could go turn in a mission report and she could head towards the gate.

"Knock 'em dead, kid," he said and ruffled her hair fondly.

000

It took three days to reach Yugakure. The travel itself was pleasant. Team Eight and Team Ten were also making the journey, and Mayu was glad for the chance to catch up with Kiba and Hinata. Shino was so determined to remain mysterious that catching up with him involved an in-depth discussion on the ecological role insects play in climate control. They were the only two of their party interested in that particular conversation.

Hinata was holding herself with more confidence, probably a direct result of her training with Team Gai. Mayu was disappointed that Gai and his team weren't coming along, but they'd earned a field promotion two months before when they'd saved the Daimyo's son from a flash flood. When the Daimyo insists on a field promotion, the Hokage gives out a field promotion.

Shikamaru's former genin team had a new, intriguing member named Sai. He was gorgeous - tall and pale, with a crop top that showed off some very impressive abs. He was obviously uncomfortable with human interaction, and Mayu had realized pretty early on that he was way above genin level. When she tried to question him, he evaded her inquiries easily, which actually ended up giving her a lot of information in itself.

"ANBU, huh? I guess Tsunade-sama decided to have you join the regular ranks, so she put you on a genin team." Sai had stiffened and sent her a fake, creepy smile before going back to his sketch pad. Asuma had sighed at her.

"Kid, you don't always have to announce the things you figure out," he grumbled, and Kakashi had patted her head from where he was walking next to her.

"What makes you think she does?" He said in a mysterious voice, then offered her a piece of candy, which she accepted happily.

There was also another team in attendance, Team Two, who had been genin for eighteen months. Mayu had looked them over and declared them to be 'boring' to Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke had snorted, and Sakura had blinked at her in shock at her blatant rudeness but hadn't questioned her judgment.

They spent two relaxing nights at an Inn after arriving, soaking in the hot springs and discussing strategy when they were lounging around their room. Yugakure, Asuma had explained to the four teams on the way, was a village driven by pacifism. They focused primarily on keeping their country safe, and so had a bit of a different outlook than other shinobi nations.

"Interesting," Mayu said, and Sasuke had scoffed in derision.

"Just because they don't want war doesn't mean it won't come looking for them," he'd said, and Mayu had hummed. It wasn't exactly untrue, but as long as they had a semi-strong force that was focused on defense, it wasn't impossible. It helped that their main industry was tourism since nobody was going to invade them just so they could enjoy a soak in the hot springs. They were also strong enough that you wouldn't want to waste resources on taking them out, but not so strong that they were a threat to the villages around them.

"Alright," Kakashi said from Sasuke's bed, where he was lounging with a book. He had his own room adjoined to theirs but had spent the day going through their supplies and reviewing formations with them. "The plan is to avoid fights as much as possible in the first two rounds. If you sabotage a team, don't get caught. Mayu and Sakura will probably be underestimated by other teams - capitalize on that. It will make your first rounds in the finals tipped more in your favor." Mayu beamed at him when she realized that he didn't even doubt that they'd all be making it to the final rounds.

"Finally, Tsunade expects a Konoha genin to make it to the final match. Specifically, one of you three. I won't even tell you what she threatened us with if we didn't deliver," he said with a shiver.

"What, she didn't demand that we win the whole thing?" Mayu grumped, a little offended.

"Well, the Sand Siblings will be competing, so unless Gaara forfeits I assume the tournament will go to him." Kakashi didn't look up from his book, probably already knowing that Sasuke was scowling darkly and Mayu was pouting. Sakura's eyes had narrowed and she'd unconsciously tugged at her glove - a move Mayu had learned to both love and fear. She missed Naruto horribly, but Sakura was actually kind of amazing when she wasn't staring longingly at poor Sasuke.

Even Sasuke had said she 'wasn't awful' a few weeks ago when Mayu pressed him. Practically a declaration of friendship from him, really, considering he'd only called Mayu and Naruto 'acceptable' and she knew for a fact that they were his best friends.

Mayu stumbled out of the bed she was sharing with Sakura the next morning after Kakashi appeared in their room with a cheerful "Up, up, up, my little genin!" He put his hand on his heart and swayed. "How much longer will I be able to call you my little genin? They grow up so fast!"

"Urck," she mumbled before tugging off her pajamas and pulling on her sports bra. Sakura made a sound that was half-gurgle and half squeak, and Mayu blinked over at her in confusion.

"What?" She said with a yawn, and Sakura just pointed at her underwear-clad body and then at an unconcerned Sasuke, who was digging through his pack. Kakashi had turned his back to her and was reading a book, but also didn't seem overly worried.

Mayu rolled her eyes and slipped on her mesh undershirt before grabbing her pants. "Please, we all know they saw both of us naked while their Sharingan was activated. What's the point of being shy now?"

Kakashi sighed and dropped his head forward, hair drooping, and Sasuke scoffed while Sakura made a sound that might be exactly what a dying whale sounded like. Without another word, she picked up her own clothes and walked to the bathroom with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Better not tell Shikamaru you're parading around naked in front of an old man and your ex-fiancé," Sasuke said, ignoring Kakashi's protests that he wasn't old.

Mayu blushed as she tugged on her pants. "Do...do you really think he'd be, um, upset about that?" She asked, and promptly wanted to beat her head against the wall until she passed out when Sasuke and Kakashi gave her identical unimpressed looks.

"Are you seriously fishing for information on whether Shikamaru is romantically interested in you right now?" Sasuke deadpanned, and it was Kakashi's turn to make dramatic noises.

"No," Mayu grumbled as she sulkily pulled on her grey tunic. "...Why, do you think he is?"

000

Kakashi peeked out from behind his book at the other Jounin sensei in the lounge. Kurenai and Asuma were leaning against the wall next to him, along with Hano, the sensei of Team Two. There were forty-four total teams entered in the chunin exams, which was a lot.

A whole wall was dedicated to screens with live video of the genin teams as they roamed the hallways of the maze-like building the first exam was being held in.

Kakashi knew they had been told to meet in room 652, but from what he'd been able to piece together, there was no room 652 in the building.

This was proven correct when Jounin level ninja started snatching one of the members of each team.

He had to admit he was proud of his three students when they immediately went on the offensive when the Jounin cornered them in an empty hallway. Of course, it made no difference, and a sulking Mayu eventually appeared in the large room holding the kidnappers. He was pretty sure he saw her say the word 'dull' but couldn't be positive.

Sasuke and Sakura were looking furious as they stalked up and down the halls, and he winced when Sasuke had to hold Sakura back from punching through a wall. Kakashi sighed, growing bored watching preteens run around trying to find their missing team members and turned to Asuma.

"Hey, Asuma, how much do you want to bet that my kids make it further in the tournament than yours?" Kakashi's eyes narrowed when Asuma grinned.

"One month of you laying off the porn in public," the man announced, and Kurenai snorted as Kakashi clutched the precious book in question to his chest. Of course, he knew this was a bet he would win - maybe if Shikamaru were still on team ten he'd have something to worry about, but his ex-ANBU replacement didn't have a chance against Sasuke or Mayu. Sakura would give him a run for his money, but she was still catching up to her two teammates in combat experience, so would probably come out the loser in the situation. For now.

"Fine," he said, then gave an eye smile. "If I win, you don't smoke for a month. At all." Asuma twitched at that but shrugged.

"Deal."

000

Mayu glared around at the forty-four other genin stuck in the large antechamber with her. Five minutes into the damn test and she'd been kidnapped. Embarrassing. She scowled when she realized that most of the other kidnappees were the female members of the teams. Sexist, much? Boys could be kidnapped too!

Mayu considered blowing a hole in one of the walls and making a run for it, but after a moment of thought had a better idea. Being abducted was obviously a part of the first test, so running off might not be the right idea here. This was actually a bit of an opportunity - everybody here was on their own, without a team.

A perfect opportunity for some recon and information gathering. Mayu increased the chakra flow to her nose incrementally, then started a slow, relaxed walk around the room. She studied each person she passed closely, deducing what she could about them and taking in their scents, making sure she could correctly pair them with their unique scent later.

She glared at the three girls and one nervous-looking boy from Iwa huddled together as she recalled the sling Shikaku had worn for a full week after his diplomatic mission to the Land of Earth. She made extra sure she'd recognize their scents later. Iwa was going to be humiliated in these tests if she had anything to say about it.

A few minutes later, when Mayu was on her third round of the room after finding Hinata and Ino and the boy they'd taken from team two (his name started with an H, maybe?) and dragged them along with her, a large, pleasant looking man appeared with a puff of smoke in the middle of the room. He was wearing the hitai-ate of Yugakure, and had long unbound brown hair.

"Hello, I am Watane Ichigo, and I will be the proctor for the first test of this exam." His voice was pleasant and polite, and Mayu noticed the people around her relaxing. Idiots - these exams were not known for being gentle, no matter how pleasant the proctor seemed. "When I call your name, you will come to me, and take a piece of paper that I hand to you. You will have fifteen seconds to memorize the information on the paper before it destructs. Then, you will enter the door on my right," he motioned towards a nondescript metal door set into the stone, "and follow the instructions of my assistants. Failure to comply with the rules they set out for you will result in disqualification. Attempts to cheat will also be met with disqualification."

He looked down at his paper. "First to go, Hyuuga Hinata, from Konoha's Team Eight." Hinata squeaked next to her, and Mayu reached out to squeeze her hand.

"You'll do great, Hinata!" Ino cheered, and Team Two boy gave her a small, sickly-looking smile. No way was he making it through round one. Mayu was starting to think Tsunade had sent them as their token losers, so that nobody would complain about making the rest of them chunin.

"Smart," Mayu muttered as Hinata shuffled to the proctor and shakily took the paper. Despite her nervousness, she looked at it with fierce determination. Her brow furrowed in obvious confusion, and Mayu was itching to see what was written on it.

"What's smart?" Ino whispered, watching Hinata with sharp eyes as she stepped through the door and it shut behind her. Mayu hadn't been able to see anything except darkness beyond it.

"They had the person with Byakugan go first," Mayu muttered. "Otherwise, she could have looked through the wall to get an idea of what the test is about."

Ino's mouth shaped into an 'O' of realization. "I hope she's okay," she said anxiously, and Mayu couldn't help but soften a bit towards the girl at her show of loyalty. Ino may be vapid and overbearing most of the time, but according to Shikamaru she always came through when it counted. This was the first time Mayu had seen it in person.

"She will be," Mayu said confidently. "She's shy, but she's actually kind of a badass."

Ino nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I didn't realize how brave she was until I saw her fight Neji-san in the last exams," Ino admitted.

"I fought with her during the invasion," Mayu added. "She was amazing, even with her injuries."

They fell silent after that. Three minutes had ticked by before Ichigo reacted to an unseen signal and listed off the next in line - one of the two genin from Grass. Mayu shifted in impatience, hoping she didn't have to wait too long. She was worried about her team.

Two and a half minutes later a boy from Kumo went. Three minutes after that, the other grass team. Ino went next, her gait confident and head held high. Mayu wondered if she wished Shikamaru were there. Probably. Six more teams went before Mayu was being called.

"Finally," she grumbled, and ripped the paper from the proctor's hand, who raised his eyebrow but didn't comment. Mayu glanced at the paper, using five of the fifteen seconds to memorize the information there before shoving it back at the man.

"You could have made this less  _dull,"_ she grumbled at him before stalking away, mind already turning over the information on the sheet. It was some sort of code, or sequence, obviously. But what was it for? She raised her eyebrow at the chunin manning the door, and made a  _get on with it_ gesture, ignoring the muttered "Bitch," and walked confidently into the darkness.

As soon as the door closed behind her, the room was bathed in a glow of soft light, and Mayu looked around with interest. She was in a small stone cell - about six by six feet. The floor and walls were dripping water like they'd recently been sprayed with a powerful hose. In the corner was a drain, and in the middle of the floor was a painted red circle, vibrant against the grey stone.

One full wall was actually a thick plate of glass, through which she could see another stone room.

On the far wall of the adjoining room, there were three large, garish buttons, looking out of place. One was green, one was red, and the third was blue. The sequence she'd memorized suddenly made more sense.

A voice came over a loudspeaker. "Please stand in the red circle." She moved to comply, looking around warily. A plop and Mayu raised her eyebrow as a black strip of cloth landed at her feet. She glanced up just in time to see a tile being replaced on the ceiling. "Tie that around your mouth. You are not to speak or make any noise throughout the test. If you do so, your team will be disqualified.

She scowled but bent down to comply, grumbling in her head about how unsanitary it all was. She tied the cloth around her mouth with as much attitude as she could convey, then crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the air.

"Do not attempt to leave the circle. The only way to free you and stop the water flow is for somebody on the other side of the glass to put in the correct code. If the glass is broken, you're disqualified. If you drown, you're disqualified."

 _Water? What water?_ She didn't have to wait long for an answer before there were a series of clicks, and three pipes emerged from the walls. Another click and water began rushing out at an alarming rate. Well, that explained the wet walls.

Mayu's attention was drawn to the room on the other side of the glass when a door opened and her teammates stepped in. Their eyes widened when they took her in, eyes flicking down to the water that was already to her ankles and rising fast. Sasuke said something to Sakura, who nodded, and walked up to the glass with her fist pulled back.

Mayu widened her eyes and held up her hands in the universal sign for 'stop,' shaking her head frantically. Sakura paused, unsure, and Mayu sighed in relief. She bit her lip, then pointed to her ear.  _Listen, pay attention,_ she thought, hoping they picked up on it. Sakura's arm dropped to her side, and Sasuke came to join her in front of the glass. Mayu pointed to her eyes, then to Sasuke, who's face lit in understanding, and she smirked under the cloth covering her mouth when he activated the Sharingan.

She then held up her left hand in front of her face and turned it to the side so the palm was facing the far wall. She carefully brought up her pointer and middle finger of the other hand and started tapping them against her palm. Sasuke's gaze focused on the tapping, his three tomoe swirling. The murky water was now up to her calves.

Mayu was incredibly relieved that she had decided to teach her team morse code on the boring escort mission they'd done before the Hotsprings Incident. How many incidents could one team have, anyway?

She tapped out  _E,_ and pointed to the three buttons on the wall. Sakura's eyes widened in realization, and she and Sasuke had a short, whispered conversation before the girl nodded and dashed over to the wall, feet apart and head turned towards them, waiting for instruction. Mayu sighed with relief, glad to have a team that wasn't completely idiotic.

Sasuke's attention was on her hand again, so she quickly began tapping out the information he'd need. The water was to her thighs.

_GR 3. RD 4. GR 1. BL 2. RD 1. BL 4. STOP._

Sasuke furrowed his brows, then gave her a short nod and turned to Sakura, who started hitting the buttons as he spoke. She hit the green button three times. The water was to Mayu's waist. Red button four times. Green button again once. Blue twice, red once. The blue button now, four times. Mayu let out a breath of relief as the swirling, brown water stopped its slow rise halfway up her ribcage, then after a moment started to recede. She beamed at her team, and clapped, not daring to step out of the circle or remove the cloth yet.

Mayu looked down as the water level continued to go decrease, and wrinkled her nose at her wet clothes, already feeling a chill setting in. Couldn't they have at least used clean water? She was going to smell awful for the rest of the day. Finally, the water was gone, and the voice came over the speakers.

"Congratulations, you've passed the first exam. You may remove the cloth and step out of the circle. Please exit to the door on your right."

Mayu pulled off the cloth with a sigh and sloshed over to the door which had clicked open on the opposite side of the room from where she'd entered.

She stepped into a large, airy lounge with thick carpet and dozens of chairs and couches scattered throughout, which were already occupied by the genin teams that had passed. Mayu saw Team Ten and Team Eight on the far side of the room, and only had a moment to feel relieved before Sakura was flinging her arms around her.

Mayu blinked but returned the hug. "Mayu! I'm so glad you're alright. We were so worried after that asshole took you," Sakura said, and Mayu was a little touched at the worry in the girl's eyes. Sasuke sidled up next to her and leaned into her a bit, but didn't say anything.

"I was fine. They stuck me in a room with a bunch of other girls from the other teams." Mayu sniffed in affront. "I think it shows a lack of imagination to only kidnap the female portion of a team, but I suppose it's their prerogative." Sasuke rolled his eyes, then looked at her wet and shivering form in concern.

"We should find you a place to change," he grumbled, and Mayu and Sakura obediently followed him around the room as they discussed the test.

"So if I had broken the glass, or you had tried to speak, we would have been disqualified, huh?" Sakura said thoughtfully. "I guess it makes sense that communication and non-violent problem solving would be important to Yugakure." Mayu hummed then nodded.

"There's no place for you to change at," Sasuke said in a frustrated tone, and Mayu shrugged.

"I'll be fine for a while - there were only about half the teams left to go. Come on, let's go sit with Team Ten and Team Eight."

"I wonder how Team Eight passed the test," Sakura said in a low voice. "I mean, Ino-pig obviously just had to use her mind jutsu to communicate the code, but..."

"They're a tracking and support team, so they would probably have learned some form of nonverbal communication for when they need to be silent," Mayu whispered. "Kakashi-sensei has been teaching me some hand signs that all teams that work with a tracker use. I bet that's how Hinata gave them the sequence."

Sasuke nodded his agreement, but they didn't say anything else as they'd already joined the other teams in their corner. Mayu was annoyed to see that Ino had only gotten wet up to her waist, though she was complaining bitterly about it. Hinata's coat was soaked all the way to her chest, and Mayu gave her a commiserating look, which she returned.

"Hey, you guys made it," Kiba said cheerfully, then frowned at Mayu's shivering form. "Here," he said, and held out his coat after shrugging out of it.

"Shouldn't you give that to your own teammate?" Sasuke drawled, and Mayu rolled her eyes.

"Nah, she didn't want it," Kiba said easily as he draped the warm jacket over Mayu's shoulders and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She sighed in relief - the room was cold.

Hinata shrugged a little at Sasuke's disapproving look. "I-I'm not c-cold. My coat is designed to k-keep me warm even when it gets w-wet. It also has seals that will make it dry faster."

Mayu perked up at that and leaned around Kiba to ask rapid-fire questions and poke and pet at the coat. Ino was huffing about how nobody offered  _her_ a jacket, and Chouji gave his green short-sleeved shirt to her.

Forty-five minutes later found team seven sitting on a couch, Sasuke in the middle, huddled together discussing strategy. Mayu had given up on propriety and changed into a spare set of clothes twenty minutes ago, with a disapproving Sakura holding Kiba's coat over her as she wriggled around under it on the couch, awkwardly peeling out of the wet leggings and into dry ones, and then into a clean tunic.

They were pulled them from a conversation about what kinds of injuries Sakura should bother using her chakra for when Mayu caught sight of three boys making their way towards them, who looked like they were about fifteen. The leader, obvious in the way he held himself and the other two flanked him, was tall - probably four inches taller than Sasuke - and had white hair that fell in waves to his jawline. His skin was dark, and he wore a Cloud hitai-ate. His teammates were shorter than him but built no less sturdily.

"Incoming," she muttered and forced herself to lay back on the couch and look unthreatening. Sakura did the same on the other side, and Sasuke straightened and raised an imperious eyebrow at the three when they stopped in front of them.

The other two Konoha teams (Team Two had still not emerged from the doorways) shifted and narrowed their eyes, and Mayu shook her head at them before turning her attention to the Kumo nin now looming over them. Mayu pressed closer to Sasuke, a movement that the team of boys didn't miss if their smirks were any indication.

"I wanted to come over and see what kind of team the brother of Uchiha Itachi, supposed future Rokudaime of Konoha, had. I'm surprised that they gave the golden boy two  _females_ as teammates. You must not be all that impressive."

Sakura shifted and Sasuke stiffened, but Mayu let out an evil little  _fufufu_ in her mind. Oh, this was perfect. She hoped that her sensei was watching this. "D-don't talk about Sasuke-kun that way!" Mayu said in a breathy voice and latched onto his arm. She glanced at him and was amused when his eyebrow twitched minutely, a sure sign of annoyance.

Sakura blinked at her in shock along with the rest of the Konoha genin. Nobody had ever heard Mayu use that tone of voice before - it was the same way Sasuke's fangirls talked to him.

"He's a really strong ninja!" Mayu stared at him adoringly, unleashing The Eyes and his whole body gave a small twitch, though he just smirked arrogantly and wrapped an arm around her. Sakura seemed to have caught on, because she leaned into him too, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"That's right! That's why they put both of us on his team. He was the only one that could protect both of us at once." Mayu was impressed with Sakura's wide-eyed innocence as she said that, even if Mayu could read how uncomfortable she was in her body language.

The Kumo nin smirked back at Sasuke. "Sure that's not too much woman for you, Uchiha-san?" he said with a disgusting leer. Mayu swallowed back the many, many things she could have said to that, and instead bit her lip and looked up at the Kumo nin through her lashes.

"Oh, no," she purred. "Sasuke-kun keeps  _both_ of us very happy." Sakura let out a little giggle and reached a hand up to run through Sasuke's hair, and he put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Team Ten and Team Eight stared at their performance in outright horror or rage in Ino's case. Mayu had to tamp down hard on the urge to laugh as she nuzzled her nose behind Sasuke's ear. He was going to kill her later. Worth it.

The Kumo leader scoffed at the display. "Disgusting. Women shouldn't even be allowed to become anything but medic-nin that stay behind enemy lines. I hope you're as good as you think you are, Uchiha-san, or you'll never make it to the tournament round with these two holding you back."

"Oh, I'll make it," Sasuke said, leaning back and tugging them practically onto his lap. Mayu reached out a hand to steady herself on Sakura's shoulder, and unable to help herself ran it down her arm and gave her a heated look. To her surprise, matching mischief shone from Sakura's eyes, and she bit her lip and leaned forward as though going in for a kiss.

"Girls," Sasuke said mildly. "Let's not get overly excited here, hmm?" Sakura honest-to-god pouted, and Mayu let out a dramatic sigh, but they both resumed their Sasuke-snuggling.

"We'll see," the nin said. "The name is Jaruno Daichi. I look forward to seeing you in the fighting ring." He then turned and walked away, his two lackeys following him obediently.

Sasuke leaned forward with a smirk, aware that they were still being watched, and said in a low voice that wouldn't carry, "I'm going to kill you Mayu-chan."

She finally let out her evil laugh. "Oh man, this is going to be so great," she whispered behind a hand. "Imagine their faces if one of them goes up against Sakura, and she punts them across the ring."

Sakura giggled. "Or you come at them with Bukimi Junior."

Sasuke sighed and leaned back again. "Do we really have to continue cuddling?" He grumbled, and Sakura turned bright red and leaned away from him casually, whipping a nail file from who-knows-where and concentrating on shaping them and doing her best to look vapid. Mayu just flopped against him, unrepentant as usual, and grinned over at a slack-jawed Kiba, red-faced Hinata, furious Ino, and completely unconcerned Sai and Shino, as far as she could tell.

Chouji was giving her an uncharacteristically steady look that had her squirming a bit. He seemed almost disapproving, which never happened with Chouji, and she frowned at him in question. He just looked away with a huff, and she shrugged it off. Whatever his problem was, he'd either tell her or he wouldn't.

The second proctor of the exam, a tall woman who introduced herself as Rumi, was calling for their attention. Mayu narrowed her eyes and let them wander the room as she listened, counting the number of teams left. Twenty-four. About half of the teams failed the first test, then. Not bad.

"Please follow me to the location where we will be commencing the survival test." Sakura and Mayu fell into formation on either side of Sasuke.

They exited through the door into the damp, steamy air of Yugakure, and followed the proctor as she wound her way through the streets and out of the gates. She broke into a run, and the genin all had to push themselves to keep up with her pace. Team Seven kept up easily since endurance and speed was a staple of their team, but Team Ten, minus Sai, was having trouble keeping up.

Mayu caught sight of Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro cruising above everybody's head on a platform of sand. "Ugh, show-offs," she grumbled sulkily, and Sasuke snorted next to her.

Finally, they reached their destination. "Welcome to what we call the Hot Spot Fields," Rumi said in a bored voice, pushing her long red bangs out of her face. "Your team will be expected to make it across these fields in three day's time. Each of you will be given one of these live chicks before entering the fields." Mayu gaped at the crate of baby chickens the proctor pointed at in horror, aware of her teammates' disbelief next to her.

"The chicks are marked with a number assigned to each team. You must arrive at the end point with your original chick,  _plus_ the chicks of two other teams. They must all be alive and mostly unharmed at your arrival. The loss or death of your original chick disqualifies your team. The death or misplacement of a team member disqualifies your team. Please come forward to claim your chick and enter the forest when I call out the name of your jounin-sensei."

"I...chickens?  _Again?"_ Sakura gritted out, temple throbbing in temper.

"Kakashi-sensei is probably laughing so hard right now," Mayu said mournfully. Sasuke put two fingers to his forehead.

"Sakura, you'll be in charge of the chicken, since you're the medic and will already be in the middle of the formation," Sasuke said, and Sakura nodded.

Mayu hummed in thought, before pulling out a scroll and unsealing her still-slightly-damp tunic. After a few minutes of fiddling, she had tied it to create a sling that could fit over Sakura's torso across a shoulder to hold the chicken safely in, keeping her arms free to fight. Sasuke and Sakura hid her from view so nobody could see what she was doing.

"Team Hatake Kakashi," was called, and the three of them dutifully made their way to the proctor. A chunin was standing next to her holding the crate, and they could hear chirps coming from inside of it. Mayu eyed the high wall that was blocking their view of the Hot Spot Fields warily, noting the large amounts of steam billowing out from over the wall and the smell of sulfur. That could prove problematic for tracking, though not impossible.

Kakashi had been working with her on identifying scents that were mingled with other strong smells for the last few months. It was difficult, as it involved parsing through the more subtle scents, but if sulfur was the only competing scent, she thought she should be able to do it.

Rumi handed them a small white chick with a tuft of hair on its little head and the number thirteen printed on it, and Sakura accepted it solemnly. Then they were being led further down the wall, around a bend so that they could no longer see the other contestants, to a small door in the stone fence. "Wait for the signal to enter," he grunted, then took off. Mayu sighed.

"They sure have us doing a lot of waiting," she grumbled and helped Sasuke get the sling situated on Sakura, who was running a green hand over the chick and fussing at it.

"Alright, Kakashi-chibi, there you go," she said. Mayu giggled at the name as Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Sakura said defensively. "It's the hair! It even has the same  _whoosh_ as Kakashi-sensei's." They all studied the chick, which had settled imperiously into its little nest and was staring back at them with half-closed eyes. The tuft  _did_ weirdly resemble their sensei's hairstyle.

Before Mayu could reply, though, there was the sound of a horn, and the door in front of them flew open. After exchanging a glance, they carefully entered the fields.

"Huh," Mayu said, taking in the long, flat expanse in front of them, which was covered in places with billowing clouds of steam that were wafting gently up from the shining blue pools that seemed to be scattered throughout the area. The ground consisted of grey stone and beautiful, pastel rocks and mud. Mayu narrowed her eyes and saw that some of the mud was bubbling with internal heat.

"This is going to be so troublesome," she grumbled, and Sasuke nodded grimly as a geyser erupted thirty feet away, causing all of them to leap for a large boulder out of spraying range.

"Alright," Sasuke said with a sigh. "We'll have to be extremely careful navigating this landscape."

"Yeah." Mayu studied the area around them closely. "I've heard of hot spots like this before. Ground that looks perfectly stable can actually just be a crust covering hot mud or water beneath it."

Sakura hummed, seemingly unaware that she was rocking the sling in one hand to soothe an annoyed-sounding Kakashi-chibi.

"Kakashi-sensei's been working with me on sensing chakra and heat signatures," Sakura said. "I could probably identify hotspots by sending out small pulses of chakra."

"Won't that use up a lot of your reserves?" Mayu asked, and Sakura shrugged.

"I have good control, so as long as we're careful it should be alright. Just don't get injured," she said with a small smile. Mayu huffed, and Sasuke scoffed.

"I'd probably pick up inconsistencies in the landscape with the Sharingan, as well," Sasuke said slowly. "So between the two of us, we can switch on and off and hopefully not drain too much of our chakra. On top of that, we still need to get two more chickens - alive." Sasuke frowned down at the rock in thought.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you guys a favor concerning that," Mayu said slowly, and they both looked at her in interest. "I don't know if you heard since it was right after the mission where Shikamaru was injured," she said softly, and Sasuke gave a minute flinch before putting a steadying hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him in thanks, and continued, "But papa went on a diplomatic mission to Iwa around that time. When he came back, he was injured - a bad dislocation among a few other things. They attacked his team on their way back at the border. Sensei was with him, too." Mayu's eyes darkened and she took a deep breath through her nose. "They claimed it was rebels, but who knows with the Tsuchikage?"

"So you want to go after the Iwa teams," Sakura said, eyes steady on her. "As a warning."

Mayu sighed and pushed some hair that had fallen loose behind her ear. "Yeah. When I was waiting for the first test to start, I memorized the scents of the team members that had been kidnapped. I can find them, I think, even through the smell of sulfur."

Sasuke studied her for a minute, then shrugged. "I'm okay with it," he said simply, as Mayu knew he would. The Uchiha were family-obsessed, after all.

Sakura hummed in thought. "I'm okay with it too," she said slowly. "But let's agree that if we get too close to the end and can't find them, we just take the first team or teams that make sense."

"Agreed," Mayu said and grinned at her team. They were awesome.

The first half of the day was spent getting used to the terrain. Once Sasuke and Sakura played around with it a bit, they were able to identify hidden hotspots so their team could avoid them. Twice, Mayu scented teams coming close to them that they avoided since neither were from Iwa.

They stopped to rest one by of the large boulders scattered throughout the fields, close enough to one of the gem-like hot pools that steam billowed around them and covered them from the naked eye. "I think I should scout ahead," Mayu said. She adjusted the straps that held Junior on her back, comfortable with the weight of him after Gai's training regime. She had unsealed him before they started making their way across the terrain, wanting him close at hand in case they were attacked. Sasuke hummed, then shrugged.

"Alright. If you run into trouble, signal us," Sakura said. "If you aren't back in forty-five minutes, we're coming after you." Mayu grinned, then rolled her shoulders. She took a few deep breaths, pulling her chakra to her in a tight ball like Kakashi taught her, and then melted into the mist around her, steps light and sure. She was pretty sure she could identify hot spots after spending the afternoon with Sakura and Sasuke pointing them out to her. She was, after all, an exceptional visual tracker.

Almost exactly forty-five minutes later, she appeared next to her team, eyes bright. "I caught their scent! One of the Iwa teams - they were about a twenty-minute run that way," she whispered, pointing east. Sasuke smirked, and Sakura flexed her fingers.

"Let's go hunting," the girl said, eyes bright, and Mayu grinned fiercely at her. She'd be sending a message back to Iwa today.

000

Mayu looked over at Sasuke where he was hiding behind a boulder four feet away from her position. Sakura, she knew, was further back behind another pile of rocks, available for backup but otherwise staying out of the upcoming altercation.

Mayu could hear the light footsteps of the Iwa genin coming closer, and signaled to Sasuke. Twenty feet away. Fifteen. Five. Taking a breath, she nodded, and he sprung the trap. A squeal, the sound of wire twanging, and Mayu and Sasuke both spun out of their hiding spots, Sasuke holding eight long thin pieces of wire between his fingers that connected to their trap.

In front of them, hanging a few feet above the ground between the two boulders, they had caught two genin in their wire net. _Where's the third?_ Mayu thought even as she sent her chakra threads to pull Bukimi Junior from her back. A scuff behind her gave the boy away and she spun into a kick, barely missing his chin when he jumped back.

"I got this," she said to Sasuke. "You get the chicken." Ugh, why did it have to be chickens? It just did not sound cool at all when you had to say the word chicken in mid-combat.

She sent Junior skittering towards the well-built boy who couldn't help but recoil in disgust and fear when a three-and-a-half-foot tall armored spider charged him. "Puppet Technique: Bladed Volley!" she said, and was a little disappointed when his attempt at a dodge totally failed, and he ended up shallowly pierced in six different places by Junior's pistoning blades. He let out a scream of terror, and Mayu could hear his teammates calling out for him behind her. With a roll of her eyes, she reattached Junior onto her back, his legs clicking firmly into place on his platform.

The boy was already slowing down as a result of the paralytic on the blades, and Mayu launched herself into a flip over his head. She landed about a foot behind him. He sluggishly tried to turn towards her, and she kicked the back of his knee, sending him to the ground. Then, in one fluid motion, she grabbed his right arm with one hand, placed the other on his shoulder, and wrenched it back until it gave with a pop.

He screamed, and she heard Sasuke talking in a low voice as Sakura leapt out from her hiding place to land next to Mayu.

"...I'm not sure you realize who we are," he was saying conversationally, and she heard another pop and a scream, along with frantic chirping. Poor baby chickens weren't emotionally built for combat scenarios. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke, brother of the future Rokudaime of Konoha. My teammate Haruno Sakura is the apprentice of the Godaime. And the girl that just made your teammate cry...that's Nomaka Mayu." A dramatic pause, and then, "the ward of Nara Shikaku." Another pop and cut off scream, and the boy in her hold whimpered.

"N-Nara Shikaku?" He whispered, terrified, and Mayu maybe felt just a teeny,  _tiny_ bit bad for terrorizing a bunch of genin. She'd just have to make sure Naruto never, ever found out.

"So," Sasuke said. "I'm not sure if you've heard what an Uchiha can do with some ninja wire and a fire jutsu, but it's a lot. And considering you're wrapped in ninja wire and my teammates have yours disabled," Mayu tugged a little on the arm still in her hold so that her prisoner let out a dramatic whimper, "I'd say you're out of options. Now, hand over the chicken, and nobody will get hurt...more than they already are."

Sakura let out a giggle from where she was holding a kunai to their prisoner's throat, and Sasuke sighed, probably well aware of how much the last line had ruined his speech. Still, they handed over the chick, which was black had a proud number eight on it, and Sakura carefully put it into her pouch with Kakashi-chibi. They quickly tied up the team so tightly that there was no way they'd get out in the next two days, and took off to put distance between them.

"That," Sakura said, "Was so fun."

"It was too easy," Sasuke said, sounding a little aggrieved, and Mayu rolled her eyes.

"Well, maybe the next team will put up more of a fight." She said soothingly.

They didn't. Mayu stared at the Iwa nin laying at their feet, knocked out cold and each sporting a dislocated shoulder, and scratched her head. "Huh," she said, and looked over at Sasuke, who was scowling down at them. "I guess this is what happens when you end up fighting B-to-S-ranked threats all the time," she said as Sakura gently added their third chick to her sling.

"Okay, Kakashi-chibi, Ensui-chibi, treat your new friend, Asuma-chibi well," Sakura cooed. Mayu snorted at the name. Kakashi-chibi had been so enamored with the black chick that Mayu had dubbed him Ensui-chibi. Their newest bird was brown but had a tuft of fur around its face that somewhat resembled a beard, and had been so laid back throughout the battle that Mayu had thought it was dead for a moment.

They tied up the team, Sasuke still sulking and took off for the gates again. Mayu caught the scent of two different teams trying to get close, and they were able to avoid them easily with their speed. "We'll be in trouble if the Sand Siblings decide to give us a hard time," she'd admitted, "but I'm guessing they won't mess with us since Gaara and Naruto are apparently best friends now," she said. Naruto tended to mention Gaara at least once in every letter he sent her, along with how 'super awesome' he was at fuinjutsu and how much of a pervert his sensei was.

"Probably not," Sasuke agreed, lip quirking up at the corner. Having a ball of lovable sunshine as a teammate and best friend was pretty useful. Mayu didn't miss the way Sakura looked down and bit her lip.  _Huh, I never realized how weird it probably was for her to try and step into Naruto's shoes._

She felt a little guilty about blowing up grenades uncomfortably close to her and being...well... her usual self for the first few weeks of Sakura's time on the team. Then she shrugged. It had all worked out - maybe she and Sasuke could do something nice for her when they got back. Actually...

"Sakura." The girl glanced over at her from where she was feeding the chicks little bits of the nutrition bar. Mayu reached up and unclasped her Team Seven necklace. Sasuke gave her a sharp look but didn't protest as she handed it over to their teammate. Sakura frowned and reached out to grab it. Her eyes widened as she took in the tomoe and engraved number seven.

"I think you've earned that," Mayu said uncomfortably. "Sorry I didn't make you your own before we left."

Sakura looked like she was on the verge of tears, and Sasuke took a discrete step back. "But - but what about you?" Sakura said softly, and Mayu shrugged.

"I'll make one when I get back home. Um, if you want, you can have the new one when it's finished..."

"No!" Sakura said, a little too loudly, then repeated it in a quieter voice. "No. I - I'd like to keep this one if that's okay."

Mayu grinned at her. "Mm. That's fine, I don't mind." For a moment they smiled stupidly at one another before Kakashi-chibi let out an indignant squawk at his interrupted dinner, and Sakura put the necklace on and tucked it under her red top before going back to feeding him.

"Alright, alright, sheesh," she muttered and yelped as the chick nipped at her finger. Sasuke snickered and Mayu slapped a hand over her mouth to cover a giggle. This was way better than the forest of death.

000

Kakashi waited for his students at the gate that marked the end point of the survival test. He was not anxious, nope. He was just reading his book, where he'd been reading it for the past ten hours, waiting for his wayward genin to show up. What was taking them so long, anyway? The Sand Siblings had strolled through the gates six hours ago, the disturbing sight of Gaara stoically walking past him with a chick on each shoulder and one cupped in his hand seared into his mind forever.

Finally, ten hours before the end of the test, Team Seven exited the Hot Spot fields, looking no worse for wear other than Mayu and Sakura's impossibly frizzy hair. Sakura was talking down to the chicks in her sling, and he could have sworn he heard his name come out of her mouth. He appeared next to them in a swirl of leaves and sighed when they all turned bored-looking gazes at him. He was losing his touch.

"Well, let's see them!" he said, excitedly crowding into Sakura's space. A white chicken with a very attractive puff of hair stared up at him lazily. Next to him, a black chick that looked a little deadly for a chicken returned his gaze steadily. A brown chick huffed out an unconcerned cheep next to them, and Kakashi blinked.

"What teams did you get them off of?" he asked as he followed his students to a proctor, who took the chicks from a protesting Sakura and looked them over before marking something on a clipboard and setting them in a crate.

"Team Hatake Kakashi passes onto the next round," she said in a monotone. "Please return to the village and meet in the atrium in at 0300 today.

"Wait!" Sakura said. "I - what's going to happen to the chicks?"

The woman gave her a deadpan look, then drew her finger across her throat. Sakura gasped and looked close to tears, and Mayu turned The Eyes on Kakashi who gave a narrow-eyed look at the tuft-chicken, who was still eyeing him closely from the crate. Was it challenging him?

Sasuke sighed, then stepped forward and snatched the chicks from their prison, plopping them back into Sakura's sling. The proctor rolled her eyes in a clear sign of  _whatever,_ while Sakura and Mayu both cheered and then entered a serious conversation about building a chicken coop in Shikaku's backyard. Kakashi did not envy that man.

"So? You never answered my question," Kakashi finally interrupted them as they entered the village and turned towards the hotel.

"Oh, um," Mayu let out a nervous chuckle, and Kakashi slumped.

"Iwa," Sasuke said, eyes scanning the road and obviously feeling no shame over whatever it was their team had done.

"Iwa and..." Kakashi said leadingly.

"And Iwa," Sakura said, lifting her chin, and Kakashi gaped at them for a moment.

"Huh. What are the chances that you came across two of the three teams the Tsuchikage sent," he said lightly, and Mayu hummed, then plastered herself to Sasuke's side in an obvious bid for protection, who grimaced and started attempting to push her off of him.

Kakashi sighed and gave up, knowing the story would come out eventually. No doubt Tsunade-sama would blame him for this. His life was so unfair. They all took turns in the shower - Kakashi let Sasuke use the one in his room for expediency when he was finished, then met back up in his genin's shared room.

Sakura and Mayu pulled a grumpy Sasuke into a project to build their new pets a temporary pen using packs and blankets. "There, Ensui-chibi, isn't that nice?"

Kakashi gave Mayu a sharp look over his book. "What did you say?"

She turned The Eyes on him and he twitched. "I said there, sweetie, isn't that nice?" Kakashi gave her a suspicious look, and she smiled. For the second time in two hours, he gave up and hunkered back behind his book, not missing her smug look and Sakura hiding a giggle behind her hand. Sasuke smirked, and Kakashi glared at the page in front of him. How did he ever think his genin were cute?

000

Mayu's stomach growled as she looked over the menu. Their team had stopped to eat before heading to the atrium to get instructions for the tournament.

Sakura was happily describing the traps they'd set up to catch the two Iwa teams to Kakashi, who was listening with one of his true smiles - Mayu could tell - when the waitress came to take their order. Mayu got the yakisoba, and Sakura ordered the same.

The waitress was taking down Sasuke's order when she said, "And what kind of meat, hun?"

"Chicken," Sasuke said distractedly, and Mayu and Sakura let out identical gasps of horror. Sasuke closed his eyes as if in pain, and Kakashi's shoulders were shaking with laughter. "Better make that pork," he grumbled.

000

Seven teams had made it to the finals. The twenty-one genin that passed the second test stood in front of three proctors and Hot Water's kage as he congratulated them and gave a short speech that Mayu didn't listen to.

Team Ten and Team Eight had both made it, and Kiba had given her a large, crushing hug when she stepped up next to him. Hinata had smiled sweetly at her, and even Ino had given them a thumbs up. The third team from Earth Country was also lined up with them, a team from Grass, the Sand Siblings, and Jaruno Daichi's team. He smirked over at Sasuke, and Mayu made sure to plaster herself to his side while he slipped an arm around Sakura. They both looked up at him and sighed adoringly, ignoring Kakashi's strangled noises and twitching behind them.

The teams that hadn't made it all filed into the crowd behind them, and Kakashi groaned out a "noooooo" when he saw the six Iwa genin lined up wearing identical slings, their jounin sensei sending death glares Team Seven's way.

"You will return in one month to showcase your skills and cunning in the tournament. On the board behind us, we have posted the first eleven fights of the tournament. We expect the tournament to go on for two days, due to the unexpected number of genin that entered this year's exam. Please note that there was an uneven number of contestants. We selected a random bracket from which the winner will fight the extra person before moving forward on the first day." A low groan, and then they were all surging forward to look at the brackets printed on the large black wall behind the proctors.

Mayu gasped in delight when she saw who Sakura was fighting. "Sakura - you got him! You got the jerk from Kumo!" A slow smile grew across her teammate's face, and they exchanged a subtle high five.

Mayu narrowed her eyes and studied the brackets in front of her, and was relieved to see that none of her teammates would have to do the extra match in round one to move forward. Looks like that honor fell to Ino or Sai, who were slated against each other in the pre-round to decide who moved forward to round one.  _Bummer,_ she thought.

Mayu was up against a boy from Grass named Faruma Yato. She would then take on whoever won the three-way fight between Ino, Sai, and the extra contestant - an Iwa nin. She assumed it would be Sai - the kid must be strong.

When (not if) Sakura won against Daichi, she would end up fighting either the second member from the Iwagakure cell or one of the teammates of the Grass nin. If Sakura won both of those fights, Mayu would end up fighting against her. She scanned the rest of the board. Hmm, it looked like round three would probably end up being Sasuke against Gaara. And then either Mayu or Sakura would end up fighting against Gaara or Sasuke in the last round if the tournament went the way Mayu hoped it would. Okay, most likely it would be Gaara, but she didn't want to doubt her teammate, even in her thoughts. So she'd need to focus on strategies for Sasuke, Gaara, Sakura, and nin from Iwagakure and Grass. That was...a lot. She sighed and glanced at Kakashi, who was staring at the board, deep in thought.

Finally, he smiled brightly at them. "Well, come on, my students! Let's go back to our rooms and pack up - we leave first thing tomorrow. We want to make our journey home as short as possible so you still have plenty of time to train. Maybe while we're packing, you can also fill in some of the blanks you left when reporting on your second task." His eye smile was so menacing that Mayu squeaked and Sakura let out a nervous giggle. Sasuke twitched but put his nose in the air with a  _humph._

Dejected, they slouched out after him, stopping to say goodbye to Teams Eight and Ten, who were staying for the month. It wouldn't be good for international relations if they all left, though they could claim that Sasuke needed to train specifically with his clan to soothe ruffled feathers at their departure.

Kakashi sent his summons ahead with a report for Tsunade and handed Pakkun an extra envelope with instructions to drop it off to somebody named Tenzou.

They made it back in two days, since they didn't have to slow down their pace for other teams, and Mayu stumbled home after Kakashi listed off their training schedules. They would be training individually for the month. Sakura with Tsunade, Sasuke with his family, and Mayu with Yoshino and Gai. Kakashi would be rotating between them to teach them things he thought would be useful against their opponents from other villages, though he wouldn't be helping them with strategies against each other.

When Mayu arrived home, Sakura beside her with their chickens, Yoshino emerged from the kitchen and hugged Mayu, then congratulated her on making it to the third round. She then raised her eyebrows at Sakura's cargo and sighed. "I suppose this is why I came home and there was a chicken coop in my backyard with a note on it from your sensei?" Mayu gasped and clapped.

"Really?" she said and snatched the paper out of her hands that she'd removed from her apron pocket.

_Team Seven,_

_Good job on making it to round three. I hope your not-at-all aptly named chickens enjoy their new home. Try not to cause any international incidents this month, please. The one is enough._

It was signed with the henohenomoheji. Mayu smiled and helped Sakura take their pets out to the backyard.

"What's wrong?" Mayu asked Sakura in a low voice as they soothed Kakashi-chibi, who seemed distrustful of his new space.

Sakura looked down at her feet and shrugged. She'd been weirdly quiet on the walk home. "I was just thinking. The act we put on for the other genin, so that our competitors would underestimate us..."

"Yes?" Mayu prompted, suddenly worried that she'd made Sakura uncomfortable dragging her into her ploy.

"That used to actually be me!" Sakura blurted, and Mayu blinked in surprise when Sakura had to wipe tears away from her eyes. "You must have thought I was so pathetic," she whispered.

Mayu shook her head rapidly. "No! Not pathetic. Maybe just...not tapping into your full potential?"

Sakura glared at her, and Mayu edged away. "Don't sugar coat it, Mayu. You had to tell me Sasuke wouldn't marry me if I wasn't strong to motivate me, and it  _worked._ I didn't realize how lame it was until I saw the way people were looking at us when we were fawning over Sasuke. I just..." she looked so lost and sad that Mayu shuffled up next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Well, you're not pathetic or lame now," she offered and cringed at the wry look Sakura gave her. "And you weren't then, not really. If you were, Tsunade-sama wouldn't have taken you on as your apprentice. You were just a little...focused," she muttered lamely. "Besides! You don't throw yourself at him anymore."

"That's true. But...I still like him, you know. I can't help it." Sakura admitted like it was a shameful secret.

Mayu huffed. "We're thirteen-year-old girls. It's kind of part of the package," she said.

Sakura gave her a sly smile. "You mean like the way you like Shikamaru-kun?" Mayu glared and blushed at her and didn't reply, and just like that Sakura was laughing again. Did all scary women have so many mood swings?

Sakura left with a wave and a promise to meet up when they could while Yoshino pursed her lips at the chicks pecking at the ground.

Mayu went inside to wait for Shikaku and Shikamaru to come home. She could use their help planning for her matches. Mayu narrowed her eyes in determination. No matter what, she'd be returning to Konoha in a little over a month a chunin.

"Believe it," she muttered to herself with a smile.


	10. Deadly Dance of Puppets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Seven shows the world that they're BAMF as hell, and Mayu continues to exact vengeance on unsuspecting Iwa nin. Also some really cute stuff happens.

Shikamaru stood at Mayu's bedroom door and scowled when he took in her empty bed. He'd just returned from a ten-day long mission and was annoyed because it had dragged on despite Asuma promising that they'd be back in time for him to greet Mayu when she returned from the first two rounds of the chunin exams.

Instead, they were coming back three days after her return. Shikamaru hated it when they were apart, despite his parents' insistence on trying to stamp their co-dependence out of them years ago. Mayu, he knew, dealt with it better than he did, simply because she was able to go into projects with a single-minded intensity that allowed her to block out absolutely everything else.

Shikamaru's brain worked a little differently, for all that they were both geniuses. He could make battle plans, train with his team, and do any number of other things while also having multiple other thought processes going on in the back of his mind.

In fact, he couldn't really stop them. That's why he enjoyed cloud watching and quiet so much - sometimes having fourteen different tangents running through his mind at once just got overwhelming. As a result, his lauded genius allowed him to  _always_ be thinking of the blue-haired girl in some fashion, which meant whenever she wasn't next to him he was at least vaguely missing her. Shikamaru firmly believed his intelligence was more of a curse than a boon, really.

With a sigh, he put his hands in his pockets and made his way down the stairs, hoping that he wouldn't have to hike all the way to Akinobu's shop to find his Mayu.

He knew his goodbye on her departure had been less than ideal, but at the time he could barely look her in the eye. That was due to waking up after a blurry dream that involved their two bodies undulating together (wet dreams were apparently a  _thing_ at his age, so troublesome) to find her actually in his arms, and his erection pressed firmly against her hip.

At least after years of sharing a bed and space with her, he could say with surety that she had been fast asleep, and hadn't woken when he practically dove out of bed, guilt and arousal waking him much more quickly than he usually managed in the mornings.

By the time she was leaving to meet her team, he was still feeling flustered, and his mind was playing his dream on repeat while he remembered exactly how good it had felt to wake up pressed against her. Shikamaru wished that his big brain would stop working against him while he was stuck firmly at the mercy of the cocktail that was teenaged hormones.

He crossed the kitchen and slipped out the door onto the back porch, stopping to enjoy the fresh spring air and stillness of the night. After a moment he frowned. Was that...cheeping? Curious, he stepped off the porch into the yard and blinked in surprise. There, tucked in the back corner and lit only by moonlight, was a tiny house-like structure. Moving closer, his eyebrows went up when he saw three tiny chicks sauntering around a small outdoor area enclosed with chicken wire in front of what he could now see was a chicken coup.

"Why do we have chickens," he grumbled, watching as the white chick with a tuft on its head bobbed its way over to a black chick that seemed to be glowering at Shikamaru.

With a shake of his head, he turned towards the shed and was relieved to see a small sliver of light coming from beneath the door. His heart leapt and he sped up his pace.

The past few months had been full of revelations and feelings that were so, so troublesome. He'd always been over-protective and jealous of Mayu's affections, that was true. It was fine because she was the same way with him. He hadn't realized quite how much he depended on her presence in his life until the chunin exams. Remembering the way she had lain in her hospital bed for a full month, pale and still, always caused him to break into a cold sweat. That whole time was a haze of misery and pain and only Naruto's unyielding belief that Mayu would wake up, and that she would be very displeased if she found out Shikamaru didn't train at all for the exams, kept him moving forward.

Then Harumi had come along. The kid had tweaked every one of his protective instincts, and it had taken him too long to figure out just why Mayu was always glaring the girl down with uncharacteristic venom. Usually, Mayu just snarked at somebody she didn't like before completely erasing them from her mind, effectively making them not even a blip on her radar. Unless she felt she needed vengeance, but even then, it was more action-oriented. She'd either deduce somebody into tears or come up with another interesting way to humiliate or otherwise destroy their self-confidence.

A week of silent treatment from Mayu after their fight had been much, much worse than sitting through one of his mother's lectures or Ino's rants. He knew he had deserved it, too. There were only a few people in the world whose opinion mattered to her, and when they scolded her or were disappointed in her, she didn't react well. Shikaku and Ensui could barely stand to even pretend to discipline Mayu, she got so morose. And for Shikamaru to do it over another girl their age...well, just because he was a genius didn't mean he couldn't be a spectacular idiot.

He'd started to get an inkling that their relationship wasn't exactly platonic after the fight with the two Akatsuki members. When he realized that Mayu was jealous of the attention he'd been paying Harumi, he'd felt strangely satisfied in a dark, possessive way that shocked him. He shouldn't be happy that his actions had caused Mayu pain, even if that pain proved that she clung to him with the same fierce desperation that he did her.

Still, his stupid, supposedly-genius brain didn't make the connection of what all of that meant until Ino had burst into their house and revealed that Mayu was in love with Uchiha Sasuke. For one of the first times in Shikamaru's life, his brain had stuttered to a halt. He couldn't even fathom Mayu being in love with somebody else, because she was  _his._ He'd even taken to adding a 'my' in front of Mayu sometimes, and she never protested, in fact, she seemed shyly pleased by it.

Shikamaru had actually felt his whole body go cold, and then his brain had kicked back into high gear, showing him images of Mayu giving Sasuke her rare shy smile, Mayu turning wide sparkling eyes on Sasuke, Mayu kissing - well, it had hit him suddenly then. Shikamaru didn't just love Mayu, he was  _in love_ with her.

Even after finding out they had made up the imminent betrothal as some convoluted way to get Sakura more involved in team practices - and didn't that plan have Mayu written all over it, especially because, bafflingly, it had worked - he couldn't erase the images from his mind. And he was so overwhelmed with conflicting feelings every time she was close to him that he'd started avoiding her. Love, he had decided, was the biggest drag of all.

Of course, his avoidance and general surliness didn't go unnoticed, and he'd ended up making her cry, which always made his whole body freeze up in panic and regret. After fessing up to part of what had him acting like a jerk and hearing her reassurance that there was no romantic interest between she and Sasuke, he'd been able to calm down a bit. Even if he wanted to kill the spoiled Uchiha for cutting Mayu off when he was almost sure she was about to tell Shikamaru that she loved  _him._

When he had laid eyes on her at her birthday dinner, he'd been completely blown away at the sight of her in form-fitting pants and that soft touchable shirt and makeup. His already-convinced body had just taken it as further proof that he wanted her. He hadn't been able to resist the possessive arm he'd put around her the rest of the night or that same wave of dark possessiveness that hit him when she held the daggers with his clan symbol in her small hands.

Shikamaru finally admitted to himself the day after Mayu left for the exams that he was unable to deal with the problem that was being in love on his own. So he had gone to the one Nara he knew that didn't seem completely useless in the romance department (he loved his father, but was not blind to his faults. His mother's loud reactions every time Shikaku did something idiotic were difficult to miss, after all). Ensui had, of course, laughed for a good five minutes before finally calming down enough to answer.

"Man, you do take after your father. Alright, I'm not going to try to give you any sage, deep words here, since I'm sure you'd come up with some convoluted interpretation that ended in tears for everybody." Ensui leaned forward and stared him down, and Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably. He loved his uncle but had always found him just a bit intimidating, even with the knowledge that Ensui would never hurt him.

"You two are practically destined for each other. Everybody knows it, and has just been waiting for the inevitable hormone shitstorm that would hit once you two got to a certain age. Hell, your mom has been planning your wedding since you were eight." Shikamaru twitched a little at that - not at the thought of marrying Mayu, no, that actually sounded...okay. More at the thought of suffering through a ceremony planned by his mother. That woman was so troublesome.

"I guarantee Mayu was way ahead of you on realizing and accepting her feelings and has just been waiting for your idiot self to catch up. I swear to god, I will never understand how the male Nara brain works when it's confronted with women." Ensui rubbed his temples for a moment, looking uncharacteristically long-suffering and mumbling something about this being "not as bad as Shikaku and Yoshino, those two were such a drag."

"So, you're saying I should..." Shikamaru drifted off, having no earthly idea what to do next. Ensui shot him his most unimpressed look.

"Well, you could start by kissing the girl. Then tell her you love her, for god's sake. Ask her on a date. This is not difficult," Ensui said in a mild voice.

"What if she says no?" Shikamaru blurted, and Ensui actually rolled his eyes. Shikamaru wasn't sure he'd ever seen his uncle this expressive.

"She won't, kid. Unless you spectacularly screw up your confession. Though, even then she'll probably say yes."

Shikamaru had spent the next couple of days after that embarrassing but enlightening conversation making plans and immediately discarding them. Should he bring her flowers? Was it okay to wear his usual outfit, or was he expected to dress up for this confession?

With a shake of his and a sigh, Shikamaru reached up and knocked on the door of the shed, knowing better than to just walk into whatever potentially-deadly project Mayu was working on that day. When there was no response, he carefully turned the handle and pushed open the door, opening it all the way when there was no yelled warning. He slipped inside and shut the door behind him, then turned around, his whole face softening at the sight that met him.

The workbenches were cluttered with in-progress projects and boxes of completed smoke bombs, grenades, beetle bombs, and glass vials full of Mayu cocktails. Perched on a stool in front of the only clear space amongst the chaos was Mayu, slumped over on the workbench with her head pillowed on her crossed arms. Her face was turned towards him, soft in sleep and almost glowing in the soft lighting of the room. Her dark blue hair was out of its customary bun and fanned out around her. Shikamaru knew that most people didn't consider Mayu to be as beautiful as the other girls in the Rookie Teams, but he'd have to disagree. The way her big grey eyes glinted in mischief or enthusiasm depending on her mood, how her hair was always tumbling wildly around her face or half-falling out of her messy bun because the sheer amount of energy she put into everything meant it was never well kept. It was entrancing -  _she_ was entrancing.

Shikamaru shook his head fondly and crossed the room to stand in front of her, running the back of a finger across her soft cheek. "Mayu," he said in a soft voice. "It's time to wake up." Mayu blinked her eyes open, staring at him in confusion for a moment before her expression cleared. His chest warmed when she brightened, and she sat up slowly, still sleepy, and smiled at him.

"Shika," she said, voice sleep-rough. "You're home."

With her hair falling in messy waves around her and her wide grey eyes and smile, she looked almost ethereal. All of his carefully laid plans flew out of his head, and his hand reached up to cup her cheek under the fall of her hair. "You're beautiful," he heard himself say. Her eyes widened in shock, and her smile turned shy. It was adorable, and he couldn't think of any reason not to lean forward and brush his lips against hers. So he did.

Mayu breathed in once in shock, before her hands came up to rest lightly on his shoulders, and she leaned into him. What had originally been a barely-there touch of lips became firmer, and Shikamaru's mind went pleasantly blank as he carefully moved his lips over hers. Mayu's whole body shuddered, and he pulled back, one hand on the workbench for balance and the other now tangled in her hair. For a moment they just stared at each other, and then Mayu swallowed and glanced down at his lips.

"Shikamaru, what -"

"Be my girlfriend," he blurted, and then closed his eyes in mortification. He had planned on a much more suave approach than yelling it in her face.

"Really?" Mayu whispered, and he opened his eyes. The look on her face had his breath catching in his throat, and he remembered what Ensui had said to him.  _I guarantee Mayu was way ahead of you on realizing and accepting her feelings and has just been waiting for your idiot self to catch up._ How long had she been waiting for him to stop being oblivious?

"Yeah," he said, and leaned forward to brush his lips against hers again. He had a feeling that might become addictive. She leaned into it eagerly before pulling back.

He opened his eyes in confusion and realized she was giving him a narrow-eyed stare that meant she was in full-on deduction mode. Shikamaru took a deep breath, and let his emotions show on his face. Mayu's mouth shaped into a little 'o' of shock, and then she was throwing herself off of the stool and into his arms. He staggered back a few steps, but quickly found his balance, and pulled her in close to him, tucking her under his chin.

"Yes, of course, I'll be your girlfriend," she finally said, and Shikamaru was glad she was clinging to him so hard because otherwise, he might have floated away, he felt so light.

000

Mayu knew she was freaking her mother out with her extraordinarily good mood, but couldn't seem to help it. She'd spent hours curled up on the floor of her shed with Shikamaru the night before, exchanging soft kisses and cuddles and catching him up on what had happened in the chunin exams. He'd looked a little stormy when she told him about her act as Sasuke's fangirl but had cheered right up when she'd nuzzled into him and told him that the only person she  _really_ fangirled over was him.

He'd even helped her come up with a plan for her maybe-fight with Gaara (okay, she was ninety-nine percent sure she'd end up fighting him in the last round if she made it that far), though he didn't mean to.

"Mayu, you should just forfeit," he'd said earnestly, and she had looked up at him from where she was cradled against his chest. A familiar position, sure - they'd been cuddling up against each other at every opportunity since they were six - but the circumstances were unfamiliar enough to cause a thrill to go through her every time he shifted.

"Why would I do that? I know I probably won't win, but it'll still be a good chance to showcase my skills. Also, Tsunade-sama kind of told Kakashi-sensei that she expected one of us to fight in the last match." Mayu didn't voice it out loud, but she found Tsunade a much more terrifying foe than Gaara.

"He's dangerous, Mayu. You weren't there, you didn't see what he did to Lee," Shikamaru said, and pulled her closer to him.

"Well, yeah, but that was before Naruto saved him with his Peace and Love talk. Now he's much less crazy!"

Shikamaru had given her an unimpressed look. "Mayu, people don't just change like that overnight," he said seriously, and she sighed.

"Tell me," she'd demanded, and listened closely as he described Gaara's Sand Coffin and Ultimate Defense.

"So his sand just...absorbed all attacks?" Mayu said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Sasuke's Chidori got through, but he barely made Gaara bleed. I doubt it will work a second time," Shikamaru said with a shrug.

"Absorbs it, huh," she said, an inkling of an idea forming in her brain.

"Mayu..." Shikamaru said in a long-suffering voice, and she'd turned The Eyes on him. He had blinked down at her, and the next thing she knew, he was pressing his lips against hers. His kisses were achingly sweet and warmed her from the inside out. They had dropped the subject of her match with Gaara, though she was sure it would come up again.

"Mayu-chan, pay attention!" Yoshino scolded, and Mayu jolted back to the present and gave Yoshino a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, I was up late in my lab," she admitted, and Yoshino sighed but didn't comment, knowing it was a lost cause.

"Well, if you were listening, you would have heard me say that Gai-san and I have decided that you're ready to move onto Stage Six of the Hashino Deadly Dance Technique." Mayu perked up, all thoughts of romance and tournament matches flying out of her head.

"Really?" she breathed, and Yoshino grinned, then grabbed her hand and pulled her to the porch.

"Yep. Both Gai-san and I have decided that stage six isn't something we'll be picking up, as it doesn't fit with our fighting styles. But you _,_ I think, will do well with it." Yoshino beamed and pointed to a large, flat white box on the porch. Mayu moved forward to open it, intrigued, and blinked at what was inside.

"Mom..."

"Stage six," Yoshino cut her off, "is all about  _accessories."_

Mayu's mouth opened and closed a few times. Finally, she settled on, "Mom, I really need to prepare for the exams. I don't have time to look at purses and dresses -"

Yoshino rolled her eyes and cut her off. "You'll like these accessories. In fact, you already received part of the collection." Mayu blinked in confusion, and Yoshino motioned to her thigh. "I may have pointed Shikamaru in the direction of those daggers. I bet he didn't tell you everything they do, huh?"

Mayu unsheathed one and held it up, studying it closely, chest warming as she caught sight of the Nara clan symbol on the hilt. Nope, it just looked like a really pretty dagger to her.

Yoshino made an impatient motion with her hand, and Mayu raised an eyebrow but handed it to her hilt first. Yoshino jumped onto the railing of the porch before flipping off of it and moving into the middle of the yard. She went into her ready stance before lunging into one of the Hashino katas, which, now that Mayu thought about it, worked well for short bladed weapons like her daggers.

Her eyes widened as Yoshino jumped into a sideways spin in the air, and the dagger lit up in flame, leaving a trail of fire as Yoshino slashed it in front of her body.

"It's chakra-conductive," Yoshino said a bit smugly after she landed. "Since you've already learned Fire Release, it shouldn't be difficult to pick it up."

"Okay, those are some accessories I can get behind," Mayu said eagerly. "But what about..." she pointed to the box.  _"That."_

Yoshino let a smile grow on her face. "That," she said, "was my grandmother's. I had it altered to fit you. They left enough fabric that it can be let out as you grow."

"But...what's the point?" Mayu asked, flabbergasted, and Yoshino sighed.

"A lot of my family technique is about misdirection, you know that. Can you not think of how you could use that in a fight? Plus, it will make you look just plain cool."

Mayu rolled her eyes, but carefully picked up the item in question and furrowed her brow. Then, a memory came to her - in her fight with Kisame, his flapping and rippling cloak had made it difficult to get a read on his movements. It had covered his legs, and the ripples had caught her eye, trying to distract her. This could...

Her face must have lit with understanding because Yoshino grinned fiercely. "I see you understand. Mayu, half of the chuunin exams are showmanship, the other half strategy. Believe me, nobody will be able to keep their eyes off your fights if you wear this while swinging around flaming daggers." Well, when she put it that way, Mayu guessed she could deal with a new outfit.

"So this is what we're going to be working on?" She asked, and Yoshino nodded once.

"Yep. One of Gai's students is a weapons mistress and has agreed to help with training you in handling the daggers. In exchange, I told her you'd make her some sealing scrolls after the exams." Mayu nodded, figuring she was referring to Tenten.

"Well, let's get to work then," Mayu said eagerly.

That evening Mayu was sitting with Shikamaru on his cloud-watching hill, scribbling in her notebook as her body and chakra attempted to recover from the eight-hour training session with Yoshino. The first four hours had been spent on learning how to feed elemental chakra into her blades. It was more difficult to perfect than Mayu had thought it would be, considering her higher-than-average chakra control and the fact that she could already do Fire Release.

She'd finally gotten to the point where she could feed a continuous stream of elemental chakra into both blades at once. Mayu was pleasantly surprised at how little of her chakra it took up - if she was strategic about it, she would be able to use it multiple times throughout a fight. Yoshino had told her that eventually, she'd be able to extend the fire past her blades, creating actual whips of flame. Yoshino's grandmother had, by all accounts, been terrifying with her Flame Whips. So cool.

The rest of their session had involved Mayu getting used to her new...costume? Whatever it was, she found herself getting tangled in it more often than not as she launched into the usual acrobatics.

Mayu honestly wanted to skip the whole thing and concentrate on other training to prepare for the tournament, but Yoshino had looked so excited about it all that she'd done what she always did with her mother, and caved. It didn't matter how ridiculous she felt in the Hashino get-up, or how much she'd rather be learning a new jutsu. This was Yoshino's legacy, and Mayu was determined not to let her down.

"What are you working on?" Shikamaru asked sleepily from where he was lying on his back. Mayu looked over at his half-closed eyes and smiled, then moved to lay next to him, resting her head on his shoulder and showing him the sketches and notes she was working on by holding them above their heads.

"I want to finish up this new incapacitation technique for Bukimi," she said, and he hummed in interest after placing a shy kiss to her temple and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I've been working on it for awhile, but I'd like to have it for the exams." She snuggled into him as he studied the notebook and huffed out a laugh.

"And everybody thought Bukimi Jr. was terrifying  _before,"_ he mumbled, and she tilted her head up to grin at him. He met her eyes, then leaned down to brush his lips against hers. Her cheeks heated when he pulled back, and she placed a kiss on his cheek.

He looked down at her with an expression of wonder and ran a finger down her cheek, and she noted absently that they had dropped the notebook. Her hand was on his chest and their legs were tangled together, his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders to hold her firmly against him.

A clearing throat pulled her attention from Shikamaru, and she craned her neck around and blinked when she caught sight of Sasuke standing a few feet away. "Sorry," he said in a stilted voice, and she narrowed her eyes at him. Sasuke was uncharacteristically anxious about something. "Shikaku-sama said I could come up here when I told him I was looking for you."

Mayu glanced at Shikamaru, who had an adorable pout on his face, and chewed on the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. "I'll be right back," she whispered, and rubbed her nose against his neck, feeding chakra into it and breathing him in before extricating herself from his hold and standing.

He huffed, but picked up her notebook and went back to studying her upgrade notes for her puppet. For a moment she stared down at him, taking in his lean body, still a little gangly but well-muscled, and the way his earrings glinted in the late afternoon light.

"Mayu," Sasuke said in an exasperated voice, and she jolted, ignoring the smug smirk on Shikamaru's face as she turned and made her way over to Sasuke.

"Hey, what's up?" She said cheerfully, and her smile faltered when he didn't answer, and instead turned and walked into the trees behind the hill. Brow furrowed, she followed him until he stopped and turned towards her. She narrowed her eyes, taking him in, and swallowed.

"You have something to say that you know I'm not going to like," she said slowly, and he twitched. Dread pooled in her gut when he looked down at his shoes because Mayu was pretty sure he was ashamed and...that was just not a look she saw on him very often.

"Just tell me," she said softly.

Sasuke took a deep breath and looked up, meeting her eyes squarely despite the fact that every other part of his body seemed ready for flight. "Kakashi-sensei came over and trained me today," he said, then paused.

"Okay..." she said leadingly because that in itself wasn't strange. He had spent the day with her three days ago and had probably been with Sakura yesterday.

"He offered me the Dog Summons contract," Sasuke said in his usual blunt manner. "And I accepted."

Mayu stared at him, brain already rushing through the implications. Kakashi had taught Sasuke the Chidori. Kakashi had allowed Sasuke to sign his family summons contract. All of this led to the conclusion that Kakashi would be taking Sasuke on as an apprentice once they were Chunin.

A position Mayu could admit that she'd secretly thought he might offer her. After all, he'd called her his 'cute little protegé' when introducing her to people, had taught her many of his family's tracking techniques, and had even had her help with training some puppies, as was part of his summons contract. She had assumed he was preparing her to take on a pack of her own. She had obviously been wrong.

Sasuke continued talking, almost rambling in his nervousness. "I asked him why he wasn't offering it to you, and he just said that there were other plans in place for your future. And I - Mayu, I had to get out from under the clan's thumb. If I don't become Kakashi-sensei's apprentice, I'll have to work under an Uchiha, probably one at the MPF because my father is still pushing -"

Mayu held up her hand and he abruptly stopped talking. She took all of the disappointment and hurt and feelings of inadequacy she could feel building up and shoved it down into a box in her mind cave to deal with later. She forced herself to look at the situation logically. Sasuke had the Sharingan and picked up jutsu almost as fast as Kakashi could teach him. Sasuke had a lightning affinity. Sasuke was a prodigy, just like Kakashi-sensei, and most importantly, Sasuke needed this apprenticeship. It made sense. It was the logical decision for Kakashi to make, the best for Sasuke and the village and Team Seven's plans for the future. "I understand," she said in a voice devoid of emotion. "Thank you for telling me. Congratulations."

Sasuke stared at her, a frown furrowing his brow. "Mayu -"

"I really need to get to Akinobu-sensei's shop," she said. "I have to stay on schedule if I want to be ready for the exams."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but instead gave a small, sharp nod and disappeared. Mayu stared at where he'd been standing for a moment before abruptly spinning on her heel and returning to Shikamaru. "Hey," he said without looking up. "I made some notes on the activation point - what's wrong?"

He had taken one look at her blank face and sat up, brow furrowing. She just shook her head, not quite ready to talk about it. "I think I'm going to go to Akinobu-sensei's shop," she said in a quiet voice, and his jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed.

"Alright," he said slowly, knowing after years by her side that pushing her wasn't the way to go when she was like this. "I'll keep you company - let me grab a few scrolls dad wants me to look over." Relieved that she'd have company, she made a stop in her lab to grab some schematics and the scroll holding Bukimi, then waited out front for Shikamaru, who grabbed her hand in his own but didn't try and talk on their walk to the shop.

Rika-sempai was just heading home and cheerfully chattered at Mayu about the chuunin exams before heading off with a wave, unbothered with Mayu's morose mood. Of course, Mayu had first met her when she was losing her mind, so probably all of her moods were an improvement after that.

Shikamaru set up in the corner of the metalworking shop, offering her little smiles when she looked up at him. Her mood lifted a bit when she remembered that he was her  _boyfriend._ Because they were  _dating._ Her stomach fluttered a bit, and she bit her lip to stop a smile as she started on the prototype for Puppet Technique: Sticky Situation. Shikamaru had added a note next to the title at the top of one of her drawings that simply said  _Please don't name it that Mayu, seriously._

She giggled, but didn't say anything out loud to Shikamaru who seemed to be running through some hand signs with a look of concentration on his face.

After about half an hour, she easily fell into the rhythm of her work, only faltering a few hours later when she pulled out her birthday present from Kakashi to open up Bukimi so she could get to his internal gears and devices.

Mayu stared at the toolkit. She just didn't understand. Mayu knew they were close - she brought him food and read him so well he never really had to do his least favorite thing - talk about  _feelings -_ for her to understand that he cared. And it just made sense for her to sign the contract with the dogs. She was the tracker on the team. She was the one that worked with them most often. Did he think of Sasuke as family but not her?

"Mayu?" Shikamaru's worried voice next to her pulled her from her thoughts, and she realized belatedly that she was crying. "What is it?" he said in a soft voice that had her turning and hiding her face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her while she cried, and after a few minutes, she pulled back, wiping her eyes and cursing her overactive tear ducts.

"Kakashi-sensei let Sasuke sign his summons contract," Mayu finally admitted in a small voice. Shikamaru was visibly taken aback, and she knew he understood the implications. "I feel so stupid," she said, her breath hitching. "I mean, I thought - I really thought - that he'd choose  _me."_ She blinked rapidly and swallowed. "I know he loves Naruto and Sasuke and even Sakura, too, but, but I'm the one who always - always makes sure he's okay after his solo missions and goes to see him outside of practice and I just, I really thought he loved me too." She buried her face in her hands to cover the fresh tears, and Shikamaru pulled her against him again.

"Mayu, my Mayu, don't cry," he whispered. "He  _does_ love you. And you aren't stupid. Mom and Dad and I all thought he'd ask you, too. Dad is always complaining about how Kakashi-sensei will teach you bad habits if you become his apprentice, and I even heard him threatening him with awful things if he caught you in a mask or reading porn." Mayu gave a wet giggle, feeling a little better knowing that she wasn't the only one who had misread the situation.

"I know that it's his choice, and I can't really be angry with him about it," she said in a small voice. "It wouldn't be fair. That's his legacy, and it's Sasuke's future. But..."

"Your feelings are hurt and you're disappointed," Shikamaru said and kissed the top of her head. "That's okay. You don't need to feel guilty about that."

Mayu nodded into his chest and sniffled. "It's not only that," she said. "It's...it feels like when we first became a team, and he just looked right past me and only focused on the boys. I feel...inadequate."

Shikamaru's arms tightened around her, and he stiffened. Mayu pulled back, and her eyes widened a bit at the way his face was shadowed in anger, feeling a small shiver move through her. "You aren't inadequate," he growled.

"I know that," she muttered, and sighed. "But I don't know that  _they_ know that. Ugh, that sounds so stupid." She wiped at her eyes and nose angrily, annoyed with her own self-doubt.

"Well," he drawled, and she looked up at him, knowing what that particular glint in his eyes and his tone of voice meant. "I think that you've got a perfect opportunity coming up to show them just how adequate you really are." He raised an eyebrow as understanding lit her features.

A slow grin spread across her face, and she leaned forward. "You wanna see my plans for giving Gaara a run for his money? I could use some help getting the materials together," she said in a low voice. Shikamaru stared at her with an unreadable expression, before a smirk played over his features.

"Sure," he said. "Let's see it."

Mayu beamed at him, then leaned forward and gave him a slightly-wet kiss, but if his flushed cheeks were any indication, he didn't mind at all.

000

Mayu bounced in place next to Shikaku, waiting impatiently for Yoshino to finish fussing over Shikamaru's flak jacket. Mayu was exhausted, but that didn't stop the zing of excited energy from racing up her spine at the thought of the upcoming tournament. She was ready. She'd barely slept the past five nights, instead working in her lab and at Akinobu's shop to finish up Bukimi Junior's upgrade and the supplies she needed for Project: Make Gaara Work for It. Mayu wasn't stupid enough to think she'd actually  _win_ against the jinchuuriki, but she certainly wasn't going to make it easy on him, either.

Her days for the past weeks had been spent training with Yoshino, Gai, Tenten, and Kakashi. The last had been difficult, but Mayu was determined not to let what felt like a rejection effect her training. The day after Sasuke told her about the contract, Kakashi had shown up only half an hour late to their training, looking unsure of his welcome.

Mayu had railroaded over any plans he may or may not have had to talk to her about his decision to make Sasuke his apprentice by shoving a scroll at him.

"Sensei!" she chirped with enthusiasm she wasn't feeling. "I asked papa about a jutsu that would work to shield me from a fairly large explosion, and he suggested Earth Dome. But! It's a B-ranked jutsu, plus it's an elemental release I don't have an affinity for, so I'll need to put a lot of time into it if I want to perfect it in time for the tournament!" She took a deep breath after she finished, and looked up at him expectantly, though she avoided direct eye contact.

He was silent for a minute before giving her an eye smile - a fake one - and opening the scroll, humming as he looked it over. "You could probably learn this," he said, "but it's pretty chakra-intensive. You'll need to be careful."

Mayu nodded seriously. "Papa told me with my reserves it would probably drain a quarter of my total chakra capacity every fifteen seconds. Don't worry, sensei, I'll be careful."

He hummed, then rolled the scroll up. "Okay, then! Let's get started on learning Earth Release!" He lifted his hand to pat her head, and she flinched before she could stop herself. For a moment then both paused, then he awkwardly dropped his hand and cleared his throat, and Mayu could have kicked herself. So much for not making things awkward.

Kakashi had diligently shown up every three days to work with her on Earth Dome despite the painful silences that fell between them when he wasn't giving her tips and she wasn't asking questions. Mayu had completed the jutsu after two weeks and informed him that she'd probably spend the rest of her time before leaving for Hot Water working with Yoshino and in her labs, so he could spend extra time on her teammates instead. She could tell he was feeling dejected, but he didn't protest, which left her feeling even more upset than when they'd started training. She had hoped he'd at least try and bridge the gap between them, prove that he really did care despite choosing Sasuke...

Mayu was pulled out of her thoughts when Yoshino tugged her into a fierce hug. "Show those idiots what our family techniques can reallydo, Mayu-chan," she whispered, and Mayu smiled against her shoulder.

"They won't know what hit them," she said with confidence, and Yoshino moved to give Shikaku a kiss.

"Keep Itachi-san safe, and cheer loud for Team Seven," she told him, then stepped back and hugged Shikamaru again before going into lecture mode. "It's a big deal that Itachi-san decided to bring a chunin as part of his escort, so don't let him down, okay? Especially since he did it as a favor to Mayu and your father." Tsunade had decided to send Itachi in her place to represent her at the Chunin exams, partly as a way to confirm that he was her chosen successor, and partly as practice for his upcoming role as the village's most important diplomat. Itachi had chosen Shikaku as one of his guards, probably because Shikaku had requested it so he could watch Mayu compete.

Shikaku had somehow gotten Itachi and Tsunade to agree to add Shikamaru to their party. Mayu figured they probably agreed simply because they wanted to intimidate Iwagakure, who was still causing skirmishes on Fire's border frequently. Seeing that the future Rokudaime trusted the chunin son of Nara Shikaku to be in his guard spoke of how strong the next generation was.

Shikamaru slumped at her almost-scolding tone. "Yeah, yeah, I'll behave myself," he grumbled when it became obvious she was waiting for his reply.

"Good!" She said in a now-cheerful voice, and all three of her family members twitched at her rapid mood change. "Then off you go, before you're late, shoo!"

They all escaped out into the morning air, Mayu falling into step between Shikaku and Shikamaru and letting out a large yawn, adjusting the pack on her back filled with gadgets she didn't want to risk sealing, due to their chemical composition. The last thing she needed was to try to use something in a battle that had been rendered inert. After a few minutes of walking, Shikamaru grumbled half-heartedly about the weight of his own pack, filled similarly with supplies that Mayu had begged him to carry.

"Shika, you should do some weight training with Gai-sensei if that little pack is slowing you down," Mayu teased, and he glared at her, not having forgiven her yet for forcing extra work on him. She grabbed his hand and unleashed The Eyes, and he softened. She leaned into him to whisper in his ear. "Aw, such a good boyfriend, carrying my bags for me."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and a pleased expression fell over his face. On Mayu's other side, Shikaku's steps faltered. "Such a good  _what?"_

Mayu blinked over at him. "What, wasn't it obvious? Shika and I are dating now!" she chirped just as they approached the gate.

"Are you," the calm voice of Itachi said from where he was standing with his other guard, a man with brown hair that brushed his shoulders with a senbon in his mouth. Mayu recognized him as the shinobi named Genma that had been on the Danzo takedown team all those years ago. Shikamaru flinched a little when Sakura squealed and Sasuke turned a glare on him.

"Yep!" Mayu said cheerfully, ignoring Itachi's blank-scary face and the way his gaze zoned in on their intertwined hands. She turned and brushed her lips against Shikamaru's cheek, causing him to flush slightly. "Have fun guarding the future Hokage, Shika," she said cheekily before letting go of his hand flouncing over to Sakura, ignoring Shikaku's heartfelt sigh and a strangled noise coming from behind them that could only be her sensei, probably having just arrived. On time, too; keeping Uchiha Itachi waiting wasn't something even her sensei was ready to try just yet. She had faith he'd work up the nerve eventually, though.

Sasuke eyed her apprehensively as she approached, and she forced herself to keep her smile on her face as she greeted her team. "Hi Sasuke, hi Sakura-chan."

"Mayu!" Sakura squealed, grabbing her hands in hers and tugging her close so they could speak in low tones. "When did this happen? Why didn't you  _tell me?"_

Mayu felt a thrill go through her at the chance to talk about her recent change in relationship status, and smiled, glancing over to where Shikamaru was slouched, usual apathetic expression firmly in place, seeming completely unaffected by the dark vibes he was receiving from two different S-ranked nin.

Shikaku was looking at him in exasperation. "Couldn't you have waited until  _after_ the exams," he grumbled, but actually seemed a little pleased with the news.

"Well, I haven't exactly had time, have I?" Mayu whispered.

"Well, you do now! And give me that bag, you look exhausted - when was the last time you slept?" Sakura scolded. Mayu meekly let her take the pack, knowing better than to argue with anything Sakura said in that tone of voice.

"Um...he asked me out three days after we got back, maybe?" Sakura squealed and jumped up and down, not protesting when Sasuke took the bag from her with a huff. Mayu had made them traveling scrolls months ago, so they didn't have any bags of their own.

They were interrupted from further conversation when Itachi signaled to his guard that he was ready to move out. Mayu had to admit they made an intimidating picture. Shikaku was in the standard jounin uniform, as usual, but he was wearing his deer skin vest over the top of it. His face had hardened into a mask, and his eyes were already darting around the area, looking for threats.

Genma looked battle ready as well, though his posture remained sanguine as he clicked the senbon in his mouth against his teeth. Shikamaru was still slouched over, but his hands were no longer in his pockets, and his eyes were focused in his disinterested face. He had taken to wearing a black turtleneck under his green flak jacket and loose black pants with mesh armor peaking out at his ankles and wrists. His hitai-ate was sewn onto his left bicep, and she let her eyes take in his face, which had lost almost all of its childish roundness. With the new clothes, the studs in his ears, and his usual disinterested mein, he looked...attractive. Really attractive.

"Oh," Mayu breathed, cheeks heating a bit, and Sakura nudged her with her elbow.

"Shikamaru looks pretty cool when he's working, huh?" she whispered, and they dissolved into giggles, ignoring the disturbed looks they were receiving from their male team members.

Mayu let herself relax as they took to the trees, keeping close to Sakura. Despite her current hurt feelings she still couldn't help but appreciate her team and knew she'd get over her angst about the apprenticeship. Eventually.

000

They had arrived in Yugakure the evening before the first matches were scheduled to begin. Mayu had caught up on sleep on the trip there, as Itachi hadn't pushed their pace, probably wanting them to arrive fairly fresh and ready to fight, so was feeling energetic. She hadn't exactly given the male members of Team Seven the silent treatment, but she knew she'd been a little awkward around them and was thankful the trip was over.

The three genin were sharing a room again, and Sasuke had sighed when Sakura decided that Mayu's proximity in their shared bed (Sasuke had the second one to himself again) was the perfect chance to get details on her new relationship with Shikamaru.

"So, how did he do it?" she whispered at Mayu, who was admittedly too worked up about her matches the next day to sleep.

"Do what?" She replied, even though she knew exactly what Sakura was talking about. The girl huffed and punched her arm, making her wince.

"You know! How did he ask you out? Was it romantic?" They both ignored Sasuke's scoff from across the room.

Mayu chewed on her lip to keep a smile from breaking out over her face. The truth was, she kind of wanted to tell somebody about it, and Sakura was pretty much the perfect gossip partner. "Well, I had fallen asleep in my lab," she said slowly, and Sakura seemed to be holding her breath next to her. "Shikamaru must have just gotten back from a mission and come to find me. Anyway, he woke me up, and I kind of...smiled at him because I was happy to see him." Mayu paused, blushing a little as she remembered the way he'd stared like he'd never seen anything quite as amazing as her before.

"Then he said, 'You're beautiful,' and kissed me, just like that." Sakura squealed and Sasuke made what sounded like a gagging noise from across the room. They both ignored him.

"Oh my  _god,_ he didn't! What was it like?" Sakura whispered, and Mayu blushed, glad that it was dark in the room.

"It was  _wonderful,"_ she sighed, and Sakura giggled again.

"Anyway, then he just kind of asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes." Mayu finished in a rush, a little embarrassed at how enamored she sounded.

"Oh, I knew you two would be so cute when you finally started dating," Sakura said a little smugly. "What's he like as a boyfriend? I mean, he's a little lazy..."

Mayu shrugged. "I don't know, it's a lot like how it was before we were dating, honestly, except now we kiss sometimes and hold hands more often." Sakura hummed, and Sasuke finally spoke up.

"Could you two please stop. Just. Let's go to sleep," he said in a long-suffering voice that sent them both into a laughing fit.

The next day Mayu pulled Sakura into the bathroom with her an hour before they were scheduled to wake up, a look of wild desperation on her face. "Help me!" she pleaded, motioning to the outfit she'd laid out and a pile of cosmetics and hair accessories that had Sakura's jaw dropping.

"Mayu, what..." Sakura finally said, picking up an article and studying it closely.

"It was my great-grandmother's. Yoshino's grandmother, I mean. I guess it was what the Hashino fighters used to wear. She - she totally manipulated me into wearing it," Mayu hissed. "But I have no idea how she thought I'd be able to  _dress myself,_ I can't even handle a bun. Oh god, I'm doomed!" She moaned dramatically, and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"God, just, here. Let me help you," the girl muttered and Mayu slumped with relief. An hour later Sakura had just finished adding the last twisting ribbon to Mayu's long hair, then stepped back to study her with an inscrutable expression.

Mayu shifted uneasily from her spot on the closed toilet seat, then stood and turned when Sakura motioned for her to do so. "I look ridiculous, don't I?" She squeaked. "I'm going to be the laughing stock of the exams..."

Sakura snorted. "Mayu, you look  _incredible._ No, really, Shikamaru might pass out. You're going to be  _amazing."_ At Mayu's doubt-filled look, she spun the girl to look at herself in the full-length mirror mounted on the door. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed into a little 'o.'

Mayu looked like...well, like a kunoichi. Instead of long pants, she now wore black leather shorts over calf-length mesh armor that showcased her slim but well-muscled legs. She had replaced her old sandals with what Yoshino had called 'ass-kicking boots.' They had a low, square heel and thick sole, and the tough leather ended about an inch lower than the mesh pants on her calves. Over the top of it all was a coat made of a shimmery dark grey material - Hashino Makito's battle coat.

It hugged Mayu's torso down to her hips, making her body look long and lean and giving the impression of a more ample chest than she actually could claim. The sleeves were long, and remained plastered to her arms until midway down her forearm, where they flared out slightly, the front of the sleeve trailing all the way down to her fingertips, which were sporting nails that were painted black, and the inner part of the sleeve ending just at the heel of her hands. She was able to hide a senbon holder on her right wrist, hidden beneath the fabric but easily accessible with a flick of her fingers and wrist. On the other arm was a band with a square box on the inside of her wrist that held explosive tags.

At her hips, the coat flared out, the thick, soft material falling to her ankles. The front of the lower section of her coat was open, revealing her black shorts, mesh pants, and military-like boots. The rest of the skirt was cut into three inch wide sections with slits that started right where her legs met hips and extended all the way to the ground, creating eight strips of fabric that flared and rippled around her as she walked.

Her hair was down, and with Sakura's help was falling to her shoulder blades in neat waves. Woven throughout her hair were curling ribbons in grey and a magenta that contrasted nicely with the color of her blue locks. Each ribbon held a flexible rod of chakra-conducting metal. Mayu had practiced with Gai and Yoshino for hours until it was an almost automatic response to feed chakra into the ribbons and give anybody stupid enough to grab her hair quite a shock.

Her lips had a pink gloss on them that kunoichi favored as it didn't tend to smear, and she had a thick layer of eyeliner around her eyes - green, the same color as Ensui's at Mayu's insistence - that ended in a long curved line at the outer corners of her eyes.

"I cannot go out like this!" Mayu finally wailed.

000

Shikaku stood in the lobby of the hotel to the right and slightly behind Itachi. Genma flanked his other side, and Shikamaru was sauntering in circles around them, eyes lazily scanning the lobby for threats. Asuma and Kurenai were talking quietly a few feet away, while Kiba and Ino complained loudly about the ever-late Team Seven.

Itachi continued to look serene, but Shikaku knew he was probably getting anxious. They were going to be late. Finally, the familiar voice of his daughter reached his ears as the door to the stairwell opened.

"...it will take five minutes,  _at the most,_ just...let me go change...!"

"No way!" Sakura's voice said, and Shikaku raised his eyebrow as the pink-haired girl's back appeared at the door that Kakashi was holding open with an air of suffering. It looked like she was struggling to pull something through the door. "I spent  _an hour_ on this masterpiece this morning! You are going to wear your great-grandmother's battle coat with pride, Nomaka Mayu!" Sakura seemed to be making progress, because she took a full step out of the doorway, straining against what was obviously Mayu, though Shikaku could only catch a glimpse of her past Sakura's form.

Sasuke must have given her a push from behind, because suddenly she popped out of the door with a wail, stumbling forward a few steps into Sakura, who almost went down but somehow managed to keep them both standing.

By now, the whole party (and everyone else in the lobby) was watching the drama unfold with interest. Mayu spun around, what looked like a skirt flaring out around her, ostensibly to run back for the stairwell, but Sasuke grabbed one arm and Kakashi the other, dragging her forcefully backward through the lobby, her feet kicking and dragging as she protested loudly. Shikaku studied her back with a frown. Was she wearing a dress? And why was her hair down? Was this part of the 'secret training' his wife had been cackling about for the last four weeks?

"Mayu-chan, you look fine," Kakashi said to the struggling and pleading girl. Sasuke grunted his agreement, and Sakura nodded.

"Come on, Mayu-chan, it isn't like you to worry about what other people think," Sakura pleaded as they came to a stop in front of Itachi.

Kakashi grabbed her by the shoulders and set her on her feet before not-so-gently turning her to face their contingent while saying "Ta-da!" in an overly cheerful voice.

Shikaku blinked and noticed that everybody had gone silent. He cut his gaze over to his son, and almost snickered at his floored expression, but remembered at the last second that he was supposed to be looking like a fierce Iwa nin killer.

Mayu's arms were crossed over her chest and she had on her most petulant expression, though her cheeks were a deep red. Shikaku took in the shorts, tightly fitted battle overcoat, and makeup and resisted the urge to cover her up with his deer skin vest and take a spit-wetted handkerchief to her face. He was going to kill Yoshino.

Slung crookedly over her hips was her usual blue belt with her carousel on one hip and her tool pouch on the other. He could see through the open front of the coat's slitted skirt that she also had her daggers and kunai strapped onto her thighs over bandages.

Kakashi was carrying what Shikaku recognized as Mayu's large black duffel over one shoulder - probably stuffed with dangerous explosive devices - and Sasuke had Bukimi Junior strapped onto his own back. They had obviously grabbed her things while Sakura took on the task of dragging her down the stairs.

"Mayu-chan," Itachi said in his usual unruffled voice, and Mayu glanced up at him. "You look like a true kunoichi. Very fierce. Walk next to me." And just like that, her shoulders straightened and her eyes brightened, and she was playing with her own fingers bashfully.

"Really, sempai? You think so?" She said shyly, and Shikamaru made low noise in the back of his throat at her suddenly adorable demeanor, causing Genma, who had been watching the show in silent amusement, to snort.

"Yes. Yoshino-san told me about her grandmother once. I'd like to hear more on the way to the tournament if you're willing." And just like that, Mayu was forcefully taking Bukimi Junior from a grumbling Sasuke and skipping up next to Itachi, unconcerned with the way the strips of thick fabric twisted around her legs and drew everybody's eye.

"Well, did you know that mom's family was a group of traveling performers?" she said excitedly, and Shikaku gave in to the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger for just a moment as he saw the way Shikamaru's eyes were glued to the glimpses of mesh-covered leg that could be seen through Mayu's overcoat for a good ten seconds before he remembered himself and went back to scanning their surroundings.

000

Mayu spaced out on most of the speech the proctor of the exam was giving, instead running her eyes over the indoor arena that the tournament would be taking place in. Since there were so many matches to get through, they'd be doing two matches at once for round one. The large arena had been halved by a large earth wall, and Mayu took in the seals placed liberally across it and the high outer wall surrounding the large oval-shaped space.

The proctor had already explained that the seals kept jutsu and explosions from leaking out of the arena, keeping spectators safe and the competitors from having to worry about collateral damage. Perfect.

Rising above the wall was the spectator stands, going up about twenty levels and spanning almost the entire length of the arena. It was impressive, and Mayu was a little surprised that Hot Water even had such a huge space until Genma had explained to them in a whispered voice that it was built many generations ago. Hot Water hadn't always been full of pacifists and used to host huge gladiatorial-like tournaments that tourists would come from all over to see.

"We will first hold a preliminary round between Yamanaka Ino of Konoha and Sai of Konoha." The proctor stood patiently as a confident Ino and blank-as-always Sai made their way down a set of stairs from the seating area the chunin hopefuls been assigned. All of the villages who had competitors make it into the final round were seated in a cordoned off section right above the wall in the middle of the arena. Two sets of stairs led down to the arena, one on the right, and one on the left.

Mayu watched closely as the match began. It was obvious who would win from the start, but Sai was obviously holding back. Despite that, Mayu leaned forward to watch his fighting style eagerly. "Woah," she whispered as huge ink animals leapt from the scroll he was drawing on so quickly on that his hands were a blur.

Ino moved through taking them out quickly, and Mayu noticed that either one good solid hit or the pierce of a kunai caused the animals to explode in a shower of ink.

Ino threw four kunai, and Mayu barely caught the glint of ninja wire on them. She blinked as she recognized the trap Ino was weaving as she initiated a quick but brutal taijutsu session with Sai as one of Shikamaru's. He must have helped her with strategy. Mayu carefully took in the way Sai utilized economy of movement in his taijutsu style.

Every dodge went only as far as he needed to avoid Ino's rapid-fire kicks and punches. Her fists would barely miss him, as far as Mayu could tell, leaving not even half an inch between their skin. When he struck out at her, he used only as much power as he needed, turning her own momentum against her as much as he relied upon his own. His body seemed to flow through its movements, and Mayu couldn't help but feel impressed.

Finally, Ino was forced back several feet by a rough kick to her abdomen. When she skidded to a halt, loose dirt flying up behind her, she looked smug, and Mayu realized she was going to spring her trap. "She's going to lose," Mayu muttered to Sakura and Sasuke. Kakashi hummed behind her in agreement.

"Why do you say that?" Sakura asked, and Mayu shrugged.

"Just watch."

Ino put a foot on one of the wires strewn on the ground and held her hands out palm-first away from her body. "Mind Body Switch Technique!" she called, and for a moment Sai stiffened in front of her...and then burst into globs of ink.

"He switched out with a clone like three minutes ago," Mayu muttered as Sai appeared behind her and put a kunai to her jugular. Ino slumped.

"Forfeit," she muttered.

"She could still make chunin," Kakashi muttered from behind them. "That was a good round - they did an admirable job of showcasing each other's talents."

Mayu just nodded, then stiffened as the next two rounds appeared on the board above them.  _Hyuuga Hinata from Konoha vs. Hatoya Akinari from Kumo,_ and  _Nomaka Mayu from Konoha vs. Faruma Yato from Kusa._

"Kick his ass, Hinata!" Mayu said cheerfully as she hefted Bukimi onto her back.

"Y-you too, Mayu-chan," she stuttered.

"Good luck," Sasuke said, and his lip was quirked up on the side.

"Right! Show him what a Konoha kunoichi can  _really_ do, Mayu-chan," Sakura said with a glint in her eye.

Before she could stop herself, her eyes drifted to Kakashi, who was slumped over with his hands in his pockets, and he gave her a genuine eye smile. "See you after you win, Mayu-chan." Her heart swelled at his unwavering surety that she would win, despite their interpersonal issues at the moment, and with a determined nod, she turned and bounced down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

When she got to the arena, her opponent was already there. He was a gorgeous and delicate looking boy with pale skin and black eyes and long dark blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. He didn't have any weapons on him that she could see, and held himself with a quiet surety that spoke of actual talent. Mayu bounced up on her toes and gave him a wave, suddenly looking forward to this fight.

He inclined his head, and she thought she saw a small smile flit across his face. Then the proctor told them to begin.

000

Shikaku resisted the urge to tap his foot or do anything except look menacing from his place behind Itachi's chair. They were seated directly across the arena from the competitors, and so had a good view of all the fights. He'd grimaced a little at Ino's defeat, but hadn't been surprised. Sai was a formidable opponent, considering he'd been practically raised in ANBU.

Then Mayu's name had come up, and he found himself leaning forward a bit to make sure he'd have a good view. Shikamaru, who had taken the front position, was also looking forward in interest. Genma was perched above them somewhere, keeping an eye out for threats.

Shikaku wanted to grin at how excitedly Mayu burst out of the stairwell and into the arena. She took in her opponent and must have liked what she saw because she bounced on her feet and waved at him. Shikaku was pretty sure she had no idea that the kid was the leader of Grass' firstborn.

Shikaku knew that those who didn't interact with his daughter expected an average performance from her. They assumed she was an average ninja, student of Hatake Kakashi and ward of Nara Shikaku notwithstanding. After all, she's purposely kept her performance mediocre at the Academy, and it was easy to overlook the girl on a team with Uchiha Sasuke and Konoha's jinchuuriki, and later the Hokage's apprentice. They were about to discover how wrong they were.

Barely moments after the proctor told them to begin, Yato was sending a stream of water racing towards her. She twisted to the side and leaned back, a move that should have overbalanced her with her huge armored spider weighing her down, but there was something to be said for Gai's training methods. The water sailed harmlessly past her.

When he followed up with hundreds of tiny water needles, she leaned all the way back, springing off her hands and twisting around the projectiles in the air. Her hair and coat fanned out around her, and Shikaku was suddenly struck by how graceful she looked. He was used to his cute little daughter getting overly excited or distracted by something and falling over her own feet or running into doorways. But as he watched her land lightly into a crouch and then do two handspring backflips to avoid some kunai, he had to reconsider.

She must have decided she was done playing because she beamed an excited smile at a slightly-disturbed looking Yato, and flipped her hands up and back in a motion Shikaku recognized easily. "Meet Bukimi Junior!" she chirped as the large armored spider sprung from the platform on her back, spinning over her head and landing in front of her in an explosion of dust, crouched down low and generally looking menacing, especially in comparison to the innocently beaming girl standing behind him.

Chiyo, the Suna representative, made an undignified noise from the other side of the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. "A Konoha Puppeteer? Ridiculous!" she huffed, fuming.

"Ah, yes, Nomaka-san has been working on puppetry since she was very young. She's quite talented. I believe young Yato-san will find her a difficult opponent." Itachi spoke serenely, but Shikaku knew him well enough that he could read the amusement he was feeling.

"Bah," Farumo Yatoma said, sounding more interested than upset. "My son is not such an easy opponent, either."

In the face of a giant armored spider, the Farumo heir looked a little ruffled. "Puppet Technique: Rolling Thunder!" Mayu called, and Yato's eyes widened slightly as Bukimi suddenly pushed forward, tucking its head and legs in securely before going into a roll that was so fast it only looked like a blurred ball, kicking up earth and causing a slight rumble in the ground.

Yato dove out of the way and was besieged by a hail of senbon flying out of the still-rolling Bukimi on one side and a glass vial from the front, thrown by Mayu, who was now racing across the other side of the arena. Bukimi sprang out of his roll, his eight legs spread before him, and landed next to Mayu in his rest position.

She quickly moved through hand signs as Yato struggled to change his trajectory for landing - right where the glass vial had broken against the ground and burst into cheerful blue flames.

"Fire Release: Fire Bullets!" Shikaku had to admit he was impressed with Yato when he managed to avoid the flames on the ground and send out a strong stream of water that doused Mayu's fire bullets before they reached him.

"Hey, you're really good!" his daughter said even as she raced towards the boy.

"...You are also an acceptable opponent." Shikamaru huffed as he realized what Shikaku had - Mayu was flirting in her own strange way. Ridiculous girl, she probably didn't even realize it. He did not envy Mayu when his son caught up with her - he was a little too much like Yoshino sometimes, for all that he didn't yell.

Yato made a few hand signs and muttered something Shikaku couldn't hear, and Mayu and Bukimi were forced to leap to the side, Bukimi going one way and Mayu going the other as a veritable explosion of water raced towards them. Shikaku had to admit they made a creepy kind of symmetry as Bukimi's legs spread out around him in a strange parody of Mayu's whirling coat. They both landed lightly, and Mayu sent kunai with explosive tags attached at Yato while Bukimi sent another volley of senbon.

Yato blocked the senbon with a kunai and leapt up and away from the explosion Mayu set off mere feet from him. The village representatives were leaning forward in their seats, entranced. On the other side of the wall Hinata had just finished trouncing the Kumo nin, much to the obvious displeasure of A, who was sitting on the opposite side of the platform from Itachi, so everybody's full attention was now on Mayu as she took Yato's leap towards Bukimi as an opportunity. Shikaku took a moment to appreciate the irony of Hinata destroying one of the genin representing the son of the man responsible for her kidnapping and the death of her uncle.

Most people assumed Shikaku hated Iwa, but that wasn't actually true. He found them annoying, mostly. But he despised Cloud, or at least its leadership. Hizashi had been a friend of his, after all. A was a bit better than his father, but not by much.

His attention was pulled back to the match when Mayu yelled "Puppet Technique: Bladed Volley!" Bukimi raised up on his hind legs and held out now-bladed front legs menacingly. Shikaku raised an eyebrow as even the puppet's sharp fangs elongated. Then Bukimi was blurring forward, bladed legs pistoning forward in jabbing motions too fast too follow.

Yato barely twisted out of the way, and Bukimi sailed past him before spinning around, his momentum causing clumps of dirt to fly up around him. Then he crouched down, ready to attack but not moving, and Shikaku darted his eyes to Mayu, who had a self-satisfied expression on her face that was too familiar.

"She's got him," Shikamaru muttered, but didn't clarify when the Grass and Suna contingent looked at him curiously.

Then Shikaku was giving into his urge to pinch the bridge of his nose as Mayu cackled and began lobbing explosive devices at a still-recovering Yato. Her little beetles flew through the air on the ends of her threads, landing at his feet before detonating spectacularly, sending him sailing back a few feet. He again landed on his feet, but barely, and she tossed two grenades and a Mayu Cocktail at him, cheering at the loud explosion that resulted.

It was obvious she was herding him towards Bukimi, who was skittering forward, and Shikaku realized - "She's controlling him with one hand." Chiyo narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, but didn't say anything.

Shikamaru smiled his smuggest smile. "Yeah. She's amazing," he said softly.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at his son, but he didn't seem to notice as he watched Mayu send two more beetles at Yato, who jumped to the side - right where she had three smoke bombs waiting. The area erupted into plumes of multi-colored smoke, covering Mayu, Bukimi, and the poor sod from Grass.

The arena went silent as they waited for the smoke to clear. Yatoma remained sitting calmly in his chair, and Shikaku wished not for the first time that Grass nin weren't so hard to read. Finally, they could make out slight silhouettes and Shikaku squinted as they became clearer, then he had to work hard not to chuckle.

Yato was standing stiffly, eyes wide, not daring to move. Perched on his back, six legs wrapped firmly around the uncomfortable genin, was Bukimi Junior. One leg was bent at the joint and had its blade extended, which was resting against Yato's throat. Another leg, the third down on the other side, also had a blade extended, with the tip pressed firmly to his side. Shikaku knew that if Mayu decided to sink the blade into the flesh deeply enough, it would hit the kid's kidney. Yato must have realized that, too, because he closed his eyes and sighed.

"I forfeit," he said, and when he opened his eyes again his face was blank. Mayu looked expectantly over at the proctor, who nodded.

"Winner: Nomaka Mayu."

"Yay!" His daughter held her arms up in victory, and he could hear the Konoha contingent cheering loudly. The rest of the stadium still seemed shocked into silence. Not an abnormal reaction to his daughter.

She turned towards the box where the representatives were sitting and beamed, then cupped her hands to her mouth. "Papa! Shika! Did you see?" She bounced up on the balls of her feet in excitement, and Shikaku let a lazy grin come over his face as Itachi let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

"Shikaku-san..." he intoned, and Shikaku bowed, then moved to the railing and out of the shadows where Mayu could see him. She brightened and waved.

"Mayu-chan, good job. Now let the nice Grass-nin go, please," he drawled, and a ripple of laughter spread across the seating area of the arena. It wasn't very full - most people were interested in the later brackets - but there were enough people that when they started to cheer, it was still pretty loud.

Mayu looked up in surprise from where she had turned to remove Bukimi from a bemused Yato's person and squirmed uncomfortably before giving a shy smile.

Bukimi Junior skittered across the ground then climbed up her back before clicking into place on his platform. Mayu headed for the stairs with a now-calm Yato, chattering at him and tugging on his arm. Shikamaru was trying and failing not to glower.

Itachi was leaning back in that self-satisfied way that all Uchiha probably had lessons in from a young age. "Your daughter is quite formidable, Shikaku-san," he said neutrally, "Though Yato did give her a good match. We have many strong genin here today. It speaks well for the future of our countries." A surprised pause, and then murmurs of agreement. They must have expected more gloating since Konoha genin had both just beaten their opponents in the first two rounds.

"I thought she was your ward," The Tsuchikage's niece said, and Shikaku glanced at her but waited pointedly for Itachi's head tilt indicating it was okay before he spoke.

"Legally, yes. But my wife and I consider her our daughter." He glanced at the annoyed-looking woman and knew she was thinking about the six Iwa genin his daughter's team had sent back in slings. Apparently, Mayu was holding a grudge over his injuries from his last diplomatic mission. She was so adorable.

"She's a vicious little thing," the woman finally settled on, and Shikaku gave her a sharp grin.

"Like father, like daughter," he said smugly, and Shikamaru snorted.

"I'm pretty sure she learned that side of her personality from mom," he grumbled, and to his surprise, it was Farumo Yatoma who chuckled in response. He must also be a member of the club of men who had terrifying wives.

000

Mayu waved goodbye to Yato when they reached the top of the stairs, and he blinked at her twice before giving a small quirk of his lips and returning it.

"Good job, Mayu-chan," Kakashi said but didn't try to pat her head. She was both relieved and disappointed.

"Man, Mayu, you really showed him," Kiba said, impressed. "I had no idea you could do all that stuff with your puppet." She preened a little at the praise, then turned to Hinata and studied her.

"Ha! You won - I knew you would. Man, I hope every one of those Kumo jerks gets their ass kicked," she said, eyes narrowed as Hinata stuttered a thanks and congratulations on her own win.

Any further conversation was cut off as the next contestants were called. Gaara was up for his match against Yato's teammate - no big mystery who would win there - and - Mayu squealed and clapped as  _Haruno Sakura of Konoha vs. Jaruno Daichi of Kumo_ appeared on the board.

Sakura grinned and pulled on her gloves before high fiving Mayu. She accepted Sasuke's and Kakashi's wishes of good luck with barely a wave, mind already on the fight, and cracked her knuckles before heading down into the arena. "This is going to be so good," Mayu breathed, bouncing excitedly. Kakashi hummed his agreement and Sasuke grunted.

"That guy's pretty big," Ino said, hands on her hips even as she edged closer to Sasuke. "Forehead can't have gotten that good since last I saw her."

Mayu turned disbelieving eyes on the blonde girl. "She's the apprentice of the Godaime and student of Hatake Kakashi. Not to mention she's a member of  _my_ team." Mayu sniffed and turned back to where the four contestants were facing each other. "Just because you haven't improved much doesn't mean she hasn't," she grumbled. Just when she thought Ino was okay, the girl insisted on  _talking._

Mayu ignored Ino's blustering from behind her in favor of listening in as Daichi started taunting Sakura. "...it's almost an insult that they even expect me to fight the weakling female teammate of Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura just responded with a sweet smile, and Daichi scowled. "Fine. I'll take you out with a single jutsu, and you won't be smiling anymore. There isn't any  _Sasuke-kun_ out here to protect you, after all."

Mayu winced as the vein in Sakura's temple throbbed. "Don't kill him all the way, Sakura! Only most of the way!" she yelled. Otherwise, Sakura would be subjected to Naruto's sad eyes when he got back. Possibly a fate worse than death. Sakura sighed explosively but nodded.

Daichi moved rapidly through a series of hand signs, and Sakura smirked and went through some of her own. She slapped a hand on the ground just as Daichi sent a streak of lightning at her - "Your lightning jutsu is much more intimidating, Sasuke," Mayu whispered to him, then cheered as a wall of earth popped up in front of her teammate to block the attack. So that's what Kakashi had been working on with her this month.

Daichi scowled, and raced across the arena, coming to a stop in front of Sakura just as the wall fell. Her eyes widened as he sent a strong punch at her jaw - and then she disappeared in a crumble of earth as it connected. It was Daichi's turn to look surprised, and Mayu laughed a little too evilly as real-Sakura popped out of the ground behind him.

"Shannaro!" Her fist connected with his back, and he flew forward and hit the earth wall separating the two arenas with such force that it shuddered. Sakura flitted to his side as he struggled to stand up, dazed, and picked him up with two firm handfuls in the back of his shirt. With a feral grin, she tossed him in the air a bit, spun around, and honest-to-goodness punted him across the arena with a kick to his ribs. He slammed into the wall on the opposite side and slid down it into a crumpled heap, and didn't get back up.

Another stunned silence, then the proctor cleared his throat. "Winner: Haruno Sakura."

Ino was gaping in shock, and Mayu sent her a smug look even as she cheered for Sakura. "Yeah, who's the helpless little girl now!" she yelled, and Kiba laughed next to her, giving her a high five as they both ignored his sensei's scolding.

Mayu gave a cheeky wave to the remaining member of the Kumo team, who swallowed and looked away. That was when she remembered that he was slated to go up against Shino. Mayu frowned and glanced at the boy, but he looked the same as he always did. Mayu hoped he'd be on board with the humiliate Kumo plan.

"I will not allow him to win. Why? Because his teammate insulted Hinata before their match." Mayu jumped, and sent him an impressed look - he had read her thoughts well.

Gaara had already beaten the Grass nin - it had been over almost as quickly as Sakura's round. Mayu had a feeling it would have ended sooner, but Gaara had been trying not to humiliate his opponent. Cute.

The next rounds popped up on the boards, and Mayu sent Kiba a smile as he went down to face Kankuro, Gaara's sibling. Sai was up against a member of the Iwa team, and Mayu scowled in annoyance. She'd have to watch Sai closely since she had a feeling he'd be her next opponent, but she wanted to cheer Kiba on. These double matches were troublesome.

Mayu cheered for Kiba as he and Akamaru sauntered into the arena, and Ino did the same for Sai. No hard feelings about the defeat, then. Well, Shikamaru was always telling her that Ino wasn't a bad teammate once you got past her annoying ranting and lack of filter.

Mayu watched carefully as Sai sent six ink animals - a snake, three large cats, a dog, and...an elephant? - at him. Mayu was reluctantly impressed when the Iwa nin took them all out with an Earth Release that involved him going into a spin and sending dozens of Earth Bullets out in a 365-degree angle.

"Sensei, you have to teach me that," Sakura muttered, and Kakashi hummed his agreement. Sai seemed unperturbed with the loss of his ink animals, and instead drew the tanto secured to his back, which he hadn't worn in his fight against Ino. It was over quickly after that. Sai easily dodged the ninjutsu his opponent sent his way - mostly C-ranked, with a few B-ranked thrown in - and engaged him with kenjutsu. Fifteen seconds later he had sunk his tanto into the nin's shoulder, and surprised laughter burst out of Mayu before she could stop it. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

She turned her attention to Kiba's fight and winced. Kankuro's puppets were a bad match for him - it meant that Kankuro had a way to counteract their partner-based attacks. He was also fast and kept avoiding Kiba's fang over fang attacks. Mayu watched in fascination as Kankuro elegantly controlled his humanoid puppet (boring) and finally took out Kiba with poison.

The next two rounds were called, and Sasuke mumbled a  _finally_ before he followed Temari down the steps. Mayu perked up - this was the girl Shikamaru had lost against in the last chunin exams. She scowled a little as she was reminded how pretty she was. Did Shikamaru notice it, too? She forced her thoughts away from that path, knowing from experience that it wouldn't lead anywhere good.

She glanced across the arena, and could just make out what she was pretty sure was his slouched figure. Her eyes glazed a little as she thought about his soft kisses and -

"Begin." Mayu brought her attention back to the fight, and couldn't help the low whistle of appreciation at Temari's impressive gale of wind that she sent Sasuke's way with her huge battle fan. Sasuke dodged, and Mayu's eyebrows raised as they dropped into a battle of ninjutsu. Sasuke sent lightning blazing her way, and she barely dodged it by jumping on her fan and rising above the ground before sending a small tornado at him. He responded with a great fireball, which she blew back at him. When the flame cleared, he was gone, and Temari hopped to the ground, battle fan at the ready.

He appeared behind her, moving so quickly he was difficult to follow with the naked eye. His eyes were still black as they engaged in a short but brutal taijutsu match before disengaging, Temari now with an arm hanging limply at her side - smart, he disabled her ability to use some of her more powerful moves with her fan that way - and him looking mostly unharmed.

Mayu smirked when he started throwing kunai with ninja wire attached while she sent wind blade after wind blade soaring towards him. Finally, he came to a stop, Sharingan still not activated, and Mayu realized he was making a point -  _I don't need the Sharingan to be a powerful Konoha nin_ \- and then she was clapping as he sent the last piece of his trap soaring towards his opponent, using the wire shooters Mayu had made him. He breathed fire down the length, and there were gasps and cheers from the crowd as lines of flame emerged along the wire he'd spent the last five minutes putting down on the ground in a crisscrossing pattern. Temari's eyes widened, and she attempted to jump out of the way, but with a tug on the wires still attached to his wrist, the whole net sprang up to encircle her.

She let out a cry as the flames closest to her burned her leg, but Sasuke had stopped feeding chakra into the wire just before the fire reached her otherwise. He was now giving her an expectant look.

With a sigh, she humphed, but snapped "I forfeit."

Shino had already won against his now white-faced and chakra-depleted opponent and had returned looking unruffled. Mayu realized with a start that he was kind of awesome. Sasuke returned to stand next to them, allowing Sakura to fuss over a deep cut in his arm and heal it.

Mayu watched as a huge Iwa nin that could turn his skin to stone decimated Yato's last teammate with a wince, and cheered as Chouji flattened the last member of the Iwa team.

The proctor that had monitored Mayu's fight stepped forward. "This concludes round one of the chunin exams tournament. We will reconvene in an hour for round two. Please make note of your bracket number. Note that the winner of bracket four will be fighting against the winner of bracket five to decide who will move on to round three. Thank you."

Mayu looked over at Sai when she saw that they were in bracket one together. Good thing she already mostly had a strategy in place.

Sakura was fighting against the rock nin that had won against the member of Yato's team after Mayu's fight. Sasuke and Hinata were in bracket three, with Gaara and Kankuro in four. Shino and Chouji were slated against each other in bracket five, which meant one of them would have to fight Gaara to move on.

The Konoha nin had decided to stay put for lunch, Asuma and Kurenai volunteering to procure food and bring it back. Mayu set to work, unsealing a small pack that resembled the one she used to carry the beetle twins in, and then sealing Bukimi into it and latching it back into the carousel.

"What's this, then?" Kakashi said in a soft voice, and Sasuke and Sakura leaned in with interest.

"I think I'll use my Little Terrors for this next round," she said softly, and Kakashi, who had actually been the one to name them after a rather traumatizing survival exercise, shuddered.

She snorted, then zipped open her large duffle and started rifling through it, ignoring the way her team leaned away from the deadly arsenal. She tugged on the gloves Sasuke had given her for her birthday and returned his small smile. Then she refilled her tool and kunai pouch and sat down to stretch.

"Mayu-san." She looked up to see Sai smiling creepily down at her. "I look forward to our match."

She studied him and decided he was telling the truth, even if he was a little creepy. "Me, too," she said with a grin. With a nod, he wandered back over to Chouji and Ino.

"Mayu," Shikamaru said, interrupting her a second time, and she sat up quickly from where she'd been bending over her leg and scrambled to her feet.

"Shika! I didn't think you'd get a chance to come over!" She pounced on him, and he  _oofed_ and staggered back a step before gently pushing her away by her hips.

"Itachi only needed two guards for lunch." She studied his face, the way we was looking off to the side and holding himself stiffly, and realized he was pouting about something. So cute, but whatever it was she didn't want him to brood on it. Nara men were master brooders when they wanted to be.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'll be right back!" She said, then grabbed a protesting Shikamaru's hand and pulled him out into the hallway. She nibbled her lip before tugging him away from the crowds and into a small doorway that mostly hid them from sight. She turned to him and put her arms around his neck as she leaned against the wall. After a moment of hesitation, he rested his hands on her hips. She leaned forward and pushed her nose under his chin.

"What's wrong?" she whispered and didn't miss the way he shivered as her breath hit his throat.

"Nothing," he muttered a little petulantly, and she pulled back to look up at him.

"Do you not like the new outfit?" Mayu asked as it was the only thing she could think of. "Did I embarrass you?" he looked at her like she was an idiot for a moment, and she squirmed. Suddenly, his face darkened, and he leaned his weight against her, placing one hand on the wall next to her head and pressing her against the brick. She swallowed, feeling her cheeks heat at his intense look.

"You look gorgeous in it," he said, and gently pressed his lips to hers in contradiction to his tone and expression. Mayu dazedly sent Sakura her thanks for forcing her to wear the thing to the exams.

When he pulled back she sucked in air and ran her hands up into his hair, not caring that she was mussing it. "Then what is it?" she whispered, glancing up at him from under her lashes in a way that she had discovered in the last month made him a little stupid and a lot compliant.

He stared down at her for a moment before visibly shaking himself and looking off to the side. "You were flirting with that Grass nin," he grumbled, and for a moment she just stared at him.

"I - what?" she finally asked, running her interactions with Yato for anything resembling flirting through her mind and coming up blank.

"You were," he said, and slumped, and she bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"Shikamaru," she whispered, then leaned forward to press her lips to his jaw. "If I was, I didn't mean to. I was just having fun fighting him, that's all." He still kept his head turned away from her, and she sighed in fond exasperation.

Mayu plastered her body against him and nuzzled her face into his neck. "You have to know there's nobody else for me," she muttered. He shuddered, and his hands tightened on her hips. "Nobody else can compare with my Shika," she said and knew she had him when he pulled back and turned his head so he could press his lips against hers.

When they returned ten minutes later, hand in hand, lunch had arrived, and Shikamaru was looking smug, though Mayu was sure he didn't realize that his hair was uncharacteristically messy and his lips were a little swollen. He also had a tiny bit of pink gloss on his neck. She must not have looked much better, because Kakashi made a high-pitched whining noise in his throat and Sakura gave Mayu a thumb's up.

Ino and Chouji were gaping at Shikamaru, and Asuma only raised an eyebrow at him. "Shikamaru and I are dating now if you hadn't noticed," Mayu said a little smugly, and he put a possessive arm around her and led her to the food, sitting down behind her so she could lean against him. Sasuke sighed and passed her a sandwich, probably trying to forget the conversation he'd overheard between Mayu and Sakura the night before.

"I've got to go," Shikamaru said a few minutes later, and brushed his lips against her temple. "You were incredible in your last round. I would wish you luck, but you don't need it." He smirked as she blushed, and stood.

Chouji and Ino were staring them down, both looking equally disapproving, though Mayu had no earthly idea what the Akimichi's problem was. What was wrong with Shikamaru dating her? Other than her tendency to make other people cry, the way she disappeared into her lab for days at a time, or how she tended to give Shikamaru the silent treatment when he upset her...huh, maybe Chouji had a point.

Oh well, she wasn't going to give up Shikamaru for anything, disapproving friends or not. She sent her sweetest smile their way, and Ino glared and opened her mouth to say something, but then the proctor was announcing her match with Sai and she was breezing past them. The earth wall had been somehow removed from the middle of the arena - probably while she was with Shikamaru out in the hallway - and she internally cheered. Her plan involved the need for space. Lots of it. It was time to show off her Deadly Dance of Puppets that she and Shikamaru had been working on for months - almost a full year now - when they had the time.

Sai followed her serenely, and they stood across from each other in the middle of the arena, the proctor standing between them and off to the side. Mayu flexed her fingers, noting absently that the arena seemed to have filled after lunch - before it was barely a quarter full, now it was crowded with people.

"Begin." Mayu dashed to the side, sending her chakra threads to unzip her pack and pull out six round beetles made from metal that was about the size of her palm. They were pretty adorable with their bobbing antennae and fat little bodies and fluttery, tiny wings.

Sai was already drawing on that scroll of his, and her eyes widened when she saw how many foes he was sending her way. She counted eight and swallowed her trepidation as the ground trembled beneath her with the force of the six large lion's steps. Two snakes slithered behind them on the ground.

Mayu reached the wall, her Tiny Terrors fluttering around her head (they were so cute, seriously), and she ran up the side of it four paces before pushing off into a spin, body parallel to the ground and beetles swinging around her form. A burst of chakra down the six threads, and with a click each of them released two deadly looking round blades on either side of their bodies that spun with a high combined whine that filled the hushed arena.

The lions dove at her, and she directed her Tiny Terrors into their hides, causing them to explode in a shower of ink. She made a face as it spattered on her jacket and hair, and cringed a little as she imagined Yoshino's reaction. Sai was going down just for that.

She landed on the balls of her feet, allowing her momentum to continue to spin her on one foot as she crouched, the other coming out and landing a solid kick on the nose of a snake that had gotten too close. The second snake met its end when one of the Terrors dive bombed at him, and she pushed up into a backflip before the ink could hit her face, landing with her feet on the wall again and sticking there for a moment while she absorbed the situation. She let out a little meep as she saw a pack of large dogs running at her, and took a moment to locate Sai, still drawing frantically where she'd left him.

Mayu scowled even as she turned on her heel and took off running along the length of the wall. If he thought she would just stay on the defensive the whole time, he had another think coming. Extending another chakra thread from her pointer finger - she was only using one each for her beetles - she jumped high into the air, soaring over the heads of the pack of dogs, the sections of her coat pinwheeling, hair and ribbons smacking her in the face (and wasn't that annoying?) and flicked a beetle towards Sai. Her eyes widened when she saw two deadly-looking hawks that were closer to the size of a goose emerge from his scroll.

Even as she stuck the beetle to it successfully and pushed chakra into the device as he attempted to flick it off, she twisted in the air to face the hawks, four of her Terrors zipping at them, blades spinning menacingly. One hawk went down easily, having been flanked by two of her beetles, which were now covered in a layer of ink. The other, however, swerved around his attackers, and she brought an arm up to block the talons that were aimed at her face.

Her arm reverberated with the force of the hit, and she heard fabric rip as it dug its sharp talons into her, but the mesh sewn into the coat kept them from piercing into her. Mayu hit the ground hard on her back, skidding across the floor of the arena and sending dirt flying around her. The air whooshed out of her, but it was a familiar sensation after sparring with Lee and Sasuke and Sakura so many times, and she was able to roll back over her shoulder and spring to her feet, smashing and dispersing the stupid bird against the ground as she did so.

Mayu hadn't lost her grip on her puppets, thanks to Sasuke's intense training sessions, which was good, since the pack of - ten? - dogs were almost upon her. She went into a fast spin, adding chakra to the force of it, and flung her arms out, her Tiny Terrors forming a staggered spinning ring of bladed guards around her. When the ink dogs flung themselves forward, they inevitably were met with glinting blades, and it was almost like slamming into a wall as five of them dispersed in messy splashes.

Mayu came to a stop, a wave of dirt flying up into the air and her hair and coat spanning out before wrapping around her as she went into a crouch and pushed the side of her foot firmly into the earth to stop her momentum. Two ink dogs went up in blue flames before she stood from a vial of Mayu Cocktail she had thrown at them. Another two were taken down by her beetles diving at them from above.

Distracted as she scanned the arena for their master - she'd heard the explosion go, she knew she'd at least gotten his scroll - she was bowled over by the last ink animal and clenched her teeth as it gripped her forearm - the same one already bruised by the hawk - in its teeth.

And for an ink animal, the thing had a strong grip. She unsheathed her dagger with the opposite arm and buried it in the thing's stomach. "Ugh," she said as she was covered in sticky black ink.

Motion from the corner of her eye had her flipping back to her feet, her still-unsheathed dagger coming up in time to block the tanto heading for her torso. "You seem to have gotten a little dirty," Sai said mildly, and Mayu surprised him by laughing.

"Eh, a little mess never hurt anybody." Then two smoke bombs - a pink and a green - went off, cutting off visibility, and Mayu ducked and spun around him, doing a somersault to exit the area. She then leaped straight into the air, using the few seconds to put her beetles back into her pack and close it.

"Thanks, guys," she muttered, and landed lightly on her feet on the other side of the smoke cloud, raising an eyebrow as Sai stepped out. Energy raced up her spine, even as she pulled air into her burning lungs and pushed the pain radiating from her arm to the back of her mind. It wasn't broken, and that was all that mattered.

She tilted her head to the side, then spun lightly on her feet towards him, enjoying the way the sections in her coat spun around her. Sai's eyes widened, obviously not expecting her to initiate a taijutsu battle, but he easily blocked her kick and parried with a punch that she dodged - barely. Mayu followed up with a series of punches and kicks that he seemed to almost slither around. It was annoying, as she could just barely feel the passing of her fist as he moved only enough to avoid being hit.

Of course, this was part of the plan. Sai landed a punch to her stomach - and wasn't she glad for the thick material of her coat - and she  _oofed_ but parried, watching closely as he spun to the side, allowing her fist to pass right by the bare skin. With a fierce grin of satisfaction, she turned her fist so the knuckles were facing his very impressive abs, and hit the latch that released the blades on her knuckles with her thumb.

Mayu would have crowed in delight when the sharp ends dragged across his skin as her punch went past him, but her moment of focus cost her. His leg snapped up in a perfectly executed kick that sent her sailing ten feet away. She twisted in the air, fumbling a bit on the landing as her legs tangled in her coat (okay, so she was still working on getting used to it), and dirt flying around her. She sputtered a little as her hair swung around and slapped her in the face, but recovered quickly.

For a long moment, they stared each other down, Sai glancing at the thin line of blood trickling down his stomach before reaching into his shirt and pulling out another scroll and brush. Well, that was a weird place for a man to store things.

"Ah, I guess you had an extra," she said with a pout, and he inclined his head.

"Of course." Mayu let a slow grin come over her face. At this point, her plan would either work, or it wouldn't. She may as well partake in a little  _showmanship_ while she waited. She reached down and pulled her daggers from their sheaths.

"Okay. Let's see what you've got." He smiled back - this one small but more genuine than his other smiles, and with a flick of his wrist opened the scroll.

Mayu tensed and went into the ready position, one foot out in front of her, balanced on the balls of her feet, daggers up and in front of her, one arm held straight and the other bent at the elbow. Sai put his brush to paper, and animals began to flow out of it and rush towards her. One deep breath and Mayu leapt into action, vaguely aware of hearing a collective intake of breath and gasps of surprise from the crowd as she fed elemental chakra into her daggers and they lit with flame.

For the next sixty seconds, she flipped, spun, and slashed, knowing from watching Yoshino exactly what kind of sight she made. Her coat and hair flared around her and she pushed her body into the most acrobatic contortions she could manage without setting herself on fire - that would be embarrassing. Ink flew around her, covering the ground in spatters that looked almost artistic. Her brain was completely focused on keeping the animals from getting ahold of her, and adrenaline pumped through her, making her blood sing.

Mayu bent her body backward, hair brushing the ground as a large lion soared over her, only missing her by inches. Without missing a beat she twisted into a spin parallel to the ground, knives flashing and cutting down/burning two bucks that flanked her and tried to impale her with their horns.

Finally, when the countdown in her brain reached sixty seconds, she found herself crouched on the ground, staring down another pack of dogs. She wouldn't be able to take them all with her knives. She quickly sheathed them after dousing the flames, chest heaving with exertion, and started extending her chakra threads, getting ready to make use of her explosive tags. Then, just like that, the dogs melted into puddles of ink.

Mayu's eyes darted over to Sai, who was on his knees, swaying. He looked at her. "Poison on the blades of your gloves?" he said in a surprisingly clear voice, and she inclined her head. He gave her his large fake smile. "I forfeit," he said, then fell forward into unconsciousness. Mayu's shoulders slumped and she swayed but stayed on her feet. A displacement of air, and Kakashi appeared at her side, sending her a smile that she returned with one of her own.

"Good job, Mayu-chan," he said, then swung her onto his back, ignoring her protests.

"Wait!" she said, then reached into her pouch and pulled out a small vial.

"Ino!" she called, and the girl looked up from where she was kneeling at Sai's side, face pinched in worry. "It's just a slow acting sedative - it's not fatal." she tossed the vial to her, and she caught it easily. "The antidote," she explained, then waved goodbye as Kakashi raced up the wall and into their sitting area.

When she got there, she tried to wave off her hovering team, but Sakura forced her out of her coat so she could look over her bruised arm. Sasuke hissed at the already purple and swollen skin. "You can heal it after your match, but save your chakra until then," Mayu scolded and hugged her arm to her chest as Sakura reached forward with a glowing green hand.

"But -!"

"Will the next contestants please step forward," the proctor said, and Sakura growled in frustration.

"Go on Sakura-chan, it's your turn," Kakashi said cheerfully. With a sigh, she stood and sent Mayu a firm look.

"Just be careful with it until I have a chance to look you over," she grumbled, then moved for the stairs. Mayu watched the smirking Iwa nin saunter out to the ring and chewed on her lower lip. He was burly - probably a foot taller than Sakura, with broad rounded shoulders and a thick waist and thighs. His fists were almost the size of small hams, and his biceps were huge.

"Hey, sensei, how strong do you think his rock defense is?" she asked as he sat next to her and put her arm into his lap, studying the bruising before opening a container that Mayu recognized as the healing salve Harumi had given her for her birthday.

"I'm not sure - the grass nin only got in a few hits before he lost," Kakashi said, and slathered the cream on liberally.  _More like before he got flattened,_ Mayu thought to herself.

Sakura tugged at her gloves and narrowed her eyes at the smirking nin standing across from her. "Begin."

"Earth Defense: Rock Barrier," The nin said. His skin turned grey and hardened, making him look like a giant man-shaped rock.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, and Mayu watched as she sped across the space between them and slammed her fist into him, letting out a small cheer along with the rest of the leaf contingent as he was launched off his feet and fifteen feet across the arena. The smile dropped off her face when he stood back up, casually brushing off his clothes.

"You call that a hit?" he said in a deep voice, and chuckled when Sakura glowered and the vein throbbed in her temple.

"Earth Taijutsu Secret Art: Human Rock Bullet," he roared, and Mayu stood with a gasp when he lowered his head and his body rushed forward so fast that he was barely a blur. Sakura, used to working with abnormally fast opponents, barely twisted out of the way in time to avoid him, stumbling a bit in her haste. His momentum carried him past her several feet before he skidded to a stop and turned to face Sakura, who was looking thoughtful.

Mayu tilted her head to the side when Sakura's hand twitched to the tool pouch next to her medkit. "Lucky dodge," the Iwa nin rumbled, before charging at her again.

Sakura jumped to the side, just barely dodging and launching a kunai at him before taking off running. The kunai barely sailed past him, and he gave it an unimpressed look. The next five minutes consisted of him charging her like a bull while she barely dodged. Mayu realized that he couldn't change direction once he started the move, and tapped the fingers of her uninjured hand on the railing as Sakura chucked a kunai at him with an explosive tag attached to it. He didn't even try to move out of the blast radius, instead giving her a smug look before charging her again.

This time, Sakura was so close to being hit that her hair rippled back with the force of his passing. "Dammit," Sasuke whispered next to her. "She doesn't have the stamina to keep this up."

"I think she's got a plan," Mayu said, narrowing her eyes at the pattern the kunai had fallen in.

"You should just give up," The Iwa nin said a little smugly from where he was standing amongst discarded kunai and senbon and small craters where Sakura had attempted to blow him up. "Super strength will not work against me."

Sakura stood gasping for air about twenty feet away from him, and Mayu raised her eyebrow when she realized it was a clone - when had Sakura done that? Then two hands reached up from under him and pulled him down into the earth up to his knees. Sakura popped out from next to him as her earth clone dispersed in a fall of rock, and Mayu glanced over at Kakashi, who was eye smiling. He really  _had_ been busy with Sakura and Sasuke that month.

"Like this will keep  _me_ for long," the boy growled.

"You forgot one thing," Sakura said as she sprung back and bent over to pick up a kunai. The Iwa nin growled and tugged out one leg as Sakura took off running in a circle around him, reaching down to swipe up kunai as she ran past them.

He had just gotten free when she came to a stop, swaying a bit and breathing hard. "My teammate is an Uchiha." Then she jumped back almost twenty feet, giving a tug on the kunai in her hand, and the nin found himself wrapped tightly in multiple layers of ninja wire.

"That's extra strength, and I'm feeding chakra into it. You're stuck. Forfeit." Sakura said, and Sasuke  _hn'd_ in pleasure. Mayu, however, frowned. The nin didn't look worried. In fact, he looked amused.

"Oh no," Mayu whispered. "Sakura - get out of there -!"

The nin exploded into motion, ripping through the wire easily and flashing forward into a charge. Sakura, taken off guard, had barely started to dodge when he rammed into her with a sickening thud. Mayu gasped and leaned forward, reaching out as though she could stop Sakura's flight from where she was standing. Her teammate hit the wall about thirty feet to the left of where their seating section was, where everybody had gone suddenly mute with shock.

Her limp body slid down the wall and she landed, half sitting, half slumped with her back against it. Mayu breathed out a sigh of relief when Sakura shook her head and brought a hand to it, the other going around her ribs which had to be injured with that hit. "She's okay," Sasuke breathed.

Mayu glanced over to the Iwa nin, and her eyes widened in panic. "Sakura!" she screamed. "Forfeit!" Kakashi stiffened at her side, where he'd been leaning forward to check on Sakura as well.

The Iwa nin heard her because he turned and met her gaze straight on. Then, he smiled, and angled his body towards Sakura and crouched low. The proctor saw it too, because, he quickly stepped forward, looking at Sakura.

"I - I forfeit," She said in a strained voice, but the boy still raced forward. Sakura's eyes focused on his form and widened, and she attempted to scramble out of the way but was too dazed still. A horrifying realization hit Mayu in that split second as she watched Katashi speed towards the helpless girl. Sakura was probably going to die, smashed between the wall and the Iwa nin. A choked sound escaped her, and in a desperate move, she sent her chakra threads speeding towards her teammate with the vague plan to pull her out of harm's way.

The proctor was running towards the girl as well, but  _he wasn't going to make it_ and Mayu's threads  _weren't going to make it._ Mayu could only watch, dimly aware of Sasuke's choked off cry and his form launching over the rail and Ino's scream behind her as the Iwa nin closed in.

Mayu forced her eyes to remain open, and he was six feet away, five feet, three - a blur of motion, and Sakura disappeared right before the Iwa nin smashed into the wall with such force that the stands shook under it.

"Oh thank god," Mayu gasped as she saw Kakashi holding a passed out Sakura next to an annoyed proctor. Around her Konoha nin were making noises of relief, and Mayu could only stand, hands still comically extended in front of her, and watch as Sasuke was held back from attacking the Iwa nin - Katashi, Mayu would remember his name now -by Kakashi even as he kept a firm hold on Sakura. Her sensei leaned down and whispered something in Sasuke's ear.

She watched Sasuke take a few deep breaths before he pulled away angrily and stalked back towards their seating area. With a great leap, Sasuke landed next to Mayu. He reached out and pushed down on her extended hands. "Idiot, let your threads go before you run out your chakra."

With that, she was pulled out of her panicked daze, and her brain kicked back into drive. She released the chakra and lowered her hands, watching as Kakashi left in the direction of the medic area.

"Sasuke -" she started, and he waved a hand at her.

"Go, check on her. Like I need a cheering section for every fight," he grumbled. She looked over at him and did a double take at his Sharingan-red eyes and still-furious face. She took a shaky breath.

"Alright. Just...don't take it out on Hinata when you fight her. I actually like her," Mayu grumbled. He grunted, and Mayu turned to make her way out of the seating area when she saw him. Junko Katashi had just finished climbing the stairs, back in his human skin. Mayu took one look at his self-satisfied expression, and fury lit her up from the inside.

"Hey, asshole!" she yelled and ignored Asuma's choking noise and Kiba's groan as the Iwa nin turned his eyes on her. Actually, this moment reminded her of another spar between Shikamaru and Sasuke that took place only a few years ago. "Are you fucking stupid, or something? You heard her forfeit, you piece of -" Kurenai's hand slapped over her mouth, and Mayu stiffened in annoyance.

"Aw, I must have missed it. Guess I just got too excited when I saw your weakling teammate laid out like that. Way I see it, I'd be doing Konoha a favor to get rid of somebody so  _helpless."_

Mayu's eyes widened as the way he spat the word helpless.  _Bingo._ She twisted and ducked out of Kurenai's hold, and Sasuke stepped between her and the senseis because even if she was feeling a little put out with him they could still execute some perfect teamwork.

"Helpless, huh?" she purred and took a few steps towards him. He just raised a challenging eyebrow and attempted to intimidate her by towering over her.

"You hate feeling helpless, don't you? That's why you perfected the defense you did because you never want to feel helpless...again." She made sure to pause before the last word, and smirked when he flinched, then took another few languid steps towards him, leaning forward and lowering her voice. The nin around her, both Konoha and foreign, craned their heads to hear what she said.

"Too bad for you, that _I'm_ your opponent tomorrow. I might have been nice if you hadn't tried to kill my teammate," she said sweetly, then hardened her voice and narrowed her eyes. "But now, I'll remind you of exactly what it feels like to be at somebody else's mercy. You'll be lying there, looking up at me, and wondering if I'll let you live or die, whether I'll make you bleed more than I already have," she hissed, letting her fury show on her face. His eyes widened and he took a small involuntary step back. "And you won't know. Not up until the very...last...second. You'll be  _powerless._ At that moment, wondering whether or not I'm going to  _cut your heart out,_ you'll regret trying to kill my teammate."

She then spun on her heels and stomped out of the room to check on Sakura.

"And that," Kiba finally said, breaking into the shocked silence, "is what a pissed off Nomaka Mayu looks like."

Sasuke snorted and walked past the other genin to enter the arena, thinking that this wasn't exactly what they had in mind when talking about their international debut.

000

Sasuke had won his match against Hinata. He had told her Hinata did 'fine' when Mayu asked, which she took to mean that she was basically a badass and gave him a run for his money. Especially since he was still favoring his shoulder where she'd shut down his tenketsu points (she opened it for him right after, apologizing profusely - how cute was that?).

Shino had beaten Chouji but forfeited his match to Gaara. That meant that after Mayu  _destroyed_ Junko Katashi tomorrow, Sasuke and Gaara would be duking it out for the pleasure of being her opponent.

Sakura had a slight concussion, a lot of bruising and four cracked ribs, but was otherwise fine. She was currently leaning against the wall next to Mayu on their bed, carefully sewing the rips in the fabric that Sai's hawk had made.

Sai had also offered Mayu some cleaning tips on her coat, and they had gotten most of the ink out before Sakura convinced Kakashi to dry it quickly by blowing breath heated by chakra over it. Of course, Sakura could probably convince any of them to do anything for her at the moment - Sasuke had even run out to grab some of her favorite foods for dinner.

Mayu was pulled out of her mind cave, where she was reviewing Sakura's fight with soon-to-be-a-bloody-pulp Katashi when a light touch to her cheek had her opening her eyes. To her surprise, the room was dim, Sakura was asleep next to her, and her now-repaired and clean coat was tossed across a chair.

Standing in front of her was a worried-looking Shikamaru. Mayu glanced over at Sasuke, who was pointedly reading a book in his bed. Then she opened her arms and stuck out her lip, making Shikamaru huff before sitting next to her and pulling her into a hug.

"I only have a few minutes before I need to be back," he said in a quiet voice. "I just wanted to check on you." She hummed happily and snuggled into him. "You were so amazing today," he whispered. "You should have seen the representatives from the villages during your fight with Sai. Itachi-sama and dad looked so smug."

Mayu smiled into his shoulder, pleased. "Itachi-sama, huh?" she muttered and felt Shikamaru shrug.

"I need to call him that while I'm part of his guard. Soon it'll be Hokage-sama." Mayu hummed, then pulled back.

"I'm going to fight the Iwa nin tomorrow," she said firmly, afraid he'd come to ask her to forfeit. He was such a worry wart.

To her surprise, he smirked and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I heard about your threat. Kurenai-sensei was appalled at your lack of diplomacy."

Mayu sniffed and put her nose in the air. "Like I care about what some random sensei says," she muttered. "Kakashi-sensei was proud, I think, though..." she glanced over at Sasuke, not wanting to voice out loud that she and Kakashi weren't exactly communicating well at the moment. Shikamaru just hummed.

"I know I get overprotective sometimes, but I know you can beat this guy," he mumbled. "Seeing you fight against Sai..." he drifted off, and his eyes looked a little heated. Mayu blushed and bit her lip, drawing his gaze there. Swallowing, she leaned forward and sighed against his mouth when he brushed it against her own.

"I'm still here," Sasuke grumped, and Mayu rolled her eyes but pulled back.

"I should go," Shikamaru said and huffed out a laugh when she made a noise of protest and snuggled against him again. He returned her hug before pulling back, charmed at her pout.

"Good luck tomorrow," he whispered and gave her a last brief kiss before slipping out of the room.

Mayu flopped back on the bed with what she knew was a goofy grin and a besotted sigh, ignoring Sasuke's snort of mocking amusement.

000

Mayu stood across from Katashi, eyes narrowed, focus unwaveringly on the boy's face. He was attempting to look confident, but Mayu could see that she'd succeeded in shaking him yesterday. When her name had come up on the screen, she'd sauntered down the stairs, Bukimi on her back and repaired coat fluttering at her feet.

The excitement over the last two rounds of the tournament was palpable, and she could hear the murmur of the crowd around her. She turned to where she knew Itachi, Shikaku, and Shikamaru were sitting in the enclosed room on the other side of the arena, and waved.

"Are you ready?" The proctor asked, and Mayu nodded once and went into a ready position. Katashi grunted, and the proctor said, "Begin."

Mayu flicked five explosive tags out of the holder on her wrist, snatching them with chakra strings and scattering them on the ground as she sprung out of the way of his charge, which she could admit was pretty intimidating when it was you the living boulder was speeding towards. "I thought you were supposed to be fast," she taunted. "This is like trying to dodge a small  _helpless_ child."

She cackled as his stone face darkened in rage and he came barreling at her again, eyes widening slightly as he spat rock bullets at her right before he took off. One clipped the outside of her hip and she gritted her teeth as she scattered five more explosive tags, kicking up dirt as she spun away to mostly cover them. That was going to bruise, though her coat had mostly protected her. He must be taking this seriously.

Then, she hopped backward four times as he came to a stop and turned back towards her. With a flick of her wrists, Bukimi unattached from his platform and sprang next to her, kicking up a plume of dust.

"Katashi, meet Bukimi Junior. He'll be assisting me in your education today," she said pleasantly, and he scoffed, but his eyes darted to Bukimi almost nervously. "Catch us if you can," she sing-songed, and darted to her left, laughing as he let out a below and followed after yelling:

"Earth Taijutsu Secret Art: Human Rock Super-Bullet!"

Mayu swore as he took off towards her twice as fast as he had been moving before. She spent a precious second sending Bukimi ahead of her - she needed him if she was going to win this match - and only partially dodged, gasping as he clipped her shoulder, which made a sickening  _pop,_ and sent her spinning out of control. She hit the ground hard, dirt flying around her as she bounced a bit on her landing.

As soon as she came to a stop she was jumping to her feet, ignoring the cries from the crowd and pushing the pain radiating from her shoulder into a file labeled 'deal with later' and locking it in a cabinet in her mindscape. She sprinted to the position she needed to be into finish this round - she had to do it fast, or she was toast - and spun to a stop, swinging to face her opponent while her hair and coat flared around her as she pulled Bukimi to join her.

Katashi was standing about forty feet from her, chest heaving as he recovered from the advanced level of his human bullet jutsu -  it took a lot out of him, it seemed. Gritting her teeth, she flexed her fingers on the hand connected to her now-numb arm and internally sighed in relief when she was able to extend chakra threads from the fingertips still.

Mayu took a deep breath and put Bukimi into a rest position, then detached her threads from him, and sent all ten of them slithering across the ground. To distract him from what she was doing - her threads were hard to see, not impossible - she spoke.

"You call that fast?" she yelled and grinned at his fierce scowl. "Man, I saw you coming from a mile away!"

"I hit you!" he spat, and she shrugged.

" _Barely._ I doubt you could do it again. You really are pathetic. Just a powerless little boy hiding in his stone shell," she said with a sneer. Her expression turned smug when his twisted into one of rage, and she subtly shifted, knowing she would have to time this perfectly. Luckily he'd already revealed his advanced human bullet, and she was able to change her calculations of how long it would take him to cross the distance.

As he bent down and took his first step, she counted down. Mayu fed chakra into the tags she'd half-buried in the dirt, and they erupted just as Katashi crossed over them.

His eyes went comically wide in his granite face as he was pushed straight up into the air with the force of the explosion, clumps of earth flying around him. Mayu spun to Bukimi, reattaching her threads and pumping chakra into him. Then she turned, lifting her injured left arm as well as she could and extending her right, and Bukimi arrowed through the air straight for the Iwa nin's twisting and flailing body, abdomen first, eight legs spread wide and arched.

"Puppet Technique: Sticky Situation!" she said clearly, then activated the new device she'd placed in her puppet's abdomen, praying that it would work. It's not like she'd had a chance to test it yet. Hmmm, that was a bit of a theme with her, wasn't it?

A string of white, sticky liquid sprayed from the hole in Bukimi's tummy and hit the still-airborne Katashi right in his chest. Mayu continued pumping chakra into her puppet as it lightly collided with the now-terrified human rock.

She bit her lip in concentration as she twitched her fingers through the complex dance needed to keep the strings of adhesive flowing out while controlling the movements of her puppet. In response, Bukimi began spinning Katashi's body between his moving legs quickly, wrapping him in a thick layer of the material, looking disturbingly similar to the creatures he was modeled after when they were preparing their meals. Just before he hit the ground Mayu pulled Bukimi back to her and had him skitter up her body to his platform, swaying a bit with the sudden drop in her chakra and the return of pain in her shoulder.

Ignoring her discomfort, she dashed through the dust cloud that had formed due to the explosion and what was basically a boulder hitting the ground with force, and jumped, landing lightly next to a glaring and struggling Katashi, who was laid out on his back.

A slow smile formed on her face as she took him in. He almost resembled a mummy - albeit a sloppily wrapped one - with his arms trapped to his sides from about halfway down his biceps all the way to his knees by a sticky white substance. Mayu was aware of the hush that had fallen as the watching crowd leaned forward, trying to see through the smoke and dirt in the air.

Casually, she removed a kunai from her pouch, studying the boy whose skin was currently made of thick rock. When he blinked, she noticed his eyelids were rock too. Hmmm. Her eyes darted to where he was struggling against the adhesive she'd made strong enough to withstand three thousand pounds of pressure, and had to resist the urge to frown when she saw his struggles were starting to cause tiny fractures despite its tendency to stretch a bit. Damn, she'd have to move fast.

"Well look at that," she drawled. "Seems like I have you exactly where I said you'd be - at my mercy."

"I'm not bleeding yet, bitch," he snarled. She raised her eyebrow, and quick as she could move - which was fast - flashed her kunai at his open eye. The crowd gasped in horror - they could see what was happening now. It skittered harmlessly off of his now-closed eyelid, as she'd known it would, and he smirked and didn't open them again.

"You can do whatever you want while you have me tied up here. You won't be able to hurt me," he boasted.

"Oh?" She said mildly. "I wonder how long you can keep this jutsu going."

"Long enough to get out of this and pummel you," he growled, eyes still closed to protect the tender flesh beneath.

She leaned forward a bit until she was leaning directly over the top of him without being close enough for him to headbutt her, letting her hair brush against him, and he swallowed. "There's no way to break through this adhesive," she boasted, despite it being a lie. "I created it myself."

"That's fu-" he cut off with a gurgling, choking noise, and she leaned back with a smug smile. When he'd opened his mouth to curse her out, she'd thrown one of her senbon straight into the cavity. She wasn't exactly a crack shot with them but considering she was only a few inches away, she'd hit her target easily.

"Oh! I thought that might be the case. Looks like that nice armor of yours doesn't extend into your mouth. You should learn to keep it shut, I guess. Man, you really should have forfeited when you had a chance," she said in a low voice, counting down from twenty in her head. The proctor was hovering, unsure, twenty feet away, unaware of what she'd just done and not sure if he should call it or not. After all, he'd heard the idiot say he planned on breaking out of her adhesive.

His struggles slowed and he made a distressed gurgling noise, and his eyes popped open. "Oh, you can feel it now, can't you," she cooed, satisfaction rising in her chest when she saw understanding and fear come over his features. "There was paralytic on that senbon. I'm guessing you'll start to lose your hold on your jutsu...yep." she popped the 'p' as the grey faded from his skin.

The proctor, obviously seeing something had changed, stepped forward. "Wi-"

Katashi's eyes filled with relief, then widened as she grabbed her dagger from its sheath and stabbed down it into the meat of his shoulder. "-nner: Nomaka Mayu."

Mayu stood, taking her dagger with her, stepped back before the disapproving proctor could grab her, and stared down at the bound and paralyzed Iwa genin, unmoved by the tears of pain in his rapidly blinking eyes.

"You might want to get a medic to remove the senbon from his throat," she said to the tall blonde sensei who had appeared at his side. The man looked up at her with a snarl and took a step towards her, but Kakashi had appeared at her side. She didn't have to look over to know he was eye smiling.

"What did you do to him," the man growled even as a medic appeared next to the boy and reached gentle gloved fingers into his slack mouth to remove the bloodied senbon. Mayu just raised an eyebrow and looked back over at the genin with dispassionate eyes.

"Mild paralytic. It'll wear off in fifteen minutes or so." Mayu then spun on her heel and made her way back to the stairs, ignoring the cheers of the audience. Kakashi was a solid shadow at her back.

Mayu ignored the wide eyes of the other genin on the seating platform and made her way to sit by Sakura, who had a small smile on her face, and Sasuke, who gave her a look of approval. Ino and Chouji were both sending her the same reproachful look they've been giving her for two days. Guess they thought stabbing the guy while he was down was overkill. Oh, well.

It was silent for a moment as they watched Katashi being carried off the field on a stretcher until Kiba spoke because of course, he would be the one to break the silence. "That," he started, voice uncharacteristically low and face expressionless as he stood in front of Team Seven and paused dramatically. Mayu pursued her lips and brought a hand to her injured shoulder, resisting the urge to hunch in on herself. She didn't care what the rest of the genin gathered around thought, but Kiba had been her friend since they were eight.

"...Was  _awesome!"_ He crowed. "Man, when you sent him flying up into the air with that explosion, and then sent Bukimi after him...that was terrifying, and I wasn't even the one in the ring with you!" Mayu blinked up at him, and a small smile grew on her face. She should have known that Kiba, loyal Kiba who would rip apart anyone who messed with his pack, would understand her need to proclaim her team and family as under her protection.

"What happened at the end there? All I know is that you leaned over him and said some shit that pissed him off. Then he went still and you stabbed him." Mayu's answer was cut off when she hissed in pain as Sakura removed Bukimi from her back, then unbuttoned her coat and pulled it off her shoulder.

"Mayu, this is dislocated," she mumbled.

"Then put it back in - I need to get ready for my next fight," Mayu said. "I need a chakra replenishing pill, too - there's one in my pouch - can you grab it?"

"Mayu...maybe you should forfeit," Sakura said, eyes worried as she took in the dislocated shoulder.

Mayu remembered the way Shikamaru's eyes had glinted as he'd snuck into the Nara and Village labs three weeks ago with her to steal the chemicals she needed when there wasn't enough left to purchase for her plan. The way he'd drawled "Let's show them adequate, hm?" as they slipped back out the window.

"No, I'm not forfeiting. Please, Sakura. Help me get ready." She met Sakura's eyes, and the girl sighed, looked away for a moment, then met her eyes again and nodded. As Sasuke moved to join Gaara in the arena for their match, Sakura grabbed her shoulder and popped it back into place. Mayu gasped and whimpered a little in pain, then sighed in relief when Sakura put a green-lit palm on her shoulder.

Mayu watched with sharp eyes as the proctor told Sasuke and Gaara to begin, and Sasuke disappeared from sight right before a wave of sand engulfed where he'd been standing.

"Kiba - bring me my bag," she said urgently. He moved to do so, and carefully sifted through it, handing her the supplies she asked for while Sakura wrapped her shoulder snuggly after reducing the swelling.

"You have to do whatever you have planned quickly," Kakashi said from behind her as Sasuke lit up the area with a huge fireball that Gaara blocked with a wave of sand. Mayu looked away from the fight when Sasuke summoned two gangly adolescent nin-dogs and they took off running in opposite directions, easily dodging flying sand.

"I know, sensei," she said softly, unable to look up at him as Sakura stilled next to her in shock.

"Are those..." The girl whispered, staring at the summons, and Mayu sent her a small smile.

"Ne, Sakura, I've never taken a chakra pill. What should I expect?" She said instead of answering. Sakura's gaze darted between Kakashi and Mayu before it softened in understanding and she sent Mayu a small sad smile.

"It'll feel like a head rush at first - you'll probably be a little giddy. You'll notice that your chakra will drain faster than usual. That's because it isn't as dense as it would be if you naturally replenished. After about fifteen minutes you'll probably experience a bit of a crash," Sakura said in a no-nonsense voice.

In the arena, Sasuke had wrapped Gaara in wire - that's what the dogs had been doing then - and sent a large streak of lightning racing down it. Gaara twitched a little, and Mayu leaned forward, holding her breath, as the sound of a thousand birds filled the clearing. Sasuke blurred forward, hand encased in lightning. Mayu gritted her teeth - no one would doubt that Sasuke was Kakashi's student, and how did she not see this apprenticeship coming?

Mayu watched as Sasuke's hand went through Gaara's right shoulder. The boy's eyes widened - and then he disappeared in a burst of sand. "Oh," she whispered as Sasuke was engulfed in sand and Gaara appeared next to him. He looked calmly at the proctor. "He is in my sand, there is no way to escape. If I wanted to, I could kill him."

As the proctor announced Gaara as the winner, Mayu scrambled to her feet and waved off Kiba when he tried to help her put her coat back on, opting to stay in her black shorts and tank top, putting her blue belt on over her hips. She grabbed two long leather black belts Kiba had pulled from her bag with five cylinders that resembled her grenades attached in a line on each of them, and looped them crosswise over her torso, putting the grenades in easy reach.

She removed her scroll carousel and clicked an extra pouch that was heavy with kunai and that clinked mysteriously when she moved it. "Sakura, pull my hair back," she said in an urgent voice as the sand fell away from a scowling Sasuke.

Sakura held out a small round pill and dropped it into Mayu's outstretched hand before moving behind her and tugging her hair - ribbons and all - back into a ponytail. Mayu popped the pill into her mouth and bit down, swaying a little when chakra rushed into her, blinking rapidly. "Woah," she whispered, then cracked her neck and bounced up on the balls of her feet.

"Okay," she whispered and rolled her shoulder to test the range of motion. A little twinge, but it would be fine.

"Mayu," Kakashi grabbed her arm, and she looked down at his feet as her name popped up on the board. "Maybe you should forfeit -"

She tugged out of his grip and glared up at him, ignoring the way he twitched. "Just because  _you_ don't think I'm good enough, doesn't mean I'm inadequate. Back off, sensei. Even if I do get hurt it probably won't be your problem after this week." She felt a little bad when he made a small sound of distress, but she was still feeling raw from watching Sasuke's match. She bet Kakashi hadn't asked  _him_ to forfeit against Gaara.

Mayu spun on her heel when the proctor called her name again, pausing when she saw a pained-looking Sasuke, who had obviously heard what she said. She didn't comment, instead choosing to move around him and dart down the stairs, yelling "Watch Bukimi Junior for me, guys!" over her shoulder. It hit her when she stepped into the arena that she'd  _done it._ Mayu had made it to the last round of the chunin exams. After seven years of work and late nights in the lab and Akinobu's shop and pushing her body as hard as she could, she'd ended up as one of the top contestants in this exam.

Mayu studied a calm and mostly-unruffled-looking Gaara. Sasuke  _had_ been impressive against him - she'd seem him do three fire and the two lightning jutsu, plus the summons and ninja wire. Add in the speed and his Sharingan, and there was no way he hadn't impressed people, which was good. Now she just had to do her part. The false energy buzzing through her body and the excitement of what she was about to do zinged through her, and she found herself grinning wildly. Gaara inclined his head when she waved at him.

"Begin."

Mayu dove to the side and into a somersault when Gaara sent a wave of sand at her, wincing a little as her shoulder protested. She wasn't quite as fast as Sasuke - freaking Uchiha were made for speed, she was pretty sure - but she was still very quick. Besides Sasuke and Lee, she was probably the fastest of her peers, especially without Bukimi on her back.

As she popped back to her feet and flooded her body with chakra to increase her speed and agility, Mayu reached into the pouch she'd attached to her belt and pulled out three kunai with her most powerful explosive tags wrapped around the handles. Dangling from the handle was a clear orb made from thick glass that was about two inches in diameter and filled with a clear liquid.

Mayu jumped up and to the right, twisting a full 360 degrees in midair and pulling her legs out to the side in a full split to avoid two spears of sand coming towards her. Gai-sensei would be so proud if he were there. She activated the tags, which she'd created to have a five-second delay, and threw the kunai with as much speed as she could manage at a now-visible Gaara.

A wall of sand almost lazily came up to block, and Mayu watched as it wrapped around the projectiles - absorbing them, just as Shikamaru had said - from the corner of her eye. There was a large muffled  _BOOM_ that shook the earth right after she landed, causing her to stumble just a bit, and she wasn't quite able to dodge one of the tendrils of sand still after her.

Mayu hissed in pain when it tore through the mesh on her leg and left a bleeding gash on the front of her thigh, but ignored the wound in favor of running and dodging more attacks. She sent three chakra strings into her pouch, and tossed some of her beetle bombs towards Gaara's feet, the only part of him she could currently see through the swirling sand, and threw two more activated kunai with attached orbs with the other hand while she jumped, parallel to the ground, between two spinning tornadoes of sand, and angled her body so that she could aim the projectiles.

Mayu blinked her eyes rapidly against the grains of sand flying through the air while she twisted her body to land in a crouch. Why hadn't she thought to bring goggles? Another large muffled explosion from inside Gaara's sand, but this time she was ready for it and kept her balance while she raced to the other side of the redhead, who hadn't moved since they started.

 _He's too reliant on his Sand,_ she mused. It wasn't like it would get him killed here, in an exam against a bunch of chunin hopefuls, but if he ever faced a real threat...Mayu tossed a few regular grenades from her toolkit at an opening in Gaara's defense. It quickly closed, of course, but the point wasn't actually to hit Gaara with these direct attacks. What Mayu wanted was to keep his sand moving - mixing up, if you will.

"What are those orbs?" Gaara asked in an interested voice as Mayu sent fire bullets at him followed up by more orbed kunai. She only had three more to go.

"Make explosions bigger," Mayu huffed - and it wasn't exactly a lie - before flipping onto one hand then springing back onto her feet to avoid the spiraling spire of sand that had just burst out of the ground at her.

She had a little over half her chakra reserves left, and they were draining faster than they should have. Chakra pills were great, but they didn't compare to her own natural reserves. With a sigh, she ran straight at one of his sand spears and jumped just before it could hit her, using the flat of it to springboard into the air. Mayu soared over Gaara's head and sent the last three kunai with orbs heading right for his mop of red hair.

Of course, they were absorbed, and the move cost Mayu - she thought it might, it was hard to dodge in midair - and she was batted out of her flip by a tendril of sand. She was pretty sure she heard her ribs creaking and she made a very undignified  _oofing_ sound when it connected.

She twisted and landed in a clumsy half-crouch, wincing when her ankle rolled a bit from the force of her landing. Gaara must have gotten annoyed with their cat and mouse game, because he sent six spears of sand racing at her from the front, and a small wave tried to box her in behind.

"Shit," she muttered, and did a cartwheel and then a probably-undignified looking contortion to dodge the attacks, feeding chakra into her ankle to support it. For a few minutes, she could do nothing but dodge - reminiscent of her short fight with Kisame, actually. Then she managed to put down six multi-colored smoke bombs.

 _I have to do this now, I can't afford to lose anymore chakra..._ Mayu took a deep breath as she darted through the smoke, and used the opportunity to quickly slam her hands down on the top of the cylinders that were still attached to the two leather belts sitting crosswise on her torso.

With a click, the tops depressed, and she began counting to twenty in her head as she pulled each out from its slot with a chakra thread as she emerged from the smoke. A frantic glance showed that Gaara was still in the same spot, and she ignored the sand now converging on her from all sides in favor of sending the grenades at him from all different angles. He watched them with what seemed like boredom, and with a small twist of each wrist, she coaxed them into a spinning drop from directly over the top of him just as she hit seven.

Mayu rolled backward, then twisted to the side, needing to get away from the sand  _now._ Her mind sent her an idea when she hit twelve seconds and she was still hemmed in by sand, and since it was either that or possibly die from her own hairbrained idea, she latched onto it.

Mayu saw a blunt-looking pole of sand racing for her, and instead of dodging fed chakra into her back as she spun around. Being hit by it  _hurt,_ a lot, but it did its job, and she was sent soaring through the air - away from Gaara and those grenades. The world almost seemed to quiet as she sailed across the arena. Mayu heard the gasps of the crowd and saw the sand that was heading towards her, probably to finish pummeling her. She moved through the hand signs she needed for the last portion of her plan and forced her throbbing body to turn in the air so she would land on her feet.

The landing hurt, her ankle giving out all the way and sending her to one knee as she finished the hand signs. As she called " _Earth Release: Earth Dome Ultimate Defense!"_ while slamming a palm to the ground, she saw the grenades erupt in a shower of blue liquid above Gaara right before his sand engulfed them. The dome closed over her head just as the explosions began.

Mayu's eyes widened, and she huddled down, feeding more chakra into the dome and making it even thicker when it began to crack. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck," she whispered to herself as the ground almost seemed to shake apart under feet and her chakra dipped down to below half. It had been ten seconds. How long would the explosions last? Mayu winced as another large  _BOOM_ shook her little dome. Fifteen seconds. She was down below a quarter of her chakra.

Mayu bit her lip. Had she overdone the amount of chemicals she'd put into this? Mayu and Shikamaru had bought out every apothecary and medical supply store they could find before sneaking into a few labs to steal what they had. In the orbs, she had placed half of the chemical composition she needed. In the grenades, she had put the other half. When mixed together, it became the solution that she had used to blow up a section of the Inuzuka forest all those years ago.

Mayu had assumed that if she could get Gaara to absorb the orbs in his sand in a few different places, and then had his sand chase her around enough that he had to move the grains around a lot, the solution would get mixed in and spread throughout the mass.

She had thrown a few regular grenades so that Gaara would assume the ones with the liquid were just another attempt at blowing him up, so he'd let his sand engulf them, too. Once the two halves of the solution mixed, in an environment rich with chakra, Mayu figured she could expect a very large explosion -  _inside_ of Gaara's ultimate defense.

Of course, she hadn't thought it would last longer than twenty seconds...her arms were shaking in exhaustion and sweat was running down her face. Her back hurt, her shoulder hurt, her ankle hurt, her thigh was burning where it had been cut, and she could feel blood running down her leg.

Nausea hit just as the shaking seemed to be dying down, a small explosion wracking the area as if giving one last hurrah. Chakra depletion. She had to drop the jutsu and hope for the best. With a swallow, she released the jutsu, and took a moment to just gasp and pant, taking in the smoke and sand floating in the air with wide eyes. The arena floor was, well, destroyed from what she could see, long rents and craters dotting the area.

Mayu could hear the rumbles of the crowd around her, wondering what was going on. Shakily, she stood.  _I really hope I didn't actually kill Sand's Jinchuuriki..._

Mayu was assured that she hadn't, in fact, killed Gaara when a strong gust of wind sailed through the arena, clearing out the smoke and ash and sand and knocking her ass over teakettle. She moaned as she came to a stop a few feet from the wall, before pushing herself into a seated position, knowing there was no way she could stand again, and swaying a little in place.

The arena had gone completely silent as Gaara stalked towards her, sand swirling around him. His clothes were ripped in a few places, and was that  _blood_ on his face? He was also holding his right arm close to his side, and his expression seemed a little angrier than his usual blankness. Fear thrilled through her, and she blurted - okay, slurred - "I forfeit!" just as his sand wrapped around her and picked her up.

Her stomach almost rebelled as she was flipped around to dangle upside down in front of Gaara, their faces at the same level, and only six inches apart. "Woah, you have really nice skin," she said, then giggled.

She heard the proctor proclaiming Gaara the winner, and when she glanced over she saw he was looking a little singed and a lot grumpy. "Oh...oops, sorry Proctor-san, I kinda forgot about you!"

"How did you do that?" Gaara asked, and she pulled her attention back to him and blinked slowly a few times.

"With my  _mind,"_ she faux-whispered and giggled again because she was hilarious. She felt floaty and slightly dizzy. She wondered if Gaara had drugged her.

"I did not drug you," he said, sounding maybe a bit exasperated. "I assume you are suffering from chakra depletion and possibly a small concussion."

"Perhaps we should put her down then, hmm?" And woah, where did Kakashi come from. He was so fast and cool!

Her sensei eye-smiled at her and then put his arms under her shoulder and behind her knees as Gaara gently lowered her. "Maa, you're making me blush, Mayu-chan!"

She blinked at him in confusion while looping her arms around his neck. Could Kakashi-sensei  _read minds?_ His shoulders shook, and Mayu heard laughter around her. Why was the audience laughing, anyway? Oh, she was still saying these things out loud.

"Hey, Gaara-kun, no hard feelings, ne?" she slurred at the boy as she took in his slightly-ruffled form. His siblings had joined him, and while they weren't fussing they were obviously concerned. It was so nice that they weren't terrified of him anymore. They all stared at her, and she realized she might have said that out loud, too. Oops.

"I didn't think you'd die or anything, honest!" she said, suddenly nervous as she imagined big blue eyes swimming with tears. "So, like, don't tell Naruto about this, huh? Cause he loves you and stuff." Mayu thought about that for a moment, and then narrowed her eyes at Gaara, who seemed pleased and embarrassed and still pretty blank-faced.

"Hey!" she brightened. "Genetics are so weird in this place. I wonder if your kids will have pink hair like Sakura-chan's!" At all three sand siblings' blank looks, she decided to clarify. "You know, because he has blonde hair and yours is re-"

"Alright, Mayu-chan, let's get you to some medics!" Kakashi said over the top of her as Gaara turned a bright red and his siblings gave him interested and horrified looks.

"Oh...okay!" she said, and waved goodbye to them. "You're really scary, Gaara-kun, let's be friends!" she called and more laughter rumbled through the arena as Kakashi sighed and headed for the exit.

000

Shikaku entered the room that had been set up as the medical area, lips quirking as he heard Sakura's scolding voice floating out from behind a curtain. He had left a sulking son behind when Itachi declared that Shikaku would go to check on Mayu instead of him. But, well, sometimes a father just got first dibbs on things, and making sure his little girl was okay after fighting a formerly-insane jinchuuriki was one of those things.

He stopped outside the curtain to listen for a moment to Sakura's rant. "...And if you'd used any more chakra you wouldn't even be awake right now! You re-dislocated your shoulder, fractured your ankle, not to mention bled out all over the place! And! A broken rib. Mayu, how could you be so reckless!"

"I wasn't reckless," his daughter replied in a petulant voice, and he could imagine the scowl on her face. "Everything went exactly according to plan - I figured I'd take a few hits!"

Shikaku decided to stop his daughter from digging herself further into a hole - he knew how these conversations went with angry medics that also happened to love you - and pushed the curtain aside. Mayu's face lit up the way it always did when he walked into a room and his chest warmed at the sight. He wondered if she'd ever stop looking at him like he'd personally gone out and carved the moon before hanging it in the sky, and hoped not.

"Papa!" she said, and winced as she tried to sit up, then cringed as Sakura glared at her.

The pink-haired girl then turned a sweet smile on Shikaku. "I'll leave you two to catch up and let Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke know you're okay, but staying here tonight. Bye, Shikaku-sama." He raised an eyebrow and drawled a goodbye, wondering what it was that he and Mayu seemed to love so much about terrifying women with unpredictable mood swings.

"Ah, Mayu-chan, you seemed to have gotten yourself beaten up a bit," he said in a mild tone, and she deflated.

"Not too badly, though! Don't be mad, papa." She turned big watery grey eyes on him and he sighed, then sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"I'm not mad, idiot girl. I'm so proud of you." She stiffened in surprise before leaning back and craning her neck to look at him, cheeks red and expression bashful. She was so cute, even when she was attempting to bait Iwagakure as a whole and blowing up important diplomatic allies.

"You knocked Gaara of the Sand on his ass. It was a little terrifying to watch -" Understatement. When the arena had erupted into huge booming percussions and flying sand, ash, and smoke, only Shikamaru's focused but confident expression (he must have been in on Mayu's most recent brilliant-but-harebrained-plan) had kept him from leaping in to try and save Mayu. " - but you certainly made an impression. Nobody doubts that Konoha is still strong after watching your team compete. Have to say, I didn't realize exactly what you'd be using that Earth Dome for. I'm guessing that's what drained your chakra, huh?"

Mayu nodded a little shyly, then wiggled around until she was leaning the side that didn't have an arm in a sling against him. He obediently wrapped her in another gentle hug. "And...the fight against that Iwa nin?" she said quietly, and Shikaku chuckled.

"Well, you certainly made a statement. Some people won't be impressed, but, sweetheart, you were raised by Nara. You won't go out of your way to hurt people, and don't enjoy it as a general rule. But if there's one thing that we can't let go, it's somebody hurting the people we love. You may not have our last name yet, but you're a Nara, that's just fact."

She turned and hid her face in his shoulder, obviously pleased, and he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her frankly disgusting hair. "What do you mean, yet?" she muttered after a moment, and he rolled his eyes.

"Well, I figure in a few years you'll be my daughter-by-law as well as by-heart," he said in a lightly teasing voice, and she squeaked indignantly.

"Wha - but - we only just started dating!" she said, and he laughed.

"Uh huh. Anyway, I have to get back to Itachi-sama. I love you, squirt."

She huffed, but pulled back and gave him a small smile. "I love you too."

000

Mayu stood with the rest of the competitors of the third round in the middle of the arena, facing the village representatives as the head of Grass Village gave a long, boring speech about diplomacy and finding peace and working together. Itachi had sent Shikamaru to watch over her the night before, since they were, technically, surrounded by potential hostiles and he didn't feel comfortable leaving an injured Konoha nin alone overnight.

He'd sat on the bed at her insistence and let her snuggle up against him and sleep while he watched over her. Mayu still felt a little warm at the way he'd smiled at her and told her she was amazing. Of course, he'd spent a good ten minutes channeling his mother afterwards while he fussed over her bruises and bandages and scolded her, but since he practically radiated pride the whole time she didn't exactly take it seriously.

That morning Sakura had helped her clean up and get dressed for the closing ceremonies so Shikamaru could go take a quick nap. "Mayu, everybody's talking about your round against Gaara. Even though you didn't win, you really surprised people by laying a mark on him. They're calling you a genius."

Mayu had rolled her eyes as Sakura finished braiding her hair back. "You seem almost all the way recovered today," she said instead of answering that.

"I've been healing myself - my ribs barely twinge now!" Sakura had said cheerfully.

"Hey, will you put the green eyeliner on me?" Mayu asked. She was wearing her grey tunic over black pants again, but found she kind of missed the kick ass boots and shorts combo. Too bad they were covered in blood.

Sakura raised her eyebrows, and Mayu blushed and shrugged before mumbling "I like it 'cause Ensui-nii wears it."

So she was standing with her team - Kakashi had been pretty quiet, probably due to her little explosion of temper the day before - waiting for the Hot Water representative to get to the point. "...it is a testament to the strength of the Elemental Nations that we have chosen fifteen chunin to promote today."

"First, Faruma Yuto from Grass." Mayu smiled and clapped for the blonde boy as he stepped forward to take the vest from the representative from his village. He'd lost, sure, but he had put up a fight, and obviously knew a lot of jutsu.

"Aburame Shino, from Leaf. Haruno Sakura, from Leaf." Mayu cheered as a dazed-looking Sakura went to take a vest from Itachi. "Hyuuga Hinata from Leaf. Inuzuka Kiba, from Leaf. Nomaka Mayu, from Leaf." As Mayu bounced up to receive her vest, she couldn't help but feel a little smug.

All of the Konoha genin that had made it to the third round were promoted, along with the Sand Siblings, Faruma Yato, and, to her displeasure, Junko Katashi. After the announcements, she darted through the gathered genin until she caught sight of a blonde head of hair. Figuring Gaara would be next to his sister, she made her way over to them.

When she sidled up next to him, he simply looked at her from the corner of his eyes, and she tried not to blush as she remembered her concussed ramblings the day before.

"Your Ultimate Defense," she said matter of factly, causing Kankuro and Temari to stop bickering about what food to get for dinner and look at her. At Gaara's blank face, she sighed. "That's how I got you. Listen," she leaned forward and lowered her voice, causing them to do so as well. "Your sand absorbs all attacks, right? I used that against you. The explosive tags were a misdirection so that you wouldn't question taking in the orbs, which were full of half of the chemical make-up of a solution that is extremely unstable when introduced to chakra."

Gaara's eyes lit in understanding. "The metal cylinders - they started to release a blue liquid just before I absorbed them as well," he intoned. "I assume this was the second half of this chemical solution? And when they combined and met with the chakra in my sand..."

"That's right. I doubt I'll be the only person to figure it out, so you should come up with a way to filter out foreign objects that your sand imbibes. Also, you shouldn't rely on it so heavily. Learn to run and dodge, for god's sake," she grumbled, ignoring the way all three of them stiffened.

"Mayu!" a voice called, and she lifted her hand in a wave goodbye as she turned to find Kiba, who had been the person that called out her name.

She'd only gone about five steps when somebody said, "Wait!" and she turned to see Kankuro standing there, a grin on his face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Your puppetry - it was pretty interesting, and I've never seen somebody use the style you do. Who taught you?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

"I'm self-taught," she said, then turned to leave again. This time, he grabbed her wrist to stop her. She paused, and gave his hand a pointed look. To her annoyance, he just grinned cheekily.

"I'd love to hear more about it - maybe over dinner tonight?" She gaped at him in shock, then jolted and tugged her wrist out of his hold when he ran a thumb along her pulse point.

"Are you asking me on a date?" She said incredulously, and he tilted his head in what he obviously thought was a charming manner.

"I am. What do you say? A little dinner, maybe afterwards you can come to my room and we can discuss puppetry." The way he said _discuss puppetry_ made it obvious that he meant it as a euphemism. Gross.

"First of all, that's disgusting, and I very sincerely hope that strategy has never  _actually_ worked before, otherwise I'll have to lament the future of our world. Secondly, I have a boyfriend. Thirdly,  _gross."_

Instead of looking insulted or disheartened, he smirked, and took a small step forward, and she leaned away with a grimace. "Ah, come on. Like the Uchiha will notice if you aren't around for one night."

Mayu frowned in confusion for a moment before realization hit and she let out a horrified noise. "Ugh, Sasuke is not my boyfriend. Sakura and I were just messing with those Kumo nin."

"That would be me," a bored voice said, and Mayu brightened when an arm wrapped around her waist.

"Shika! This guy is being really creepy," she said with a pout, and leaned against him. Kankuro looked comically affronted for a moment before running his eyes over Shikamaru.

"This lazy guy? My sister totally kicked his ass in the last exams!" Mayu narrowed her eyes at him.

"You got something you want to say about my boyfriend?" she said in a dangerously sweet voice. Kankuro opened his mouth to reply, but luckily - for him - they were interrupted.

"Mayu-chan, Shikamaru-san, we are ready to attend to lunch. Come." Mayu cheered up and craned her neck.

"Itachi-sempai! Did you see my matches?" she asked, slipping out from Shikamaru's possessive hold and ignoring the way the two boys were glaring at each other.

"I did. Very impressive," he said in his inflectionless voice, but she could tell he said it with fondness, and she beamed at him.

"Come on, Shika," she said, grabbing his hand and tugging him away from his stare-off. "You don't have to worry about me leaving you for a guy in a jumpsuit with cat ears."

Itachi sighed as they moved into step next to him and Kankuro sputtered behind them. "Mayu-chan, remind me never to send you on a diplomatic mission."

"Ugh. Boring," she said dismissively as Sakura and Sasuke fell into step next to them, the rest of the Konoha contingent following. Kiba snorted from somewhere behind her and Shikamaru sent her a fond look.

Mayu couldn't help but smile as they stepped out into the sunshine, more than ready to face whatever came next.


	11. Chunin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayu gives the Nara family a collective heart attack, and she gets a few surprises of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a warning, there might be some triggery things in her investigation. Some mention of attempted non-con (not graphic or anything that happens to our main character), some murder, some kidnapping...usual things you'd expect in a detective's life.

Mayu tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed over her chest as she glared at the corner of Tsunade's desk and listened to Katada Filo, her superior (ha!),rant about her.

" - disrespectful, completely disregarded the chain of command and read classified materials above her clearance level -" Mayu rolled her eyes at the last. What did they expect when they put her to work refiling old intel in the cryptology department?

"Are we really not going to talk about the team you sent out into a  _trap?"_ Mayu finally cut in. The woman next to her inhaled sharply and Mayu didn't need to look at her to know she was receiving a furious glare.

Tsunade drew her attention from the desk corner with a sharp  _"_ What?Nomaka, explain." Mayu took a second to send her 'superior' a smug look.

"Hokage-sama, for the past four weeks I've spent much of my time in Intelligence refiling old tips and coded reports. Apparently, nobody else had the mental capacity to come up with a system that made even a modicum of sense," she said scathingly, ignoring Itachi's put-upon sigh from his desk, where he was buried in paperwork, and Filo's indignant gasp.

"Yesterday, Intelligence received a coded missive detailing a supposed clandestine meeting between two members of the criminal organization Aka Shi and two low-level missing-nin. The purpose of the alleged meeting was to sell information regarding Konoha's outer defenses." Mayu paused to take a breath.

"I happened to catch sight of the missive -" a snort from Filo that Mayu kept talking over "- and I immediately recognized markers that identified the writer of the tip." Mayu paused dramatically and Tsunade sent her an unimpressed look.

Mayu twitched before continuing in a rush. "The same person or organization has been responsible for five instances of misinformation that resulted in casualties or injury to Konoha shinobi in the past five years."

"The only reason she can even make this crazy claim is because she's been reading the filesin the section of archives that are clearly above her clearance level!" Filo finally exploded. "Also, this is ridiculous - my team vets every tip thoroughly. I demand that you -"

"Do you have these messages with you?" Tsunade cut Filo off and a vein throbbed in the woman's forehead.

"No, Hokage-sama. I'll have to go -"

"No need, I have them here," Mayu said and flicked one of the scrolls open on her carousel with a flourish, unsealing six manilla folders. Filo gaped at the folders in her hand, mouth opening and closing, too enraged to actually speak.

"Itachi-san, go retrieve Shikaku-san," Tsunade said. Itachi stood and bowed before quickly leaving the room, looking unperturbed with being treated as a messenger. 

"You - you stole files from the archives!" Filo exploded as Mayu set the folders on the desk and Tsunade laid their contents out on the surface to study. "Do you see what I mean, Hokage-sama? This girl is completely unsuited to Intelligence..."

Mayu rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you should be thankful that at least one person on your team has the mental capacity needed to think further than the end of her nose and her own misguided arrogance."

"Mayu-chan, are you making friends again?" A voice drawled behind her and Mayu brightened and looked over her shoulder.

"Hi Papa!" she chirped and Filo sputtered and began a very inspired rant on the importance of professionalism and the evils of nepotism. Tsunade's expression darkened. Since Mayu was expecting it she didn't flinch when she stomped her foot with a loud  _boom_ and a crack appeared on the floor, racing from under her desk all the way to the tips of Filo's toes. She shut her mouth with a snap.

"I can't see anything that indicates what you described, Mayu-chan," Tsunade muttered into the silence. She held up her hand when Mayu stepped forward to explain. "Shikaku-san, take a look at these coded messages, tell me what you see."

Mayu put her arms behind her back and rocked back on her heels while Shikaku slouched over to stand next to Tsunade and bent over the six missives. After four minutes he straightened. "The code used is different, as is the handwriting, but they were all composed by the same individual."

Filo tensed next to her and Mayu sent her a smug look. "You're in so much trouble," she muttered and flailed when Itachi sent her a quelling look from Tsunade's side opposite Shikaku.

"Dammit," Tsunade swore. "The detailed rendezvous is in three hours. The meeting point will take at least that long to reach..."

"Our fastest shinobi may make it on time," Itachi intoned.

Tsunade glanced at him. "Hmm. Itachi - you'll lead the rescue team. Who's available that can keep up with you?"

Itachi glanced at Mayu and she pursed her lips, already knowing what he was going to say. "Team Kakashi returned from a mission yesterday with no injuries. I'd like to request them."

Tsunade nodded. "Sakura will probably slow you down. She's fast, but not quite as fast as Kakashi, Yamato, and Sasuke."

Itachi inclined his head. "I will take Kakashi-taicho and Sasuke ahead with me and have Sakura-san and Yamato-san follow for backup. It will be a close call and I'd like a medic on hand just in case."

"Rooster - go get Hatake and his apprentice and bring them here. Five minutes! Butterfly, round up the rest of Team Kakashi and have them meet at the gates," Tsunade snapped and two ANBU appeared in a crouch next to her desk before blurring out of existence.

"Shikaku, I want you and your daughter to figure out who has been planting false intel for us to find."

Mayu gave a little cheer. "Oh! I've never worked on something with you officially, papa!"

"Brat! Be more professional," Tsunade grumbled. Mayu slumped but perked up a little when Shikaku's lips quirked up on one side, unbothered by her unprofessional attitude.

"Do you see what we've had to deal with? I want to request that she be transferred off of my team immediately -" Filo began and cut off as Tsunade sent the woman a sharp look.

"Yeah, let's transfer the only person with a modicum of competence from your team," Mayu muttered.

"Enough! Filo-san - you're suspended pending review immediately. You shouldn't have missed this - you'd better hope we retrieve our team successfully," she said, eyes narrowed, and Filo's usually-tan face went pale. "Also, when I told you to show Mayu the ropes, I didn't mean that you should shove her into a filing room. Though it seems she's used it as an opportunity for learning," Tsunade finished dryly and Mayu smirked over at Filo, who looked like she might throw up.

"And Mayu-chan," Mayu jumped a little at the Hokage's tone of voice and it was her turn to break into a nervous sweat when Tsunade stared her down. "I don't care how much of an idiot you think they are, you cannot speak to your commanding officer so disrespectfully." Mayu knew her face had gone petulant, but didn't try to pretend that she didn't find having to suck up to morons that forced her to do boring busy work annoying.

"Now." Tsunade's face lit up with glee, never a good sign, before she said, "apologize to Filo-san."

Mayu gaped at her, ignoring the displacement of air that meant somebody had arrived while Tsunade was making her totally unfair request. Shikaku was preemptively pinching his nose between his thumb and forefinger and it was Filo's turn to look smug.

"But!" Mayu started and Tsunade just gave her a gleeful, steady look.

"Fine," Mayu snapped, temper flaring as she turned to Filo. "I'm sorry you're incompetent."

The last thing she heard before Tsunade tossed her out the window was Shikaku's choked off laugh and Kakashi's voice saying "That was mean Tsunade-sama."

000

Mayu glared down at the garden she was currently responsible for weeding, grumbling about unfair D-ranked punishments and stupid assignments.

When she'd returned from the exams a little over a month ago, she'd spent half an hour interviewing with the chunin commander and had been patently unimpressed. The last chunin commander had been killed in the Sound and Sand invasion and his predecessor had stepped up temporarily until they found a proper replacement - something Tsunade was struggling with.

He'd been obviously too old and too tired to do the job properly and had barely glanced at Mayu's file before herding her out. In all honesty, she'd expected to be running messenger duty for a while after that.

Instead, three days later she found herself standing in front of Tsunade, Itachi standing a step behind and to the right of the woman. To say she was surprised to be getting her first chunin assignment directly from the woman was an understatement.

"Mayu," Tsunade said. "I heard you did well in the tournament. Congratulations." Her words were mild, but her eyes held a glint of pride that had Mayu's chest swelling just a bit. It was a very rare emotion to see on Tsunade's face, after all.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," she said. The woman just hummed, then glanced down at what Mayu recognized as her file.

"I assume you're still interested in applying for the Military Police Force," Tsunade said, obviously ready to move on to the true reason for their meeting.

"Yes." Mayu drew the word out. "But, I don't meet all of the requirements, yet."

Tsunade hummed. "Refresh my memory on that, please, Itachi-san."

Itachi inclined his head. "I assume Mayu is referring to the internships available to chunin, as she cannot apply as a non-clan officer until she is a jounin." Mayu nodded jerkily, still a little annoyed by that hurdle. Unless she was an Uchiha, she had to reach jounin level before going into training as an actual officer. Uchiha could become junior officers as chunin if they proved themselves competent.

"To apply for the internship, you must be a chunin for at least six months, three if you can find somebody already in a high-ranking position of the MPF to sponsor you. You must also show a good grasp of one of the four basics of police work, though it is preferred that you are proficient in at least two. That is: Combat, Capture, Investigation, and Interrogation. You must also have clear indicators of being on the jounin track."

And that, right there, is why most non-Uchiha shinobi didn't even bother. Even an internship was intensely difficult to acquire and career advancement was even more of a pain once you gained a spot as a jounin officer. Uchiha were always favored for the lieutenant and captainship positions.

Of course, Mayu could care less about titles and promotions - she just wanted to be an investigator. Not that Team Seven would let her get away with that kind of thinking, what with their plans to take over Konoha's high positions. Even Sakura was in on it now - she intended to head up the hospital and was striving for the position of Commander of the Medic Corps.

"That's right," Mayu said, brow furrowed as she tried to figure out where this conversation was going.

"And what do you plan on doing until you meet the requirements?" Itachi asked. Mayu blinked at him.

"Well. I thought I'd ask papa and Ensui-nii to train me and I'd work with Shikamaru on our combination techniques." Mayu looked at their unimpressed faces and scowled. "What? I figured I'd be doing the same crappy jobs as every other new chunin for the next six months and other than that I'd be on my own."

Tsunade rolled her eyes and muttered about idiot children for a while. "You can't possibly think we'd waste resources that way. Fine, brat, let me lay it out for you. You've got a few choices here. Tsume-san's requested you for her tracking unit."

Mayu blinked in surprise. Sure, she'd joined Kiba a few times on tracking exercises his mother had set up, but she hadn't realized she had been that impressed with her. "And you've also been requested to join a response team that we've just put together."

Mayu tilted her head to the side. "Response team?"

"A team whose primary purpose is to respond quickly to threats or rescue missions. They are generally fast and considered heavy hitters. You're not a heavy hitter in a traditional sense, but your intellect and puppetry allow you to dole out some heavy damage," Tsunade clarified.

"Who's on this team?"

"The team is led by Hatake Kakashi and would consist of your genin team - including Naruto when he returns - and another jounin named Yamato." Mayu gaped at Tsunade. Stay with her genin team? That was, admittedly, tempting, but things were still so strange between her and Kakashi and Sasuke - something she could admit was mostly her doing, at this point. She'd been avoiding them pretty religiously since the exams ended, embarrassment and hurt feelings robbing her of courage.

Itachi was studying her face closely and she resigned herself to him knowing that she was being a bit of a sore loser over the apprenticeship. "You are, of course, welcome to accept either of these offers. However, Itachi-san and I have a third option that we'd like you to seriously consider."

Mayu's eyes darted back to Tsunade, studying her. "You know...you could just order me to do this," she said and Tsunade snorted.

"Please, and have Kakashi and Tsume-san pouting at me for months? No, I don't think so. If you choose this on your own, they'll get a bit surly but won't hound me over it. Now. Itachi-san and I would like to take you off the missions roster for three months and offer you a short-term position in-village. This is fairly unusual for a chunin on the jounin track, but we want you to do some troubleshooting for us. As you know, we've had information leaks coming from Intelligence and Interrogation. We'd like you to do a rotation of six weeks in each, learn the ropes, and hopefully identify trouble areas and make suggestions for plugging the holes."

Mayu blinked at Tsunade, shocked. They wanted her to troubleshoot Intelligence and Interrogation? Well...that did make a strange sort of sense. Itachi must have taken her words to heart when he'd asked her advice on the traitor problem. Also, three full months in the village would allow her to concentrate on honing the skills needed to get her hands on that internship.

On the other hand, a stint on a tracking team led by Tsume or a Response Team led by Kakashi would look better on her resume than three months spent filing paperwork.

As if sensing her thoughts, Itachi spoke. "At the end of the three months, I would also be willing to sponsor you for an early internship opportunity at the MPF if you needed it," he said in his usual calm voice, as though he hadn't just offered her something spectacular and unexpected.

Her brows furrowed at the last part, though. Why wouldn't she need it? Still, excitement bloomed in her chest. To have Uchiha Itachi as a sponsor would almost guarantee her acceptance and a modicum of respect from the rest of the force.

"Really? I didn't know you were still working there," Mayu gushed and Tsunade snorted at her immediate drop into hero worship mode.

"I still assist part-time at the Military Police Force and will continue to do so up until my appointment as Hokage," he explained.

"You should know, that whatever you decide now, I'll still place you as a rotating member of Team Kakashi in the future and probably send you out on tracking and capture missions as well," Tsunade warned and Mayu nodded thoughtfully.

It wasn't strange for a member of the police force to be pulled into village missions - in fact, Mayu was pretty sure Tsunade purposely did it to keep the Uchiha entrenched firmly in village business. Plus, she'd need a certain number of missions before she could apply for jounin rank. Mayu wasn't exactly in a rush to do that - she could be an intern at the MPF for years if she wanted, but eventually, she'd need to rack them up.

"You can take some time to decide -"

"I'll do it," Mayu said.

She could use the space from her team and the time to start sorting out the next steps of her training. Plus, there was no way she could turn down the offer of sponsorship from the Uchiha Clan's pride and joy. Tsunade raised an eyebrow when Mayu cut her off, but she was already bouncing up and down slightly with excitement and barely noticed.

"So, when do I start?"

And that was how Mayu found herself in her current situation, weeding a garden as punishment for being a little too vocal in her troubleshooting. But the last four weeks had been boring, even if she had found plenty of holes in their information security so far. Those she  _had_ been passing on subtly, even as she worked on writing a report on the overall efficacy of their current systems, along with suggestions for improvement.

As she bent close to the dirt to work on a particularly stubborn weed, a hunk of hair chose that moment to come out of her braid and flop into the dirt. For a moment she just stared at the now-dusty locks, then down at her hands, which were also covered in dirt. Her eyes narrowed. A beetle casually skittered over the dirt before making itself at home in her hair.  _Well, then,_ she thought and tugged the stubborn weed out, roots and all.

000

"I'm home!" she called.

"Welcome home!" four voices said back and Mayu brightened and quickly slipped her boots off before making her way to the kitchen, where Yoshino and Ensui's voices had originated from. She was pretty sure Shikamaru and Shikaku were in the library. Mayu hadn't seen Ensui since before the Chunin exams - they had missed each other in the month between rounds two and three and he'd left again for a long mission right before she returned.

"Ensui-nii!" she called when she saw that he was, indeed, sitting at the kitchen table shucking peas one-handed while Yoshino stood at the counter chopping something.

She stopped short when she saw the cast on his right arm that went from wrist to elbow and the bandage around his neck. There were bags under his eyes and he was holding himself stiffly - probably broken ribs. For a moment they just stared at each other, then they both spoke in shocked tones at the same time.

"You got hurt  _again -"_

"Your  _hair,_ sweetheart -"

Yoshino turned around and gasped when she saw Mayu, but she was striding across the kitchen towards Ensui, lips pursed and didn't pay her mother any attention. "Why do you keep taking these missions? There are tons of positions in the village! _Please -"_

"Not you, too, Mayu-chan, I get enough of this from my brother," he snapped, face giving her a clear warning that she ignored, panic at the thought of something worse than a broken arm and ribs happening next time loosening her tongue.

"But! Tsunade-sama is having a hard time finding a replacement for the chunin commander! He's so bad, you could -" She abruptly stopped talking when he slapped the table - hard - with his good hand, a little shocked at the loud noise it made and the expression on his face. He'd never looked at her with true anger before and it was...scary.

"Mayu, I don't want to hear it," he said in cold, cruel voice, another first for her. "It's none of your business."

Ensui stared at and she realized she'd hunched in on herself when he hit the table, shoulders bowed and arms crossed over her stomach.

"How is your health none of my business? Are you even thinking about how we'd feel if next time you just don't come back at all?" Mayu said in a small voice. "I guess if your pride is really that important to you, then there's nothing left to say." Her annoying eyes had filled with tears and she gritted her teeth and swallowed. Aware that Shikamaru and Shikaku were now standing in the doorway, she walked quickly past Ensui to the back door.

"I'm not hungry. I have some things I need to do in the lab," Mayu said into the silent kitchen, then escaped as quickly as she could, relieved when she closed the door to her lab behind her.

Mayu moved over to one of her in-progress projects, something she'd been working on as an incapacitation technique. With a sigh she placed her hands on either side of the lined up chemicals and leaned her weight on her palms, dropping her head down and releasing a shaking breath.

"Stupid," she whispered, staring down at the notes in front of her, taking in the chemical equations, which came so easily to her. Why were people so much harder for her to understand? All the deductive reasoning in the world, yet she couldn't figure out how to tell one of the people she loved best in the world that she was worried about him without sending him into a rage.

With a last sigh, she shook off her melancholy and reached for a pair of goggles on the shelf above her, resigning herself to an evening spent in her lab. She should probably give Yoshino some time to deal with the change to her appearance, anyway.

000

The kitchen had gone ominously silent when Mayu left and Ensui glared at the table and went back to shucking peas one-handed. It was more difficult than he thought it should have been for a shinobi, but he was getting it done.

"Ensui," Shikamaru finally said through gritted teeth, "you're an asshole." Then he swept past Ensui and into the backyard. When the door slammed behind him, Ensui sighed and dropped his head, bringing his green-tinged fingers up to rub at his temple.

"Her  _hair,"_ Yoshino wailed, completely ignoring the drama that had just unfolded in favor of her own internal angst. "Why would she do that?"

"You know she hated it long," Ensui grumbled and resisted the urge to flinch when Shikaku sat down across from him and stared him down.

"She did not!" Yoshino said hotly and sniffed when both Nara brothers sent her an identical look that said  _Really?_ "It was cute," she finally settled on.

"She's still cute," Shikaku protested, obviously put out that anybody would claim otherwise. "It looks nice with the outfit  _you_ convinced her to wear."

Ensui had already heard his brother's complaints about the clothes Mayu now favored. From the glimpse he'd gotten before he scared the hell out of one of his favorite people and sent her running, her new look was pretty adorable, though it was obvious she was going for a more grown-up style. She probably thought she looked fierce. Like a growling little kitten.

Black leather shorts that ended much further above the knee than her old cotton ones over mesh pants that went to mid-calf and a long-sleeved mesh undershirt beneath a knitted black sweater with sleeves that ended just below her elbows over the top. The sweater had a wide collar that revealed her bare-under-the-mesh shoulder on one side and loosely hugged her torso down to her hip bones. Over the top she had her usual blue belt - the one he'd gotten her - slung at an angle, the scroll carousel pulling it slightly crooked.

Her hair, which had always been long, was now short in the back, barely falling to the nape of her neck. It was cut at an angle in a wavy bob and two hunks of hair in the front framed her face and fell to brush the tips of her collarbones in the front. He hadn't missed the green eyeliner, identical to his own, that now framed her eyes.

Shikamaru was right, he was an asshole.

"Shikamaru's right, you're an asshole," Shikaku said and Ensui glared. "You can't blame her for being worried about you when you keep showing up looking like crap."

Ensui sighed, reaching out and finishing the last of the peas instead of replying. His brother had already told him about Mayu's not-so-great reaction to Kakashi offering Sasuke his summons contract and he had to admit at least part of that was his fault. If he'd been around, he could have mitigated a lot of the fallout, because god knows Kakashi wouldn't be able to. He lov - he  _liked_ his lover more than he probably should, considering the man was a mess, but a good communicator he was not.

Instead of sticking around, Ensui had volunteered for a solo assassination mission that he knew would take weeks to complete because he was afraid he was becoming second-rate. Something he'd struggled with since he realized his brother was a lauded genius, even within his clan, who was expected to command their elite forces  _and_ take over as clan head.

Ensui had carved himself out his own niche as a saboteur and assassin, both in and out of ANBU, and was feared in his own right. His shadows meant death and the enemies of Konoha knew it - he had never lost a mark and nobody could hide from him and Baken for long. And now his brother, the Hokage, and the girl who'd become his little sister wanted him to become chunin commander and that...chafed a bit at his old insecurities.

Because his brother was the jounin commander and it felt, once again, like he was being given the title of second best. Yes, he knew that at his age he shouldn't let insecurities get in the way of his duty and health, but he couldn't seem to help it. Mayu, as always, had hit the nail on the head - this was mostly about his pride. The man known best for his shadows that strangled and crushed and impaled would instead be shuffled into a job that involved babysitting a bunch of chunin.

"You realize that chunin commander is not an easy task," Shikaku said with a sigh. "The force is much bigger than the jounin reserves and chunin are responsible for a higher percentage of village missions, not to mention border patrols."

Ensui gave his brother a steady stare, annoyed that he understood the root of the problem. Of course, Shikaku just kept right on talking. "And we need somebody with a strong reputation to take over the post. You know eighty percent of defense is how others perceive us. People call your assassination technique the Death Shroud, for god's sake. Bodyguards won't even take a job if they think there's a chance you'll be sent after their client. People know that you're a force to be reckoned with on your own. The only idiot who doesn't believe that is you. Now, go apologize to my daughter before I make you."

The threat wasn't an idle one and Ensui didn't even want to try and disobey, anyway. Guilt wasn't an emotion he usually bothered with but remembering the way Mayu had curled in on herself when he lost his temper was bringing it on full force.

Yoshino, who had been strangely silent throughout their conversation, pulled him into a hug when he stood. "I know it's hard, Ensui-baka, but it's going to be fine. I promise."

He sighed and gave her a sardonic smile at the name she used to call him back when he was still a bitter, angry genin. Point taken. He wasn't exactly convinced to retire from active missions to take on an in-village post, but he at least felt a little less insulted over everybody's concern. Maybe he'd just start taking on more team missions instead of mostly going solo.

Ensui made his way out of the back door, closing it more gently than his nephew had before him. He gave the new chicken coop a glance, raising his eyebrows at the three chickens lounging in the sun, one of which was his namesake according to Kakashi.

Then, he sulked over to the shed and gave a firm knock. The sounds of murmuring voices inside stopped and he tapped his fingers on his thigh as he waited. Footsteps and then a glowering Shikamaru opened the door. "She's busy," he grumbled.

Ensui rolled his eyes. "Scram and let me talk to her," he said, not up for any more Nara attitude that day.

How Yoshino and Mayu dealt with the three of them, he'd never know. Shikamaru scowled and Ensui had to fight a twitch when he saw how much it made him look like Yoshino at her most annoyed.

"Shika, it's fine," Mayu said softly from where Ensui could see her stiff back at the end of the long converted lab. After a few seconds of staring him down, Shikamaru stepped back to let him in, moving to kiss Mayu on the cheek and murmur something in her ear before brushing past Ensui and out the door.

Ensui resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his dramatic nephew and gently closed the door before leaning against it, arms crossed. Mayu slowly turned around and he had to force himself not to smirk at how ridiculous she looked with her large safety goggles covering half her face. She reached up and pulled them off, then tossed them onto the workbench behind her.

He worked to keep his expression blank when she crossed her arms over her chest defensively and stared down at her feet. Mayu's hair fell forward and brushed her cheek and with a huff of air, he crossed the space between them, then reached out and gently picked up the much-shortened blue lock.

"The new style suits you." She glanced up at him from under her lashes, then shrugged.

"It won't get in my way as often and I don't have to bother putting it up now."

"True," he said, then sighed when her gaze remained firmly pointed downward. He moved his hand to the back of her neck and pulled forward gently. She hesitated, then let him tug her into a one-armed hug. "Sorry I snapped at you," he said and kissed the top of her head. "You hit a sore spot, is all."

Mayu remained silent and stiff for a minute before she gave in, wrapping her arms around his waist and sniffling into his shoulder. "I wasn't trying to tell you what to do," she said thickly. "I just don't want you to get hurt or - or -"

"Hush," he said and ran his hand in soothing circles on her back. "I'm not going to take on any more solo missions unless the Hokage specifically requests it, alright?" he found himself promising. She was silent and he knew she was probably holding herself back from saying what she was thinking - that he should take an in-village position - and instead nodded jerkily.

"Well, I've got something for you," he said faux-casually, "if we're done with our little spat." Mayu pulled back and he grimaced at her slightly wet eyes, guilt hitting him hard again.

"Really?" she said, gaze running over him, probably looking for her mystery present. "What is it?" And just like that, she was bouncing up and down in excitement, giving him the same adoring look she always did. 

Chest swelling, he grinned, then jerked his head towards the door. "I need to show you outside. Come on."

"Oooh. That means it's destructive. Is it destructive?" she gushed and followed him out the door, bouncing in circles around him as she tried to deduce what it could be. "No, not destructive...then it must be fairly large since we need to be outside. Hmmm. That's partly right, but not even most of the reason. Maybe..."

"Kid, can we at least try and keep this a surprise?" He inwardly grinned at the resulting sulk. He led her over the fence and into the field and continued walking until they were smack dab in the middle, then stopped. She stood in front of him expectantly, eyes trusting and wide, and Ensui didn't even fight the urge to ruffle her hair, ignoring her indignant squawk.

"This is somethin' I've been planning to do for awhile - years, really. I was just waiting until you made chunin. I'm sorry I wasn't here to give it to you right when you got promoted, sweetheart. I think it would have saved you some pain." Ensui reached into his pouch and pulled out an old, battered scroll and allowed himself a smile when her eyes focused on it and widened in realization.

"Ensui-nii...is that?" 

"Yep. They're a minor summons, but they're tough, loyal, and make good trackers. If you want it, it's yours," he said, hoping his nerves weren't showing while he waited for her answer.

She blinked slowly twice while she took in his words, a habit she'd learned from Shikaku and himself. "But," she said in a low voice, "I thought that this was a contract that you kept in the family..."

Ensui sighed and gave in to the urge to pull her into a hug again. "Idiot. You  _are_ family, even if you don't have the family name yet. Shikaku and I discussed it and we both agree that you're the best choice."

"But - Shikamaru -" she said against his chest and he tightened his arm around her shoulders when he realized she was shaking slightly.

"He's not the right fit," Ensui said. " _You_ are."

They stood there for a few minutes while she pulled herself together and Ensui was aware that the rest of the family was standing on the back porch, watching them. Bunch of busybodies. Mayu took a few deep breaths, then pulled back, squaring her shoulders, determination falling over her features. Then, to his shock, she bowed low. "You honor me, Ensui-niisan," she said gravely, then stood.

"Alright, so I suppose that's a yes," he grumbled, a little embarrassed at the emotional scene, and once again she was just Mayu again, bouncing up on the balls of her feet. Ah, there was the smile he'd been waiting for - the one that scrunched up her nose and eyes it was so wide.

"Yes! Oh, this is going to be  _so cool,"_ she said, gleeful. Ensui smirked, then opened the scroll and began talking her through the signing process. He couldn't help the pride that swelled in his chest when she signed her name in blood directly beneath his own.

"Alright. Now you need to negotiate. Feed chakra into your name - probably about a quarter of your reserves to summon the boss. Then you'll need to convince her that you're worthy. Go on."

Mayu's eyes narrowed in a familiar expression of concentration and she put one finger on her name. Ensui had made a bet with Tsunade that she'd be able to do it on the first try and he couldn't help but let a bit of smugness show when a great serval appeared before them. Ensui had only met her twice, once when he signed the contract, and once when he summoned her in desperation - on the night of the Kyuubi attack.

The top of his head barely reached her shoulder and the yellow of her coat seemed to shine with an inner light, which was probably how she got her name. "Taiyo-sama," he said and bowed deeply. Mayu, who was gaping at the huge cat, quickly followed his lead.

"You bring forth a new summoner," Taiyo said and her voice rumbled like thunder across the field.

"Yes. This is Nomaka Mayu, raised by my brother and his wife as if she were born to them. I believe she will honor the legacy of our contract and respect you as I have and my father before me and his father before him."

Taiyo studied him before letting out a non-committal hum. "Stand, child," she said. "Look me in the eyes."

Mayu, unafraid, straightened and met the serval's bright green eyes squarely. "I am honored to meet you, Taiyo-sama," she said and Ensui almost sighed when she bounced up and down a few times, destroying the solemnity of the moment. "I have a lot of respect for your kin, Baken-san."

Taiyo huffed out a laugh. "That kit spends too much time with this one," Taiyo said, tilting her head at Ensui. "He believes himself to be tough. Every once in awhile I'm forced to bring his ego back down to an acceptable size." Mayu giggled and Ensui resisted the urge to sulk.

"Why do you want to sign with the servals, child?" Taiyo asked and Mayu tilted her head to the side in thought.

"Well, part of it is that summons are very useful things, especially ones that specialize in tracking - one of my own specializations - and that are fast enough to keep up with me. Also..." Mayu hesitated and her cheeks turned red. "Also, the contract would be passed on to me by Ensui-nii, and...and I think that's pretty special." She shuffled her feet and Ensui shot her a fond look.

"Legacy is a powerful thing," Taiyo rumbled, "especially for one that was an orphan for many years. Baken has told me of you," she explained before Mayu could ask how she knew about her past. "Tell me, to what use would you put my brethren if I allow this partnership?"

Mayu straightened, expression going serious. "I plan on becoming an investigator for the Military Police Force. Not all of the threats to the village and the people I love come from outside of its walls. If Baken told you about me, you already know that I discovered that when I was very young. I expect my partners would help me track down the traitors and criminals of Konoha."

"Interesting," Taiyo said. Mayu held herself still as the large cat stepped forward and breathed in her scent, her pointed, delicate nose only a few inches from Mayu's face. "You will do, I think. Has Ensui ever told you what he offers in exchange for our service?"

Mayu stared at the cat and slowly shook her head. "No, Taiyo-sama."

The cat backed up, muscles rippling beneath gold and black fir, before she sat, then lifted her paw to give it a few thoughtful licks. "The servals have always craved knowledge," Taiyo said when her paw was cleaned to her satisfaction. Her tail flicked once on the ground where it was curled around her, then stilled.

"Unlike some of the other clans in our realm, however, we are cursed with an inability to read. My clan is illiterate and no matter how we try, we are not able to make sense of the written word." Mayu's brow furrowed, but for once she kept her mouth shut. "For our service to the Nara clan, we require knowledge, passed on to us verbally. Ensui and his father both offered to teach us strategy and tactics. What kind of knowledge can you offer?"

Mayu blinked rapidly. "Um. What do you know about chemistry?"

Taiyo tilted her head to the side. "We are not versed in the subject."

Mayu honest-to-god gasped and Taiyo looked a bit taken aback at her reaction. "Well, that's just sad! Chemistry is amazing.Here, let me show you!" Ensui closed his eyes but didn't interfere. He had to let Mayu blunder through this on her own. "Chemistry is a form of science." She dropped into lecture mode,= and Taiyo's ears flickered in what Ensui was relieved to see was amusement. Taiyo, like any cat, was sometimes unpredictable.

"It's the study of matter, basically. Its properties, how different substances interact with each other. With chemistry, I can create a solution that, when exposed to the air, bursts into flame." Ensui pinched his nose between thumb and forefinger when she removed a Mayu cocktail from her pouch and threw it across the field with a flourish.

Taiyo jumped when it shattered and fire began eating the grass around it at a rapid pace. Ensui made a hand sign and sent this shadows to smother the flames before they could spread. Mayu didn't even notice, instead pulling out a grenade.

"Or! You can create something like this grenade. Harmless right now, but if I -" she tugged out the pen at the top and tossed it a good fifty feet away. "Three, two, one," she said, then solemnly covered her ears just before it exploded and tufts of grass flew through the air.

Unaware of the way Taiyo had cringed at the loud noise she spun back to her. "It's not all destructive, though! I can create a substance so sticky it's almost impossible to break through, or! Look at this!" She pulled out a smoke bomb, tossed it in the air, already attached to a chakra thread, and it poofed into green smoke above them.

"Cool, right? Like, did you know that the air we breathe is actually composed of..."

"Alright, child, be still," Taiyo said, not unkindly, and Mayu shut up, eyes wide and hopeful. The boss of the servals studied her closely before giving a small nod. "I accept your request to contract with the Servals," she said and Mayu clapped her hands together three times in excitement.

"I offer you my niece, Momo, as your partner." There was a displacement of air and a much smaller cat appeared between Taiyo and Mayu.

She was obviously quite young, with a body that looked like it was still growing into her large ears, paws, and gangly legs. The fur beneath her black spots was a lighter color than Taiyo's, closer to the color of a peach, which is probably where her name came from. Her shoulders would reach to about mid-thigh on Mayu if she were to stand at her side.

"Momo-chan, meet your summoner, Nomaka Mayu," Taiyo said and Mayu waved happily at the cat when she turned green eyes that were darker by a shade than her aunt's on her. Mayu faltered, however, at the obvious anger in the cat's posture.

"Obaa-sama, I told you, I would not accept a summoner without my brother," she hissed, then let out an odd yelping noise when Taiyo cuffed her with a large paw and sent her sprawling. It wasn't hard enough to do more than push her over, but Mayu still made a noise in the back of her throat and dashed to the cat's side.

"You shouldn't hit your own niece!" she scolded and ignored Ensui's groan and mumbles about how Shikaku would never forgive him if Mayu was killed by the Boss Serval.

"Who are you to tell me how I should or should not treat my kin?" Taiyo snarled and Mayu put her nose in the air, standing when Momo did.

"Uh, her new  _partner,_ remember? And I don't allow anybody to beat up on my partners, boss summons or not!" Ensui shifted, ready to put himself between the cat and the idiot girl if needed. To his surprise, Taiyo simply huffed, amused.

"I suppose I should be thankful that you already take your duties so seriously." Mayu sniffed but didn't reply. "I cannot force Momo to take this contract, despite the dishonor it would bring to her and my family were she to refuse."

Momo looked down at the ground before straightening to her full height - laughable compared to her aunt's - and replied. "I told you, I won't leave my brother behind." She turned wide green eyes on Mayu, who froze like one of the Nara deer when it came upon a predator at the pleading gaze.

"Um. Who is your brother and why do you think you're leaving him behind?"

Taiyo sighed. "Her twin, Anzu. In order of succession, it should be he who becomes the next summons of the Nara clan. However, he was born with a...condition...that makes him unfit."

Momo snarled silently, then quailed when Taiyo gave her a  _look._ "He's not unfit! His strengths just lie elsewhere. He doesn't deserve the way everyone treats him -"

"Enough!" Taiyo yelled. "I will not hear this speech again."

"What other strengths?" Mayu asked, eyes lighting up in a way that Ensui knew meant trouble.

Momo looked up at her and Ensui didn't even know that a cat could look hopeful until that moment. "He's strong - really strong! And fast, and big! He'd be a great fighter -"

"The Servals are not combat summons!" Taiyo growled, making Mayu and Momo both jump. "Now, are you going to refuse this contract, or not?"

Momo looked torn for a moment before she raised her head regally. "I cannot in good conscience -"

"What will it cost me to take them both?" Mayu cut Momo off. The young cat turned her head and stared at Mayu, ears swiveling back and tail dropping in shock.

Taiyo's eyes narrowed at Mayu, who was tapping her chin with one finger while the other hand went to her hip. "What about deduction and investigation? I mean, those are basically my wheelhouse and go right along with tracking. I think it'd be super useful for your clan!"

Ensui's lip quirked up as pride swelled in his chest. Mayu may have trouble keeping her mouth shut and, sure, she had a ruthless streak about a mile wide and enjoyed blowing up private property way too much, but under it all, she had a heart of gold. Well, of silver at least.

"Anzu is unable to track - he was born without the strong nose of the rest of our clan. Are you sure you want to move forward with this?" Taiyo asked in a neutral voice. Mayu shrugged.

"Well, if what Momo-san said is true, he could be useful for other things, like running messages and combat. Kakashi-sensei uses his summons for all sorts of things, even if their primary purpose is tracking. His apprentice is training his pack to mostly be runners and support fighters, actually."

Momo was staring up at Mayu like she'd just discovered she was responsible for the invention of catnip and Ensui shook his head when he realized she'd somehow acquired lifelong loyalty from the serval in the space of five minutes. It had taken Ensui six months to get Baken to cooperate more than the bare minimum, and that had involved getting lost in a cave, a crazy bomber, and a daring rescue.

"It is done," Taiyo said and with a pop, another cat appeared beside Mayu. This one was visibly larger than Momo, with a thicker body and paws. His head was broader, his eyes more wide-set, and he overall lacked the slender features of most of his kin.

Ensui frowned when the cat looked around and then hunched in on himself, as though expecting a verbal or physical blow. He watched as Mayu studied the cat with narrowed eyes and suddenly was very glad he'd given the contract to her. She'd sort the cat out.

"Anzu-kun, meet your summoner. Your sister and yourself are to stay with her for a week and a day. If at the end of that time, any of you wish to leave the contract, it will be allowed. After that, however, you will be bound until either she or you dies or the contract is broken. Do you agree to this?" Taiyo said, obviously impatient to move on with her day. Anzu's head lifted and he blinked rapidly.

"Taiyo-obasama...what..." His voice was deeper than Momo's and he spoke more slowly.

The big cat twitched in obvious annoyance at his inability to catch on quickly and Mayu broke in. "Hi, Anzu-san. I'm Nomaka Mayu. Your sister said you'd make a good combat partner and runner while she takes care of the tracking. Are you interested?"

He stared at her before speaking again in his slow, deep voice. "I...yes. That would be...fine."

"Good. Then I will return in exactly a week and a day." With that, Taiyo disappeared in a dramatic puff of smoke.

"Charming," Mayu muttered, then beamed. "Wow! Look at you two! You - you're beautiful! But, I have to say, what was your mom thinking? Anzu and Momo? Apricot and Peach? Did she  _want_ you to get bullied?"

Anzu hunched in on himself even further and Mayu faltered while Ensui slapped a hand to his forehead. Momo snarled silently at her and she held up her hands in surrender. "I mean, they're lovely names. And, even if someone does bully you, by the time I'm done training you guys you'll be able to wipe the floor with them!" Mayu rubbed her hands together in glee and didn't see the surprised looks the twins exchanged.

"Both of us?" Momo asked. "I thought Anzu was to be the combat summons."

Mayu waved that away with her hand. "No way! I'm going to teach you both combat, at least enough that we can all work together if we need to." This time she didn't miss Anzu's reaction to her words and she frowned when he slumped.

"I'll also be teaching Anzu visual tracking. After all, servals have good eyesight -" Ensui really shouldn't be surprised that she had at some point looked up serval characteristics, but for some reason he was, "-so you'll do well with it. If you're going to learn deduction and investigation, you'll need to know these things," she finished loftily, pretending not to see that Anzu was staring at her with naked hope in his eyes. "Now come on, I'm starving and I need to introduce you to my family."

000

Mayu's eyes kept glancing over at the two large cats as they followed timidly behind her and Ensui on the way back to the house. Her summons _._ Ensui had given her his contract because they were  _family._ She stopped abruptly and Ensui walked a few more steps before noticing, as he was caught up in his rant about "Idiot girls who smart-mouthed boss summons."

He turned and raised an eyebrow at her and she jumped forward, careful of his ribs as she hugged him. "Thank you," she said, then pulled back. His face had softened into a half smile and he ruffled her hair with his uninjured hand.

"Sweetheart, you got nothing to thank me for. You're the tracker of the family in your generation, the contract belonged to you."

Her chest swelled and she inhaled suddenly when a thought hit her. "Ensui-nii...did Kakashi-sensei know you planned on offering me your contract?"

Ensui sighed and motioned for them to keep walking. They both ignored the interested stares of her new summons. "He did," he admitted.

"But why - why didn't he say anything?" she asked, honestly baffled.

"Mayu-chan, sweetheart, you're a genius, but sometimes you miss really obvious things. Kakashi probably didn't even realize you wanted to be his apprentice, so he didn't think to prepare you."

Mayu frowned. "What? Why would he think that? It was obvious!"

Ensui hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to explain it to her. "Mayu-chan...Kakashi doesn't see himself as a catch in any sense of the word." He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. "You and I know better, but he's not exactly the poster boy for high self-esteem."

Mayu frowned and mulled that around in her head. That...made a lot of sense, actually. "So he didn't think my feelings would be hurt when he didn't want me as an apprentice, or as the person he let sign his summons contract, because he didn't think I wanted him to be my master in the first place."

Ensui sighed. "It wasn't about what he did or didn't want, Mayu. It was about his duty. Sasuke needed him to make him his apprentice, for Sasuke, but also for all of your team and your lofty plans, so he did. Not that he doesn't care about the boy, but...Kakashi tends to come at things from a different angle. You think he chose Sasuke over you, but in his mind, he just made the decision that needed to be made. He didn't realize you might be hurt until  _Sasuke_ told him that. Especially since he knew I'd be giving you the Serval Contract."

Mayu's eyes widened in realization. "I'm such a jerk," she said dejectedly, then jumped when Anzu growled behind her, not happy with anybody insulting his summoner, apparently - even if she insulted herself.

"You aren't," Ensui said. "It was just a lack of communication. You need to start learning to face these situations head-on," he scolded and Mayu deflated even further, recognizing the truth of his words. He sighed at her sad face and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Of course, it would help if he wasn't emotionally incapable of normal conversation." Mayu giggled.

"I'll talk to him, I promise," she said and he kissed her temple before letting her go so they could hop the fence.

"You better, I don't want to deal with his moping."

She brightened when she saw her family waiting on the porch, Shikaku and Shikamaru sitting on the steps looking half asleep, Yoshino beaming almost manically from where she was sitting on the rails, feet kicking in the air.

"Well, introduce us!" Yoshino said, hopping off the porch to land in front of Mayu.

"Ah...Anzu-san, Momo-san, this is my family. My father, Nara Shikaku, my mother, Nara Yoshino, and my..." she looked at Shikamaru and cleared her throat as she tried to come up with the right word for what he was. Boyfriend didn't really seem to cover it. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her, amused at her mental flailing.

"That's her future husband, Nara Shikamaru," Ensui drawled and Mayu glared at him when Yoshino cooed.

Her parents were so weird - shouldn't they be freaked out about them dating? Sure, they'd gotten the 'no closed doors' lecture, but other than that they both seemed almost as happy as Mayu and Shikamaru were about the situation. She glanced at Shikamaru, who had his usual smug expression that he wore whenever somebody brought up the fact that they were together, and rolled her eyes.

Momo stepped forward and inclined her head, Anzu quickly copying her, albeit clumsily. "Momo-san and Anzu-san are twins, isn't that adorable?" Mayu gushed and Yoshino made a noise of agreement. "They're sticking around for eight days to make sure they like me."

She turned to the two cats, who were studying her family with interest, and knelt in front of them. "They're the most important thing to me in the world," she said once she was sure they were looking at her. "I want you to protect them as if they were me, and follow their orders as if they had come from my own mouth."

Momo tilted her head to the side at that. "We can do that," she said, "but any orders you give automatically supersede theirs."

Mayu shrugged. "Alright, I can live with that." She stood and turned back to her family, blinking at their floored expressions. "What?" she grumbled. "Like you didn't already know I love you. Mom, do we have anything we can feed them?"

A few minutes later Yoshino was kneeling in front of the summons and was talking softly to them while Ensui ran to his house to grab steaks he kept on hand for Baken. Mayu watched, impressed, while Yoshino pulled a shy Anzu out of his shell a bit until he was quietly answering questions about his interests. He really enjoyed swimming, of all things. Didn't cats hate water?

Shikamaru slouched up to put an arm around her waist and she leaned against him. "Okay?" he mumbled and she glanced at him.

"Yes. Is it alright that I signed the contract?" he frowned at her in confusion before his expression cleared.

"Eh, a summons would be such a pain. They're so needy." Momo huffed in affront from where she was sitting next to her brother and Yoshino, but Anzu surprised Mayu with a low, pleasant laugh.

"You think everything's a pain," she teased, smiling up at him in relief.

"Not everything," he said, tightening his arm around her, and she blushed.

000

The next day Mayu went into work with Shikaku, eyes bright while she clung onto his arm and listed off rapid-fire questions about his thoughts on the origin on the fake intel. He didn't bother responding since she answered her own queries just as rapidly, his eyes half-lidded and posture slouched, hands in his pockets. They got a few double-takes when people noticed the two adolescent servals flanking them, Momo looking around with interest while Anzu watched the world with wary eyes.

They'd been mostly quiet the night before, watching the Naras eat dinner and listening to Shikaku brag about Mayu's exploits at the exams to a delighted Ensui. Yoshino had bemoaned the loss of her hair and in response as to why she'd "cut off all her beautiful hair," Mayu had sighed.

"Mom, it was always in the way. It doesn't look that bad, does it?" she grumbled, then blinked when three Nara men quickly assured her it was 'cute' and 'adorable.'

"Huh, maybe you're right and I should have kept it long." She'd spent some time sulking after. She didn't want to be cute, she wanted to be fierce. Probably something that was pretty much unattainable if her eyes didn't stop being so large and she didn't grow taller than her current five feet five inches. If she made it to five feet seven inches in the next two years she'd throw a party.

Mayu had woken up at one point after they'd all gone to sleep and heard the two cats whispering to each other in the dark. "...what if she's just like... _them,"_ Anzu had rumbled.

"I don't think she is," Momo had whispered back. "I really think she's okay with you being a little different. And she isn't afraid of Taiyo-sama - not even a little bit." It was around that time that Mayu had woken up fully and they both went silent. She'd sat awake for a few more minutes before falling back into a light doze, wondering how miserable Anzu's life had to have been to make him so distrustful and wary.

"Mayu-chan, let's see what Team Seven has to say about what they found at the rendezvous before we start making theories," Shikaku said, cutting her off as she was in the middle of a rambling explanation of how she refiled the archives of Intelligence and her plans to use the new organizational system to see if there had been more than the five missives she'd found the day before.

Mayu's head shot up when he pointed out a tired but mostly uninjured Team Kakashi shuffling into the administration building, obviously just back from their mission. Mayu's breath caught and she realized just how much she'd missed her team. She'd been such an idiot,sulking for as long as she had. Mycroft always used to say that Holmeses were master sulkers - usually when talking about Sherlock, but still. She herself was capable of some truly spectacular and long lasting bouts of sullenness.

"Oi! Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei!" she called, suddenly desperate to speak with them again. Mayu tugged on Shikaku, forcing him to extend his stride when she attempted to jog up to them while still holding onto his arm. He grumbled but sped up by a small - very small - amount. Team Kakashi, including a bland-faced brunette man that looked to be in his twenties and was wearing an admittedly cool faceplate, turned to face her.

Feeling suddenly shy and more than a little unsure of her welcome, she slowed as she approached. She was immediately bombarded by an excited Sakura. "Oh, your hair!" she said, unconcerned with the fact that her own braided hair was matted with sweat and dirt and blood. "It looks nice - when did you cut it? And I didn't know you signed with the servals, too, Shikaku-sama," she said belatedly. Leave it to Sakura to notice Mayu's hair before she saw the two large wildcats following her around.

Kakashi's eye had sharpened upon the two cats that had stopped a few feet away, staring at the newcomers curiously. Sasuke was glancing between them and Mayu - he knew that Shikaku didn't have a contract. Like his son, he was too lazy to find obtaining a summons worth the effort.

"Um, actually," Mayu said, looking down at her feet, "Ensui-nii offered me his contract. Momo-san and Anzu-san are following me around for a week to make sure they want to be my partners." She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up at Kakashi from under her lashes, but he had taken out his book and was reading it.

Sasuke stepped forward hesitantly to greet them and Mayu beamed at him, relieved that he didn't seem to be holding a grudge for her behavior the past few weeks. Like he could judge somebody for partaking in a little bit of angst, anyway.

"Oh! Right. Momo-san, Anzu-san, this is my team - Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke. What I said about my family yesterday - the same goes for them." Sakura bent at the waist with her hands on her knees to greet the two cats and Sasuke grunted a hello. Kakashi waved and offered his usual "Yo."

"I thought you said you'd taken an in-village position," Anzu said in his usual slow manner after a moment of thought. "I assumed this meant you didn't have a team."

Mayu avoided Sasuke and Kakashi's eyes when they both stiffened and hurried to explain. "Oh, that's just temporary, actually. Hokage-sama wanted me to become familiar with a few departments in the village. Once I'm done with the assignment, I'll hopefully be accepted to an internship with the Military Police Force, and I'll also be on rotation on Team Kakashi. So." She shifted uncomfortably.

"Well," Shikaku said into the awkward silence, "I assume you're here to report in? Where is Itachi-san?"

"He escorted the team we were sent to back-up to the hospital. Sakura healed most of the injuries incurred, but they all need to be looked over," the man that was probably Yamato said in a bland voice.

"Oh! So you made it on time!" Mayu said and Sakura's smile was tired but real.

"Yes -" she started, but Kakashi cut her off.

"Why don't you come in with us while we report - Tsunade-sama mentioned you would be looking into the circumstances around the bad intel, so you should probably hear it anyway," he said from behind the orange cover. They all agreed and started to filter into the building. Mayu hesitated, then reached out and snagged Kakashi's sleeve when he moved to go inside.

"Can I talk to you, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked in a low voice. His dark grey eye darted over to her and he hesitated. "It'll take only a second." After another pause, he waved Yamato inside.

"I'll be just a moment, kohai." Mayu stiffened. Kohai? She looked at Yamato with more interest than she had before, curious, but her attention was pulled back to Kakashi who was looking at her expectantly.

She cleared her throat, then motioned for him to follow her to the other side of the building where they'd have the illusion of privacy. He did so, holding himself stiffly, and she bit her lip. Ugh, guilt was a horrible emotion - how did people deal with it all the time?

The servals had remained by the door, waiting, and she looked at them then back at Kakashi, who had put the book away and was now staring at the wall of the building behind her right shoulder. Mayu gathered her courage before blurting, "I'm really sorry, sensei." His eye widened and darted to her. "For what I said during the exams and for avoiding you. I just." She fidgeted and looked down at her fingers, wishing she was anywhere else. "My feelings were hurt," she finally grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest.

She glanced up at him and saw he was studying her warily. Mayu remembered what Ensui had said about him coming at things from a different angle and realized she would have to be more clear. "I thought you taking Sasuke as an apprentice meant you loved him more than me, or something, or that you thought I wasn't good enough." Mayu felt her cheeks heat at the admission - it sounded pretty childish when she said it out loud.

"Ensui-nii told me you knew he was offering the serval contract to me and that you really just chose Sasuke because it was the logical choice. Well, and you care for him, obviously. And...and even though I'm not your apprentice and will only be on your team sometimes I hope that I can still...still be your problem," she said the last in a rush, annoyed when she remembered what she had said to him before her fight with Gaara.  _I probably won't be your problem soon, anyway._ Why did cruelty come so easily to her?

Kakashi still hadn't said anything and she cleared her throat and looked to the side. After another agonizing thirty seconds, she glanced at him and bit her lip when she saw his expression was still blank. Actually, he looked shocked.

"Sensei?" she said tentatively and wrung her hands a few times. "Are you...are you still mad?"

His eye darted to her and she flinched when he gave her a fake eye-smile. "No, of course not, Mayu-chan. I can't really blame you for sometimes thinking the worst of me. I know I'm not good at..." he drifted off.

"No! That's not what I -" she started to protest and he reached out and patted her head. She stared at him before throwing herself forward for a hug, ignoring his attempts to wiggle out of it.

"Okay, Mayu, it's fine. Come on, let's go back inside," he practically pleaded. Finally, she pulled back and beamed up at him. He sighed and patted her on the head again, a little frantically.

"I really am sorry, sensei. I know I was a jerk." she sagged and blinked when a piece of candy appeared in front of her.

"It's my fault too. Let's just forget it, hmm?" She took the candy, oddly touched that he was still carrying her favorite around with him on the off chance that they made up, and nodded. Kakashi-sensei was the best - how had she gone a whole month without talking to him?

000

Mayu sat on the floor in Shikaku's office, cross-legged, elbows on her knees and hands held up in front of her lips, palms together as though praying. She was staring at the seven encrypted missives laid out in front of her, eyes darting over them and murmuring to herself. They'd found one more in the archives and discovered that it had ended in the death of a tokubetsu jounin operative three years before.

Across the room Shikaku was pouring over the written report Sasuke had just brought to them, hoping to pick something up that they hadn't while listening to their verbal report. The team that Kakashi's group had been sent to rescue had been ambushed by missing-nin, alright. Four B-ranked criminals, easily strong enough to take out the three-person cell comprised of Konoha chunin that were sent to intercept the supposed selling of information. What was strange was that two of the attacking shinobi were former Grass shinobi, one was from Kumo, and the last from Kiri.

It just was not that usual to see shinobi from other villages - even rogue shinobi - teaming up with those from competing hidden villages. The rivalry and hatred ran too deep. Pair that with these missives, which had codes that Shikaku had identified as originating from five different geographical areas of the Elemental Nations...well. It spoke of an organization, or a network at the very least, of rogue ninja that were targeting Konoha. This was bad since it was something they should have some sort of intel on already, instead of being blindsided. Especially since all of the missives were composed (though not written by) the same person.

The markers that proved without a doubt there was a mastermind behind all of this seemed to light up on the paper before her eyes. With a deep breath, she let the information she'd learned organize itself in her mind cave as she began building a profile of their mystery saboteur.

"This person," she began sometime later, voicing her thoughts out loud for her father's benefit, "is educated beyond what you'd expect from an average shinobi." The sounds of Shikaku writing and flipping through pages paused on the other side of the room. "I'd guess female, by the cadence of these messages. Highly resourceful and knowledgeable, probably worked in Intelligence before she became a missing-nin. Charismatic - she'd have to be, to convince people from different villages to unite to her cause." Mayu frowned, eyes still closed. "Though what that is, I'm not sure. Not enough data. If I had to guess, I'd say she's from Grass Village originally."

"Why do you say that?" Shikaku asked in a low voice and Mayu hummed.

"Diplomacy is a strength of both Grass village and our enemy, so it would make sense she trained there. Plus, the first missive, from five years ago, used a code that you said was popular with both Rain and Grass about seven years ago before it became too well known to others and they had to change it up. That also tells us the time frame she went rogue - two years at least before she started a subtle campaign of sabotage."

Mayu fell silent again while she sorted through the information flying before her in her mind cave. "After that, she had the assistance of people from other villages in writing the missives and used their own coding styles to throw us off before making sure we intercepted them. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to who she's targeting from our ranks. A genin team and their jounin sensei, two three-person chunin cells, two jounin, and two mixed teams. No particular clan was hit hard, though a few clan kids were casualties. I think it's random.

"So, she's angry at the village itself, no particular person or group, but subtle in her efforts of sabotage. I bet she's got a few other campaigns going against us...possibly other villages, too? No way to know unless Grass is willing to give us more information on kunoichi that went missing around seven years ago..."

She opened her eyes and jolted when she realized it wasn't just she and Shikaku in the room anymore. Itachi had joined them at some point and was giving her an indecipherable look. Shikaku was scribbling notes on a piece of paper.

"Hey, sempai," she said, lifting her arms in a stretch. "What's up?"

"You deduced all of this from a few old encrypted messages and the written report from our rescue mission?" Itachi asked, tone light, and she blinked at him.

"Well, there's a lot of information here if you just lookfor it," she grumbled defensively and his lips quirked up on one side.

"I was not doubting you." He glanced down at the papers spread around her. "Do you agree with her assessment, Shikaku-sama?" Mayu's eyes darted over to her father, who was giving her a steady look, lips quirked up in what she recognized was pride.

"Yes. That's a sound profile from the intel we've gathered." Mayu beamed at him while Itachi hummed.

"So, we are looking at an organization comprised of an unknown number of low to medium ranked shinobi from multiple hidden villages. Their leader is most likely female, highly intelligent and charismatic, with an intimate knowledge of the way Intelligence departments in villages work. It's probably due to this knowledge that they've been able to mostly avoid drawing attention to themselves."

"Well, it just sounds scary when you put it like that," Mayu said distractedly. Something about his description was tugging at her...

"Is this what you have promised to teach us?" Momo demanded from where she and Anzu were sitting out of the way in the corner of Shikaku's office. "Is this investigation and deduction?"

Mayu blinked over at them, having forgotten they were there for the past - she looked at the clock and winced - four hours. "Uh. Well, that was more of the deduction side," she said a little apologetically. She went to stand and  _eeped_ as her numb, slightly-asleep legs refused to hold her up. Only Itachi's hand on her arm kept her from face-planting into the paperwork spread around her.

"Thanks, Itachi-sempai," she mumbled, then looked over to Momo and Anzu. "You guys are probably hungry and bored, huh?" she said a bit guiltily. Day one and she was already blowing it. To her surprise, Anzu shook his large head.

"Hungry, perhaps, but not bored. This is interesting to watch, much more interesting than our usual days," he said and she tilted her head to the side, pretty sure it was the most he'd ever said to her.

"Huh," she replied, deciding her summons led incredibly dull lives (she'd have to fix that) while she stepped away from Itachi. She stretched down to touch the floor with her palms, wincing when her muscles protested the stretch after hours in a prone position.

"Papa, I'm going to take the servals out to get some food," she said after she straightened, and pulled an arm across her front, wrinkling her nose when her shoulder popped. Should it be doing that at thirteen?

"Alright, take the rest of the day off - you gave us enough to go to Grass with," he said from his desk. Mayu cheered and skipped over to kiss his cheek.

"Don't work too late, papa," she said. "You promised to teach me a new Earth Release this week, remember?" Shikaku looked up long enough to quirk his lips up at her in reply and then he and Itachi were talking rapid-fire about the best way to request the information they wanted from Grass. Ugh, diplomacy, boring.

000

She had just sat down in a small square with a statue of the Nindaime looming over the area looking generally disapproving when Harumi found her. Anzu and Momo were at her feet, delicately but quickly eating the meat Mayu had picked up from the butcher, and she was inhaling some dumplings she'd grabbed from a vendor.

Mayu blinked up at the girl, who looked as gorgeous as ever in the white medic's uniform, her light hair pulled back into a no-nonsense bun. She took in her wringing hands and pale features and the deep shadows beneath her eyes.

"What do you need my help with?" Mayu asked, not bothering with a greeting, then took another mouthful of her lunch while Harumi fidgeted in front of her. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen much of her lately - the internship stage of being a medic was hell, by all accounts. Also, Mayu was pretty sure Harumi was holding some sort of grudge over Mayu's victory in the battle for Shikamaru's heart. Though hadn't she turned her attention to Sasuke? Ugh, teenagers. 

Harumi took a shuddering breath and Mayu stopped chewing when she bowed down at the waist in front of her, hiding her face from view. "Mayu-sempai, I've come to request your assistance in an urgent manner!" Her words tumbled over each other in their rush to get out. "It's life or death, and I - I didn't know who else to turn to!"

Mayu resumed her chewing and studied the still-bowing girl. "Uh, why don't you sit down, kohai?" she said, ignoring the voice that told her she was only calling her that because Kakashi had a kohai and being like sensei was always a must. Also, it was difficult to hold onto her grudge against her now that she and Shikamaru were together. Mayu cut off her smug thoughts to focus on the earnest expression on Harumi's face.

"Well, you'll need to give me more information before I can help you," Mayu grumbled, already knowing she was going to say yes. She had the next week free while Tsunade set up her next assignment - she would be heading to Interrogation a little earlier than planned since her post in the Intelligence department had suddenly ended with the dissolution of Filo's team. Yoshino had a soft spot for Harumi, which meant that if she found out Mayu turned her down when she asked for help there'd be hell to pay.

"It - it's my best friend, Chiko," Harumi said, sniffling, and Mayu leaned away from her, hoping she wouldn't cry. She just didn't know how to handle crying people, even if she was one more often than she'd like. Emotions were such a pain.

"She's disappeared! Just like all those other girls in the poorer districts. And the police have no idea what's going on and I tried to talk to them but now I think they don't even caresince it's just the children of prostitutes and poor people with no political sway -"

Mayu blinked at the flood of words before putting her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Harumi-chan, slow down," she said firmly, and Harumi abruptly stopped talking, chest heaving and tears looking more and more like a real possibility.

"So, start at the beginning. Girls have been disappearing from around the Flower District?" Harumi took a shuddering breath, then nodded once.

"Y-yes. At first, everybody thought they were - were runaways. But then, more daughters of the workers in Flower District went missing. They just. They just would go out to run errands and not come home. Then the merchants in the surrounding districts began reporting that their daughters were - were -"

Mayu straightened. A serial kidnapper? This could be an interesting diversion for the next few days, at the very least. "How old are these girls?" she cut in, interrupting Harumi's almost-descent into tears.

"Um, I think, the youngest was eleven, and the oldest seventeen? Maybe?" Mayu hummed.

"So, not an individual perpetrator, then," she said to herself.

"Why do you say that?" Momo asked and Mayu glanced over at the two servals, who were watching with interest. Harumi jumped, eyes widening when she turned her attention to them. She must have been really upset if she somehow glossed over two one hundred and twenty-pound felines.

"Because, if this were a serial kidnapper, he or she would most likely have a certain type of victim in mind. It's usually a compulsion or mental illness. So if all the missing girls were around twelve, with brown hair and brown eyes, I would assume it was just a crazy person. The fact that there's a wide range of girls going missing tells us that there's probably an organization behind it - human traffickers, perhaps." Harumi made a noise like she'd been punched in the stomach, then burst into tears, and Mayu winced as she remembered that the whole reason Harumi was asking for help was that her best friend was one of the missing girls.

"Uh..." Mayu said and  _eeped_ when Harumi threw herself against her and sobbed against her shoulder. "There, there," Mayu mumbled and patted crying girl's back while attempting to lean away from her.

"I - I didn't know who else to go to!" Harumi wailed. "The p-police have no leads, and when I talked to the lead investigator he blew me off. And Yoshino-shishou is always bragging about how good you are at investigation and I just. I'm so worried about Chiko!" Mayu twitched when Harumi pulled back and looked up at her with wide, tear-filled green eyes. "Please find Chiko for me, Mayu-sempai. You're her only hope!"

"Ah, I guess I could...look into it," Mayu replied, clearing her throat and looking away, cringing at the feeling of her now-damp shoulder when she shifted.

"Oh, thank you!" Mayu sighed and looked up at the sky when Harumi hugged her. "I have to go back to work - I only had a short break." Harumi wrote down Chiko's information and address and the name of the investigator she'd spoken to before taking off.

Twenty minutes later Mayu sauntered into the MPF headquarters and looked around the large, well-lit room filled with desks and bustling Uchiha with the Uchiwa fan displayed proudly on their shoulders.

Her eyes darted around until she spotted a sign - Investigative Department. Perfect. Widening her eyes, she put her hands behind her back in a way she knew made her look about three years younger than she actually was, and bounced over to the reception desk.

"Hi!" she chirped at the bored-looking chunin sitting there. "I was wondering if Investigator Uchiha Kaoru is available?"

000

"She always goes to the market on S-Sundays," the woman in front of her, Chiko's mother, sobbed. "This Sunday she just didn't come back!"

"Can you tell me what time she left, and the usual route she takes?" Mayu asked, warily watching the beautiful woman to make sure she wouldn't try to bring her tears closer to Mayu's person.

Finally, they were finished - talking to family members of victims was always a drag - and Mayu hightailed it out of there, waving off the woman's frantic thank-yous for agreeing to look into Chiko's disappearance. Harumi must have been talking about her, because Chiko's mother believed she was the genius that she, well, was.

Mayu had found it disgustingly easy to look through the investigation file conveniently left out on Uchiha Kaoru's desk. She'd spent ten minutes gushing over his 'investigative prowess' while he looked down his nose at her. Mayu's claim that she wanted to interview 'the best' in her quest to become accepted into the MPF was laughably transparent, yet he'd bought it hook, line, and sinker. When somebody had called him out into the hallway to ask him a question, she'd rifled through the stacks of folders on his desk until she found the right one.

Mayu had flipped through it, quickly memorizing the scant information the man had gathered in disgust, before waltzing out without bothering to say goodbye. Harumi had been right - he didn't seem that interested in finding the perpetrator if the shamefully small amount of follow up he'd done was any indication.

So here she was, interviewing sobbing family members. It was edging into late evening and Chiko's mother had been her last stop. Seven girls went missing in the last four weeks that the MPF was aware of. Mayu was pretty sure she'd discover more by the end of all this. After detangling herself from Chiko's beautiful mother, even when she was bawling her eyes out, she took the time to familiarize herself with the neighborhood.

It wasn't exactly dirty, but it was rundown. The buildings mostly needed a new paint job, and there were a lot of loiterers doing their level best to look at her while not  _looking_ at her. Momo and Anzu were keeping any would-be harassers firmly at bay.

"We're going to find the girls?" Anzu's voice broke through her internal ranting about crappy investigators and she glanced over at him, blinking when she saw that he was practically prowling next to her, ears and tail up and alert, movements languid, but ready to pounce - or hunt.

"Yes."

"Good," Anzu said in satisfaction. "Somebody needs to save them." With the permission of the families they'd been able to track down that afternoon - three plus Chiko - Mayu and Momo had memorized the scents of the girls from items that they used frequently.

Momo had growled, the fur on her neck fluffing up in rage when one of the items was a well-loved stuffed rabbit of the youngest missing girl. Chiroko Hana had turned eleven a week before she'd been taken and even Mayu had to stop to breath through the anger that went through her at just how young the girl was.

"It pisses me off that Kaoru-san didn't take this seriously. I wonder how Fugaku-sama didn't realize..." Mayu shook her head. "He must be busy with other things - probably tightening up security and investigations into shinobi matters. Well, I guess we'll just have to pick up the slack." She rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

The next day she was up early after staying up late into the night organizing the facts she had gathered. She and the servals then spent the day prowling the districts that the disappearances had taken place in so Mayu could memorize the area and make note of landmarks that the families had identified as places the girls frequented.

She also caught up with two more of the families and suffered through their tears while she interviewed them. Anzu, unable to stand the crying, had begun offering his services as a large teddy bear. Mayu had forced herself not to laugh at the sight of the father of a fourteen-year-old girl that had been taken three weeks ago hugging the cat's head to his chest.

Her last stop was a place she hadn't visited since she was six. On the very edge of the Flower District, past the seedier bars and brothels, was a fairly large, run down park. It had probably been nice once, but was now littered with bits of garbage and had barrels used for lighting fires dotted throughout. This was where the homeless of Konoha tended to congregate.

Mayu knew that every once in awhile a council member would remember it existed and insist on a clean-up effort. Barely a week after it'd been spiffed up and cleared of the rabble, it would once again become the hang out for the forgotten members of Konoha's society. Firmly on the civilian side of the invisible lines drawn in the village, and even further on the less savory side of that territory, it tended to get forgotten, even in a military-controlled village.

She had forgone her ninja clothing and was instead wearing a loose green blouse that had appeared in her closet one day tucked into black pants. She had weapons and scrolls hidden in various places on her body, though she knew that the wary, sharp-eyed people around her understood exactly what she was. Mayu had left Anzu and Momo in the trees on the edge of the area where they could watch out of sight, knowing she'd never get anybody to talk to her if they were with her.

She'd been walking through the park, weaving around slumped figures and makeshift tents and barrels for fire for about ten minutes before a group of men and women began visibly trailing her. When they had her surrounded she stopped and glanced around, taking them in. Finally, her eyes found what she was looking for. A woman, probably around twenty-one, with a thin face, wearing layers of tattered clothes but holding herself in a way that told Mayu she was in charge in her little corner of the world.

"Hello," Mayu said. "I'm looking for information. Perhaps you can help me?"

The woman scoffed. "Ain't got nothin' to say to a spoiled  _kunoichi,"_ she spat and there were grumbles of approval from the people surrounding them.

"Well, that's too bad. You see, I'm willing to pay you for it," Mayu let the wad of money she'd shoved up her sleeve fall into her hand and held it up. The next few minutes were spent dodging the attempts of the people around her to punch, stab, and otherwise maim her in a quest to rob her of her money.

"Come on, guys, seriously?" She used a hand on the shoulder of a man who had tried to tackle her to spring over his back, wrinkling her nose at the greasy feeling of his clothes on her palm. "I'm going to give you the money, I just need to ask you a few questions first."

"Enough," the woman in charge said and Mayu found herself once again standing in the middle of a circle comprised of people that wouldn't mind seeing her dead. "So ask," she said, eyes on the wad of money.

Mayu sniffed and put her nose in the air, but kept her eyes on the woman and her ears trained for the sound of movement around her. "I'm looking into the disappearance of the girls from the Flower District and Lower Merchant Districts."

Scraggly Leader, as Mayu decided to call her, scoffed. "Like you shinobi care what happens 'round here."

Mayu shrugged. "Most don't, probably, but I do. Obviously. Since I'm here. So. You have anybody go missing from your group?" The woman hesitated and her eyes darted to look at a man standing on Mayu's right. Mayu turned her head and studied him. He was fairly large, at least compared to most of the people around him. He also hadn't been homeless for very long, if his relatively good health and state of his clothes were any indication.

"You know a girl that was taken?" she asked, eyes narrowed. The man looked at her, then over to Scraggly Leader, who inclined her head.

"Yes'm. My - my daughter. We've only been homeless for 'bout a year after I lost my shop to a fire and she had just gotten herself an apprenticeship at one of those high-class brothels. She's real pretty and once she turned fifteen they were willing to take her on. It was gonna change our lives, maybe make it so I could rebuild so's she didn't have to do it forever. Five weeks ago, she just didn't come home from one of her lessons." His eyes filled with tears. "I tried to find her, but the people at the brothel accused her of runnin' off and nobody would help me."

Mayu pursed her lips. "You got a picture of her?" After a moment of hesitation, he reached into his dirty pocket and removed a square of paper. He stared down at it before looking up at her in desperation.

"You're really trying to find them girls?" he asked, holding the picture - obviously precious to him - against his chest.

Mayu swallowed and met his eyes. "I'm young, I know, but I'm good at what I do. I'll find them." Shakily, he stepped forward and held out the picture so she could study it. The girl was much younger in the photograph than the fifteen he'd described - probably about twelve. She was sitting on one of the short walls that lined some of the paths in the outer parts of Konoha and she was grinning widely at the camera. Like the other girls, she was abnormally beautiful, with black almond-shaped eyes and reddish-brown hair tumbling around her shoulders.

"Alright, thanks." Mayu took a notebook out of the small pack she was carrying on her hip. "Can you tell me the places she frequented, her schedule, and the path she would have taken to and from work that day?" She didn't ask to keep the picture. It was obvious it was the only one he had of his daughter. When she was done she did ask to look at it one more time.

When she handed it back, she made sure to slip him enough money to feed him for a week, making sure Scraggly Leader didn't see the exchange.

After questioning the group about seeing anybody unusual around the area - "Honey, everybody's unusual around here" - she tossed Scraggly Leader the wad of money.

"If you see anything - anything at all - come find me. I'll pay you well. The name's Nomaka Mayu. You can leave information for me at the Nara gates if you can't find me. The guards will have instructions to pay you for information. Try to swindle me and I'll make you regret it. You won't be bothered or followed, I promise." The clan was too smart for that - they knew better than to mess with a shinobi's contacts.

It was well past dark by the time the three of them started back towards the Nara compound. Momo kept shooting her furtive looks and finally, she sighed. "What is it?"

"I saw you give that man extra money," Momo finally said and Mayu sent her an impressed look. Their eyes really were exceptional in low lighting.

"Yes," she finally said, cheeks going a little red.

Momo just hummed and went silent again. Great, her summons thought she was a soft touch, now. Mayu wasn't even really sure whyshe'd done it.

"What is the meaning of your name?" Anzu rumbled and Mayu was pulled out of her musings. She glanced at him, bemused at the question, but decided to answer when she saw he was hunched in on himself as though regretting pulling her attention to him.

"...The way my name is spelled, 'Ma' translates to 'Full,' and 'Yu' to Evening," she finally said with a shrug.

"Full Evening," Anzu said slowly. "I wonder why your parents gave you this name." Mayu sighed when she noticed both sets of identical green eyes focused on her.

"Well, they died when I was an infant, so I don't actually know their exact reasons. But I've always assumed," she said slowly, "that they were referring to the color of my hair. It kind of resembles the color of the sky just before full darkness sets in. Or, well, that's what Yoshino said once," Mayu finished, cheeks red.

To her surprise, both cats starting chuffing in laughter. She scowled at them. "What?" Maybe that was an overly romantic description of her hair color, but it's not like she chose her name.

"It's just...you made fun of our names, which were given to us for the color of our fur. Yet, you were also named for the same feature," Momo finally explained.

Mayu blinked, then smiled. "Huh, I guess you're right."

A few minutes later they reached her house. She slammed through the door and would have scampered right past her family, who were gathered in the living room, if Shikaku hadn't called out for her.

"Mayu-chan, where have you been?" he said from where he was looking through a stack of files. Yoshino was curled against him reading a large medical tome and Shikamaru was slouched over on the couch, eyes half open and giving her his version of an interested look.

"I've been out helping Harumi-chan with something," she said and didn't miss the way Yoshino's attention sharpened on her over her book.

She could have kissed the woman when she remained silent. Shikaku usually treated Mayu like the competent kunoichi she was, but if he found out she was chasing down a human trafficking ring that was targeting young girls, he might tie her to a tree in the Nara forest to keep her from sticking her nose into it.

"Anyway, I'm still working on the project for her, so I'll be up in my room. I ate already," she said distractedly, then continued upstairs.

"Alright," she said to her two shadows, who were watching her in interest while she pulled out a huge sheet of paper she usually used for schematics and sat cross-legged on the ground in front of them. "The first thing we need to do is identify patterns or places of interest. I'm going to draw up a map of the area where girls are being targeted."

Mayu didn't bother looking up when Shikamaru slipped into the room, leaving it open a crack as per new house rules, and sat down next to her. She quickly and efficiently drew a map of the Flower and Lower Merchant districts from memory. When she was finished, she stood and walked over to a wall already covered in schematics for a new puppet. Without bothering to see what would be displaced as a result, she pulled four clear tacks from the wall, ignoring the fluttering and sagging papers falling at her feet.

"Shika, sweetheart, help me pin this up," she said distractedly while she attempted to hold it up and pin it at the same time. After a moment of silence, he sidled up next to her and took a corner. She glanced over and blinked when she saw his cheeks were a little red, but her attention was quickly pulled back to what she was doing when Momo and Anzu moved to sit next to her.

She dashed over to her desk, rifling through the piles of books and scrolls and notes until she found what she was looking for. Making a sound of triumph she returned with a small pot of multi-colored pins and a black marker.

"Okay, so pink will be the victim's homes, green will be their places of work, and red will be the last place anybody saw them," she said, handing a baffled-looking Shikamaru the pot of pins.

"Mayu-chan, what are you doing?" he finally said and she shushed him while she dug through and pulled out a handful of the colors she needed. As she placed pins in the appropriate places, she also wrote the name of the victim next to it. Finally, after all the pins were placed, she tugged six folded up pictures from a pocket and huffed in annoyance when she stood on the tips of her toes to try and put them above the map. With a sigh, Shikamaru reached up and plucked them from her hands, taking over for her.

"Hmm, thanks," she said and brushed her lips across his when he turned to make sure he'd put them where she wanted them. He swallowed but just grunted in response.

"Okay," she said and took a step back, tilting her head to the side. After some contemplation she went back to the map and started adding notes with the marker, labeling frequently used routes of the victims, along with their usual hangout spots. She also put a number next to each victim name in the order they were taken. Fifteen minutes later she was satisfied and backed up until her knees hit the bed and she sank down on it.

All four of them looked at the map for a bit before Shikamaru spoke. "They're working a pattern," he said slowly. "Like the ones hunters use - it's a grid."

"Yeah," Mayu agreed softly and darted her eyes up to the pictures of the six girls. Other than being abnormally pretty and from a low-income area, there weren't a lot of similarities between them. "No witnesses to the kidnappings, despite them happening in high-traffic areas." Her hands came together as though praying and she tapped her fingers against her lips as she pulled up all the information she had on the case in her mind cave.

"So, a professional," Shikamaru said.

"Multiple professionals, probably. This is organized, too. The victims are probably being sold." Her eyes narrowed and she brought up the full grid in her mind's eye to superimpose over the drawn map. "I'd say they're planning on another three or four girls before they're finished. I bet..." she tilted her head to the side. "I bet there will be some sort of auction. So. Most likely they're being held in one place. Probably not right in the grid area, but...close. They wouldn't want to have to haul their cargo too far. Too much chance of getting caught."

Mayu chewed on her lower lip, then stood and walked over to the map, pointing to the wall up and to the right of the paper. "I think there's an industrial area here. A lot of warehouses and such, not a lot of foot traffic. I bet they're being kept somewhere in that area."

Shikamaru hummed and stood behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Okay. So, you wanna tell me why you're not high-tailing it to Itachi-sama with this?"

Mayu huffed and leaned back into him. "Somebody is obviously being bribed in the MPF. Probably the investigator heading up the case, or maybe somebody directly above him that knew he was shitty when assigning it to him. If I tell Itachi-sempai or Fugaku-sama, there's a chance they'll tip somebody off and the girls will be moved or killed. I need to find them first."

He stiffened behind her and Momo and Anzu both made noises of discontent behind them. "Why do you think that?"

"Because this isn't exactly difficult to figure out," she said, lip curling, "but the case file is practically bare other than some half-hearted interviews of the families."

He groaned and brought his forehead down to rest on her shoulder. "And how did you get a look at the investigation file?"

She grinned and craned her neck to nuzzle against his temple. "My winning personality."

"Uh huh. You aren't planning on doing this alone, are you?" Mayu's chest swelled when she realized he wasn't going to try and talk her out of pursuing the case. How was he so perfect, anyway?

"Well, no, I have Anzu and Momo. And...I have you," she said a little shyly. He straightened and gently turned her to face him, then rested his hands on her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, cheeks red, and he smirked down at her.

"You do," he agreed, then leaned in to kiss her. Anzu and Momo let out identical annoyed sighs before slipping out of the room.

000

The next morning Mayu was sulking on Shikamaru's bed while he packed for a mission to Grass. He was going to be part of the diplomatic contingent Tsunade put together to try and find information on their false intel problem.

Sarutobi Asuma had some close contacts there from his time as one of the twelve guardians and taking three clan heirs with him who also happened to be his former students was a sign of something, something, blah, blah, blah. Mayu had stopped listening in favor of complaining as soon as she heard how long Shikamaru would be gone.

"I don't understand how a diplomatic mission could take a whole month," she said for about the fifth time and he sent her an exasperated look. She widened her eyes and stuck out her lower lip, and just like the last four times she'd done it he was distracted from packing. He pulled back from brushing his lips against hers and rolled his eyes at her smug expression.

"I think you're confused about how diplomacy works," he grumbled, face morphing into an adorable scowl. "We're going to have to spend hours talking about other things before we even try to slip in the true reason we're there. And then we'll have to convince them they want to part with the information we need without having to give them too much in exchange. It's going to be such a drag."

Mayu wrinkled her nose. "I could come, deduce something to blackmail them with, and we'd be done in a few days."

Shikamaru shot her a fond look from where he had sat on the floor to check his kunai. "And that's why you aren't coming."

Affronted, she shuffled off the bed and flopped over onto his lap. He made a stressed sound and quickly moved the sharp implements before she impaled herself on them. She ignored his complaining and somehow managed to petulantly push her nose into his neck.

"I can be diplomatic." She pouted and he sighed and gave up on getting packed in the next fifteen minutes. His arms came around her and his lips quirked up involuntarily.

"Sure, for about five minutes if it's the only way you see to get what you want," he agreed in a lazy drawl.

"So mean," she whined and snuggled closer to him. "I'm going to miss you." Her voice was soft at the admission.

"Me too," he replied after a moment and tightened his arms. "But you'll keep busy while I'm gone. I think you're going to enjoy Interrogation a little toomuch, to be honest," he said dryly. She just shrugged because, well, that was probably true.

"I like cuddling you more than I like playing mind games with people," she said sincerely and grinned when his chest rumbled when he laughed.

"A true testament to your feelings," he teased and she giggled. He was silent for a minute before he spoke in a worried voice. "You promise you won't confront a human trafficking ring alone?" he asked for the millionth time.

"I told you," Mayu said, "Team Seven is in town - I'll ask Sasuke or Sakura for back up if I need to."

"Maybe you should talk to Itachi-sama," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"Shika, I'll be  _fine._ It's not like I plan on offering myself up for bait. I'm not pretty enough, anyway," she said matter-of-factly and he made an affronted noise.

"Not true," he grumbled into her hair and she blushed even as she huffed in exasperation.

"It's nice that you think so, but the reality is I'm merely cute," she said the last on a pout and he chuckled.

"You  _are_ cute," he agreed. "But you're also the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"Ugh, suck up," she grumbled with a pleased smile that she hid into his shoulder.

"As touching as this is, your father sent me to tell you that you have half an hour before you need to leave," Ensui drawled from the doorway and Shikamaru jumped.

Mayu sighed and shuffled out of Shikamaru's lap after Ensui ambled off. "Don't let Ino convince you to break up with me," she grumbled as she helped him pack, and he rolled his eyes.

"I told you, my team was only weird about us dating because they thought you were some heartbreaker who had moved from being in love with Sasuke to dating me in the course of a month."

Mayu scoffed. "I thought Chouji at least had some sense."

Mayu knew exactly what Ino's issue with her was, no matter how Shikamaru tried to talk around it. "And Chouji might be back to sharing his chips with me, but Ino still looks at me like I'm something she scraped off the bottom of her shoe," Mayu said almost cheerfully. Sure, it was annoying that one of Shikamaru's best friends thought Mayu wasn't good enough for him, but annoying Ino was fun.

All Mayu had to do now to make the vein in the girl's forehead throb was snuggle up against Shikamaru in her presence. And Shikamaru didn't even scold her for it, which was awesome. Usually, Mayu had to live through his disappointed looks if she wanted to bait Ino.

Shikamaru, seeming to know exactly what she was thinking, rolled his eyes as he finished sealing his things. She took a moment to admire him and then leapt forward, forcing him to wrap his arms around her or fall over. She leaned up for a kiss and sighed happily when he obliged. Mayu tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his lips moving over her own for a few minutes.

"Shikamaru! You need to go!" Yoshino yelled up the stairs and he sighed and pulled back, resting his forehead against her own.

"I'll miss you," she said again and he opened his eyes part way to meet her own.

"I'll miss you too," he said in a rough voice, then hesitated before grumbling, "I love you." She grinned when his cheeks went red. So cute. She pushed forward to kiss him chastely, once, then leaned back and beamed at him.

"I love you too," she whispered and giggled when his face went from anxious and embarrassed to self-satisfied. "Be careful, okay? And don't fall in love with any Grass diplomats, no matter how much Ino tries to convince you to ditch me."

He huffed and gave her one last kiss. "Like she could," he grumbled, before jumping in terror as Yoshino's voice, now closer, yelled at him to "hurry his lazy ass up!"

000

Mayu was skulking around the Flower District market in civilian clothes the next day when a small child slipped out of the crowd to stand in front of her. "Oi, you Nomaka-san?" He was scowling up at her and she narrowed her eyes at him.  _Homeless, accomplished pickpocket, has been searching for me for at least an hour._

"I am," she said slowly.

"I got information for you. Finchi-sama sent me," he said and he eyed her clean black pants and a blue long sleeved t-shirt with distaste. Mayu perked up at that. She'd been wandering the sections of the grid pattern that hadn't yet been hit up by the perpetrators for the past day and a half, Anzu and Momo following from the roofs to avoid drawing attention. It was getting boringand another girl had been taken the day before as she wandered around aimlessly.

"Finchi-sama?" she asked and he looked at her like she was a moron.

"Yeah, she says you talked with her the other night." Mayu brightened, realizing he must be talking about Scraggly Leader.

"Alright, let's hear it," she said, bouncing a little in excitement and he gave her another unimpressed look and held out a hand.

"Money first."

"Half now, half after you give me the tip," Mayu agreed, slapping a few notes into his palm, which he counted suspiciously.

"Fine. One a' me crew, Mai, saw some suspicious lookin' characters hangin' about Iris and Sakura street junction 'bout an hour n' a half ago. Says she saw them around a few times this past month, once in an area where one a' those girls was taken."

Mayu's eyes widened. An hour and a half ago? Hopefully, she hadn't missed them. "Thanks!" she said and tossed him a few bills before leaping onto the roof she knew Anzu and Momo were crouched on. Quickly pulling up her mental map of the area, now quite comprehensive after spending three days wandering about, she decided on the fastest route and took off, the cats on her heels, as eager as she was for some action.

Finally, they came to a stop at the stated intersection, which was a fairly busy shopping district for residents of the area. Mayu scanned the after-work crowds until her eyes landed on two men leaning against the wall in the shade. Her eyes narrowed on them and she stiffened in shock when she took in their body language and the way they held themselves. One was short and nondescript, with brown eyes and brown hair, dressed in simple brown pants and a white shirt. The other was taller by almost a head, with blonde hair and light eyes and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.

"They're shinobi," she breathed to Anzu and Momo, indicating the two men, whose eyes were following the path of a young girl who had stopped at a flower stand. She was around sixteen and wore a simple cotton sundress with capped sleeves. She was classically beautiful, with straight black hair cut at her chin and dark eyes. She was smiling at the shopkeeper while he handed her the flowers.

"That's how they're taking them so efficiently. This is..." she clenched a fist, taking a few deep breaths to pull her fury back. "This is unacceptable. What is  _wrong_ with this village." Anzu growled deep in his chest and Momo was staring at the two men, whole body still, a predator who had just identified her prey after days on the hunt.

"Well, I guess it's up to us to do some cleanup," Mayu muttered. Her brain raced as she watched them casually stand and weave through the crowd as the girl left the flower stand and began walking away from the market. Mayu pulled her chakra in close and began regulating her breathing.

"We're going to let them take her," she said and ignored the two affronted looks the cats sent her way. "And then we're going to follow them back to their base. When we get there, Momo will go to Sasuke's house - remember, I pointed out the Uchiha compound? - and get back up. Don't tell anybody of this unless they are an immediate member of Sasuke's family or Sasuke himself. That's Fugaku, Itachi, or Mikoto. Make sure they know this is...this is a shinobi-run operation. And that somebody in the MPF is involved." Mayu looked over at them. "Anzu and I will stay and keep an eye on the base until backup arrives. Got it?"

Momo looked unhappy about being sent as a messenger, but Mayu knew she'd need her nose to find Sasuke's house and she couldn't risk leaving the base and the girls unattended. What if something happened while she was grabbing backup? No, this was the best plan. Carefully, she trailed the two shinobi, who were following the oblivious girl. The crowds began to thin and Mayu gritted her teeth when the girl turned down an empty residential street.

She was humming a tune under her breath, unafraid of the lengthening shadows from the tall rundown buildings around her. This was her home, she had no reason to suspect she wasn't safe, after all. The two shinobi separated and she saw that they were circling around to wait for her about a block ahead. Mayu, Anzu, and Momo stopped on a building across the street, hidden in the shadow of a water tower, and watched while the girl got closer and closer to the waiting shinobi, who had unsealed what looked like a large barrel.

Mayu forced herself to watch when the tall one reached out and grabbed her from the shadows of the alley, putting his hand over her mouth to stop her scream. Her bags fell to the alley with a thud and she struggled futilely. The short shinobi darted in and Mayu had to put her hands lightly onto the necks of the two servals to keep them from leaping forward.

She let out a shaky breath when Short Guy pierced the skin of her bare arm with a needle and compressed the syringe. After a few moments, her struggles lessened, then stopped. They stuffed the now-unconscious girl and the groceries into the barrel, put the lid on, and strapped it to Tall Guy's back. Then, as if they hadn't just kidnapped a young girl, sauntered back out into the street, turning right.

Mayu motioned for the cats to resume their stalking, mind racing.  _The way they moved...they're probably mid-chunin level at the most._ Plenty strong enough to subdue a civilian, but she could probably take them if she needed to. She fingered the scroll hidden in her long, loose t-shirt that held Bukimi. Her daggers were strapped to the small of her back and she had her poisoned senbon holder on one wrist and her explosive tag holster on the other.

Half an hour later they had crossed into the industrial district Mayu had hypothesized the girls were being kept at a few days ago. She grimaced as she realized she was going into the situation without backup, but told herself she was calling for some just as soon as they identified the hideout. So she wasn't  _technically_ breaking any promises. Ugh, if this went sideways Shikamaru was going to be so grumpy. Sure, his grumpy face was cute, but she still hated upsetting him.

Finally, they came to an old warehouse with boarded-up windows on the lower level. It was fairly small compared to the other buildings around it and had a large, fenced-in area in the back. The fence had seen better days and after the shinobi entered the front door, Mayu circled around the back.

"Momo - go," she said and was relieved when the cat melted into the shadows of the buildings around them. Mayu led Anzu through a hole in the fence after increasing the chakra to her ears and nose to check for lookouts. None...so this was probably a fairly small operation...or they knew that a lookout might draw more attention and relied on their surroundings to hide them.

Mayu's eyes narrowed when she picked up the scents of the missing girls whose homes she'd visited. "They're here," she whispered under her breath and Anzu gave a nod of his head but didn't try and reply. Mayu supposed that she shouldn't be surprised that the servals were so good at stealth. They were hunters, after all. They spent the next twenty minutes carefully picking their way through the crates and equipment littering the yard.

She was incredibly thankful for the large cat's presence at her back as full night fell. A few lamps half-heartedly came to life and she could see a low light glowing from cracks in the boards on the lower level of the small warehouse. When they reached the wall, she signaled for Anzu to wait, then carefully fed just enough chakra into her hands and feet to crawl up the side of the building to the windows lining the upper section of the building.

She carefully settled herself onto the small lip of the sill, then peered into the softly lit area. It was completely cleared out of equipment and detritus, the only furniture a card table, which housed one more man whose features weren't clear to her. His hands were moving across the surface and after a moment she realized he was playing solitaire.

Her eyes darted to the other side of the room and her lips tightened at what she saw. Huddled into the corner, leaning away from Tall Guy and Short Guy, were the missing girls. The two shinobi were removing their latest acquisition from the barrel and they set her carefully onto one of the dozen or so sleeping mats lining the floor.

Short Guy turned his face to the girls and whatever expression he made must not have been very nice, because the girl Mayu recognized as Hana began to cry in earnest. Two girls - the homeless man's daughter and Chiko - moved to comfort her. They both stared back defiantly at Short Guy and Mayu let out a breath of relief. They weren't broken, then, just...scared.

Mayu observed while the two shinobi she'd been following joined the third man at the table and carefully fed chakra into her ears to listen to what they were saying. "...Hanada-sama stopped by this morning. He said that Uchiha Fugaku has started to take an interest in the case - tore his guy a new one when he saw how little he'd done on the investigation. So we're going to move forward with the sale tomorrow instead of waiting and this was our last nab."

Mayu frowned and leaned forward. "Don't know why we can't grab a few more," Tall Guy said. "I was promised a certain amount of money for this job. Hanada-sama better deliver."

Mayu's eyes widened in alarm. They couldn't be referring to Hanada Rokuro, could they? Mayu kept tabs on leadership in the MPF and Hanada Rokuro was the only non-Uchiha to obtain a lieutenant position in almost two decades. He was strong - really strong, though maybe not super smart if he decided to start kidnapping Konoha citizens right under Uchiha Fugaku's nose.

"Well," Short guy cut into Tall Guy's complaints about his payment, "we could always make up the difference in services rendered," he leered and Mayu felt the blood drain from her face.

She had been pleasantly surprised to see no sign of sexual assault in the girls - they'd been harassed and terrified, obviously, but were all still in the clothes they'd been taken in, had no visible bruises, and weren't displaying the body language usually seen in a recent rape victim.

"Hanada-sama said no messing with the wares," Solitaire Man said, but he sounded amused rather than annoyed. "Of course, Hanada-sama isn't supposed to show up for another hour or so..."

 _Shit,_ she thought and did a quick mental calculation. She probably had another fifteen minutes before she could expect any form of backup. But Tall Guy and Short Guy were already moving towards the group of girls, who were cowering in the corner, clinging to each other. They knew they were no match for even one chunin level shinobi, let alone three, no matter that they outnumbered them.

Gritting her teeth, she leapt from the window and landed silently by Anzu's side, whose sharp teeth were revealed in a snarl. He'd heard the conversation, too.

"I'm going in," Mayu muttered to him. "We're out of time. They're only chunin, I think, so I should be able to take them -" she pulled her scroll from inside her shirt and bit her lip as she pushed chakra into it, releasing Bukimi and her battle coat, holding her breath and listening closely for any reaction.

All she heard was the sobbing of the girls as Tall Guy and Short Guy held a faux-casual conversation about which girls they would choose. Idiots, they should have been able to feel that small spike in chakra at their level of skill. "Not the young ones - after all, virgins pull a hefty price," one of them said. Mayu's gut clenched and she had to force her hands not to shake in rage.

"I should be able to hold them off," she muttered while she pulled on her battle coat and zipped it up, then hefted Bukimi onto her back. "You need to get the girls to safety. Head in the direction of the Uchiha compound - hopefully you'll run into our backup on the way," she whispered and glared at him as he went to argue.

A scream and the pleading voices of the girls had her whipping her head to the wall. "I'm making an entrance. Take the chance to gather the girls," she said, then dashed to the wall closest to where Solitaire Shinobi was still sitting and pulled out four exploding tags with chakra strings.

"Knock, knock," she muttered, before pushing them against the wall and feeding chakra into them. The wall exploded inwards. She saw Anzu streak through the new opening in the wall and narrowed her eyes against the dust, ignoring the screams and shouts coming from the corner as she drew her daggers from the small of her back and dashed into the room.

Her eyes fell on Solitaire Guy, who was struggling to sit up amongst the chunks of wall that had sent him and his card table flying. Playing cards were fluttering around him to the ground and Mayu flashed to his side and took advantage of his disorientation, slashing the blade of one dagger across his throat. She then spun towards the sound of growling across the room, ignoring the gurgles of the dying shinobi, and sheathed her daggers as she sped across the room to land next to Anzu, who had put himself between the two shinobi and the girls. They were all looking a little shell-shocked.

Mayu flicked her wrists and Bukimi detached to land in front of them. The two shinobi, who had been getting ready to attack, jumped backward in shock and wariness at the puppet's appearance.

"Chiko-san," Mayu said in a level voice, keeping her eyes on the two men. "Harumi-chan sent me to find you. My name is Nomaka Mayu." An intake of breath - good, she recognized her name. Apparently, Harumi talked about her to  _all_ her friends. "My partner is going to help you guys escape. Please listen to him. He'll protect you."

"I - I - okay. Yes." Mayu relaxed, then turned a grin to the two shinobi, who were starting to look angry instead of wary.

"You two," she said and took a step forward, "have really pissed me off, you know?" Before they could answer, she and Bukimi leapt forward.

Tall Guy went down under Bukimi's Rolling Thunder Technique, and Mayu wrinkled her nose at the sound of breaking bones and his choked-off cry. Huh, she'd never actually hitanybody with that before. Sasuke and Kakashi were too fast, and Sakura had simply punched the poor puppet, cracking him in two places and sending him sailing across the training field. Mayu hadn't spoken to her for two days afterward.

Short Guy's eyes widened, his focus completely on her while the girls sidled past them, Anzu at their heels. Chiko was holding Hana's hand and two of the taller girls were carrying the still-drugged victim between them.

"You're Uchiha Sasuke's teammate - the puppet user," he said and she grinned.

"That's right." she preened when he fell into a fighting stance, deciding to take her seriously. Tall Guy hadn't realized that she was any sort of threat soon enough, and he was still twitching on the ground as a result.

"Earth Release: Great Wave," Short Guy said and Mayu jumped to the side when the ground in front of her rose up above her, then crashed down where she'd been standing in an explosion of earth and dust.  _He's good,_ she thought, worrying her bottom lip as she brought Bukimi in front of her to shield her from a rain of kunai. She retaliated with a hail of senbon from Bukimi's eye sockets and pursed her lips as he put up an earth wall to block them.

She cursed when she lost sight of him and leapt lightly to stand on Bukimi's back, not wanting to be pulled into the earth if he had gone into Hiding Like a Mole Technique. Kakashi-sensei really, really liked that one. She crouched and stuck herself to the spider's back with chakra while he skittered up a wall and her eyes scanned the area. The earth wall crumbled and she saw that Short Guy had, indeed, disappeared.

"Where are you?" she mumbled, then perked up when she saw the earth barely shift below her. She jumped off of Bukimi's back and sent him towards the area, triggering Sticky Situation just as Short Guy popped out of the earth.

He made a strange  _acking_ noise when he was covered in the white, sticky material and promptly rolled up into a shinobi spring roll by the large spider. Without sticking around to gloat, she turned and dashed after Anzu and the girls. They'd only made it a little past the fence when she caught up with them - civilians were so slow - and they were slowed down even further by the unconscious girl they were carrying.

Anzu was pacing in nervous circles around them and Mayu motioned for him to take the right side and sent Bukimi to cover the left while Mayu took the rear. "It's okay, Bukimi won't hurt you," she said when little Hana whimpered. "He's a good spider."

Anzu huffed, amused, his sharp eyes studying the night around them. They slipped between two buildings and out into a courtyard surrounded on three sides by boarded-up warehouses. Chiko was in the lead, having been made the de-facto leader after Mayu addressed her directly, and after taking a deep breath, broke into a light jog, the rest of the girls following after her. Mayu stiffened when they were about halfway across and the breeze shifted.

"Anzu -" she got out in warning before something slammed into her back and sent her tumbling into the group of girls, sending four of them to the ground.

She ignored the pain from the hit and jumped to her feet, spinning to face the threat, Anzu jumping to her side and Bukimi slamming forward to land between them and a furious Hanada Rakuro.

He was probably around forty years old and was a large man. Taller than Mayu's father, who was over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a sturdy waist and hips. His hair was dark, though she couldn't make out the exact color in the late evening light, and pulled back into a low ponytail. A long sword was strapped to his back. He was still in his MPF uniform and it made anger sing through Mayu's veins, chasing away the pain from what must have been a kick to her back. The man was fast _,_ that was for sure - she hadn't even seen him coming.

"You don't deserve to wear that uniform," she spat and Bukimi twitched in response to her pumping chakra into him.

"Nomaka Mayu, I assume," he said in a calm voice. "I've heard Itachi-sama speak of you. He had high hopes for your future in the Military Police Force. It's too bad I'll have to kill you before you can realize your potential."

Mayu brightened. "Really? Itachi-sempai talks about me?" Hanada raised an eyebrow at her, probably not expecting that to be the part of the villain monologue she latched onto. He must have decided to just ignore her comment because he continued on like she hadn't said anything.

"In fact, I suppose I'll have to kill all of you. Can't leave witnesses, after all." Anzu growled deep in his throat and a few of the girls whimpered.

Mayu gritted her teeth. She was majorly outclassed and Hanada knew it. He was an accomplished jounin - he had to be to make it as far as he had in the MPF ranks as a non-Uchiha. Her only chance was to buy time. Hopefully, Hanada didn't know backup was on the way. She doubted it. They'd be dead already if he knew. They were probably only alive so he could question how she found them and who else might know of his operation's existence.

Her eyes took in the blood spattered on his flak jacket. So he had killed Tall and Short Guy before coming after them. He really was cleaning house.

"Why would you do this?" she asked, taking a step to the right as he took one to the left to keep herself between him and the kidnappees behind her.

Hanada huffed. "Well, money, obviously."

"You don't think your coworkers would suddenly notice if you became a big spender overnight?" she asked and he simply raised an eyebrow at her. Her eyes widened. "You plan on becoming a missing-nin," she whispered and he inclined his head.

"There's a lot of opportunity for a high-level jounin who wants to start his own criminal organization out there," he said and she scowled.

"Now, who else are you working with?" he said and she sniffed and looked away.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she grumbled, then screamed when he blurred out of sight and appeared in front of her, sword drawn and now sunk into the flesh of her stomach. She hadn't even seen him move. Anzu growled and lunged at him and let out a high-pitched yelping noise when Hanada's leg blurred and kicked him out of the air.

"Anzu!" she gasped and twitched her hands, sending Bukimi to attack Hanada's back while he was distracted.

Her eyes filled with tears of pain when he wrenched the sword out of her stomach and spun in place, the blade a mere blur as he brought it sideways across his body, slashing her puppet in half.

Mayu dropped to her knees, one hand pressed against her stomach, dimly aware of the sound of the girls behind her scrambling to run. Anzu was standing in front of her again, crouched low and growling low in his chest. She must have lost a few seconds of time.

Mayu licked her lips, forcing her thoughts to move past the pain. Help. They needed help. "...Now, now, girls. Where do you think you're going?" She glanced back and saw that he had cut them off. He was going to kill them if she didn't do anything.

Mayu blinked her eyes rapidly, willing herself to ignore the warm blood flowing between her fingers from her wound. He hadn't hit anything vital - after all, he wanted her alive long enough to answer his questions. She'd be fine. With that thought, she was able to form chakra threads and grab four more explosive tags from her wrist holster. She met Hanada's gaze when she sent them high into the air. His eyes widened and he rushed towards her, fast enough that he was only a blur, and she pushed chakra into them just as his shoulder collided with her chest, sending her tumbling across the ground, air driven from her.

Even while she bounced across the courtyard like a rag doll, she smiled when the explosions sounded above her. She just had to hope that Momo had gotten somebody, otherwise, she was going to die in the next sixty seconds. She'd just forced Hanada's hand, there would be no distracting him now.

She came to a stop on her side, cheek pressed into the earth and arms and legs akimbo. She was pretty sure her arm was broken. When had that happened? Mayu thought about sitting up, but her limbs didn't seem to want to react. Instead, she watched with interest when Hanada appeared a few feet from her, face twisted in annoyance. Anzu was attempting to stand from fifteen feet away, shaking his head from side to side. Hanada must have gotten another hit in on the cat, as well.

"I guess I'll just have to hope you didn't tell anybody else about your little investigation," he said and raised the sword above his head.  _Shikamaru is going to be so mad,_ Mayu thought to herself and forced her eyes to stay open as his muscles tensed to bring it down.

With a clang of metal, his sword was stopped mid swing by a second blade. Mayu's eyes widened when she realized Uchiha Fugaku was now standing in front of her, katana locked against the longsword in a now-wide-eyed Hanada's hands. His open-fronted apron and hair were still rippling from the air he displaced in his dash to intercept the blow and she could barely see the cold look on his face from where it was angled slightly towards her, visible eye glowing red with the Sharingan.

"Hanada-san," Fugaku said in a voice that matched his expression. "I think we have a few things to talk about."

"Fugaku-sama," Mayu muttered as her vision darkened around the edges. "So cool..."

000

Uchiha Fugaku was reaching for the rice bowl on the table when there was an odd banging on his front door. His eyes darted over to Mikoto, who had just put a babbling Chiasa into her playpen in the corner, but a shake of her head told him she wasn't expecting anybody. Sasuke frowned, as well, so it wasn't one of his teammates, either.

Work, then. Mikoto stood gracefully when the banging sound repeated and Fugaku pursed his lips in annoyance at the rudeness. His wife kept her pace relaxed as she exited the kitchen and he couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate her elegant walk. A moment later he was standing and moving towards the door with a kunai drawn when she let out a shocked gasp.

Now standing in his kitchen doorway was a large cat with light peach fur and black spots. Its ears were huge on its head, its tail not quite as long as the usual wildcat's. Sasuke, who had moved to stand in front of Chiasa, spoke.

"Momo-san?" the cat's eyes turned to him and she took a step forward, then stopped when Fugaku moved to intercept her.

"I - Sasuke-san, Uchiha-sama. I am sorry I startled you."

"You know this summons, Sasuke?" Fugaku asked in a calm voice.

"Yes." Sasuke moved to stand next to him. "She's Mayu's - she just signed Ensui-san's contract this week."

Fugaku relaxed and put his kunai away. "I assume you're here on an urgent matter?" Mikoto was standing behind the large cat, looking as concerned as Fugaku felt once Mayu's name came up.

"Yes, Uchiha-sama. Mayu sent me to get you. She has found the girls that went missing from the Flower and Lower Merchant Districts. I am to tell you that the operation is run by shinobi - two at least that we know of, and that..." the cat shifted uncomfortably and Sasuke made an impatient noise. "That she suspects involvement from somebody at the MPF. It is why she told me to come directly to either yourself, Sasuke-san, or Itachi-sama."

Fugaku closed his eyes. He had suspected foul play when he realized how little time and effort had been put into the case, but had been hoping it was simply a matter of lack of care for the lower class civilian sector of the populace. That would have been bad, of course, but fixable without causing scandal. This was much, much worse, especially if it was the individual he suspected. The cat continued on, talking quickly now.

"We watched them kidnap a girl and followed them to their hideout in the industrial area that borders the Flower District. Mayu-san and Anzu, my brother, stayed to monitor the situation and sent me to you.

Fugaku looked up, alarmed. "She is there, now, alone?" The cat nodded warily, picking up on his worry. That was bad - Fugaku had made a point of looking into the progress of the case that morning. If whom he suspected was really involved, the man would probably be making a move to clean up that night.

"Mikoto. Go to the Police headquarters, find Officer Uchiha Dai, and tell him what's happened. Have him bring back up to the old Industrial District. Sasuke, you're with me." His son nodded and they both took a moment to grab their weapons and flak jackets from the tearoom.

"Please lead the way, Momo-san," Fugaku said and the cat turned on her heel and raced from the house, the two Uchiha close behind.

They had just crossed into the industrial district when a large explosion drew their attention. "That's Mayu," Sasuke said from next to him and they altered their course.

Fugaku activated his Sharingan just as they came upon a small courtyard and gritted his teeth at the sight of ten girls huddled at one end. Another summons was struggling to its feet and fifteen feet from him was Mayu, lying prone on the ground with her coat spread out around her. Standing over her, sword raised above his head in preparation to strike, was Hanada Rakuro.

Fugaku pulled ahead of Sasuke, drawing his sword as he shunshined across the clearing, intercepting the sword before it could come down on the helpless girl.

Fury wiped all expression from him while he looked into Hanada's now-terrified face. How dare the man betray their mission and village in such a manner?

"Hanada-san," Fugaku said in a voice that matched his expression. "I think we have a few things to talk about."

"Fugaku-sama," Mayu muttered behind him and he was surprised she was even still conscious - he hadn't missed the blood staining the ground around her, or the unnatural angle her right arm was laying at. "So cool..." she muttered, before letting out a breath and dropping into unconsciousness.

Fugaku inwardly sighed at the sign of the girl's continued hero-worship. What he had possibly done to earn it was beyond him. Outside of his clan, he didn't really have many admirers. People who feared him, certainly, but not admirers. He was too cold, he knew, and too intimidating.

Yet Mayu had been staring at him with reverence since the first day he'd met her, almost five years ago. She had been hugging that ridiculous spider to her chest that she loved so much and staring up at him with big eyes, defending him from Hyuuga Hiashi of all people. It was as disturbing as it was, well, adorable, as loathe as he was to use that word in any context. Nomaka Mayu still stared at him with the same eyes, even after becoming a full kunoichi, and she was completely unashamed of it.

Fugaku hadn't missed that her puppet was lying in two pieces on the ground fifteen feet away and remembered Itachi mentioning how upset she'd been when Orochimaru had destroyed her last iteration. He narrowed his eyes and Hanada visibly swallowed, recognizing his anger for the dangerous thing it was.

"U-Uchiha-sama. This isn't what it looks like..." A low growl and the second cat, now standing, appeared next to Mayu.

"Liar," he growled. "We heard the other traitors speak of you. You were going to sell the girls tomorrow. As though they are property to be traded at will."

Hanada's eyes narrowed and Fugaku was ready when he jumped back enough to disengage, then came back with a slash at Fugaku's feet. He parried and sent a great fireball at the man, forcing him back.

"Sasuke," he said to the boy, who was kneeling next to Mayu and pressing his hands to her wound. "Take Mayu and the civilians to safety. I'll take care of Hanada-san and join you momentarily."

His son nodded once, lifting the limp girl into his arms. Fugaku let pride for his youngest son move through him for a moment - he had grown in the past year - before turning all of his attention back to Hanada. The man was strong, but Fugaku was stronger. This would not take long. From the fear on the other man's face, he knew it, as well.

000

Mayu patiently waited for Yoshino to finish her rant about idiot children who didn't wait for backup from her spot in the hospital bed. Officer Uchiha Dai was standing behind her, face doing something complicated while he tried to remain Uchiha-blank and not react to the knitted yellow duck hat now perched on Mayu's head. Once again, a cruel and unusual punishment.

Finally, her mother pulled her into a hug before rushing off to help Harumi look over the ten recovered girls. Sasuke stood in the corner, arms crossed and eyes promising a bitching out of his own later while Dai took Mayu's statement.

It was the morning after her run-in with Hanada Rokuro and she'd woken up to a furious Shikaku and Yoshino and annoyed Team Seven. She was actually relieved to see Dai-san, even if it meant going over the same information over and over again. At the end, he was staring at her in shock.

"Well. Itachi-sama wasn't kidding when he said you were brilliant at investigation." She blushed bright red at the confirmation that Itachi had been talking about her in a positive light and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Dai cleared his throat. "Well...right. We'll need to go to your house and pick up those investigation notes you talked about." Mayu looked to the side while she tried to figure out a way to stall Dai until she could get home and hide some of her more...illegal things, and Sasuke brought two fingers to his forehead.

"Tell me where the stuff pertaining to the investigation is and I'll get it," he said around a put-upon sigh.  _And hide anything you're not supposed to have,_ he didn't say aloud and she relaxed and beamed at him.

"I look forward to working with you when you start your internship," Dai said before leaving. "I'll probably have more questions after I look through your notes," She deflated when he left and Sasuke stalked towards her, already taking a breath to start in on berating her.

He had just finished a very inspiring speech about the meaning of teamwork (okay, it had been maybe four sentences long) when Harumi appeared at the doorway. Her green eyes were wide with admiration and Mayu rolled her eyes, getting ready to watch Sasuke suffer through another fangirl moment.

To her complete surprise, Harumi walked up to the side of the bed, then leaned in and kissed her. Mayu flailed, wincing as the wound in her stomach pulled. Harumi's lips were soft against her own and it would have been nice if it weren't for the fact that they weren't the lips attached to the person Mayu loved.

She pushed her away more roughly than she probably should have and Harumi would have fallen on her ass if Sasuke didn't reach out to steady her. For a few seconds all Mayu could do was sputter and wipe at her lips before speaking.

"What the  _hell,_ Harumi!" she squeaked. The girl was bright red but met her gaze squarely.

"Mayu-sempai, I'm sorry for kissing you so suddenly. It's just...after you saved my dear friend...I - I can no longer keep my feelings to myself!" she yelled, face scrunched up in determination.

Mayu gaped, ignoring Sasuke's silently shaking shoulders behind Harumi. "You - your what?"

Harumi lifted her chin and tugged on the jacket to her uniform, straightening it. "I've admired you ever since the day you saved me. I know you're dating Shikamaru-san, but, please, consider me instead."

"Wha - but! But you like Sasuke!" Mayu protested, pointing at him. He now had tears of mirth in his eyes.

Harumi gasped. "Never! I only love you!"

"But then why..." she trailed off when she remembered the day in her kitchen. "You were upset because I was fake dating Sasuke, not because Sasukewas fake dating me," she said faintly, her family's reactions that morning making more sense in light of the revelation.

"But what about your crush on Shikamaru?"

Harumi shook her head. "It was only ever you, Mayu-sempai!" she said earnestly, making Sasuke actually stagger back to put a hand on the wall, one hand holding his stomach.

"But the way you talked to him and - and - stared at him with your big eyes!" Mayu said triumphantly. Harumi frowned at her.

"Well, it's true I was friendly with him, but that's only because I figured I would need to be on good terms with my future brother-in-law. That was before I realized your relationship was not one of brother and sister," she hurried to add and Mayu just gaped.

"Oh shit," she said a little faintly, realizing she'd frozen Shikamaru out for no reason before their ill-fated mission. After a moment of staring into Harumi's expectant face, she cleared her throat. Right, she had to be sensitive, or Yoshino would kill her.

"Uh, listen Harumi-ch-uh, -san, you're...great, really," she said lamely and Sasuke to let out a choked noise. "But, um. I love Shikamaru and that's just...not up for debate. So, please don't kiss me again," she said the last firmly, a little miffed that somebody other than Shikamaru had gotten a lip-lock in. She must need sensitivity training, because Harumi's eyes filled with tears and she dashed from the room without another word.

Mayu flopped back against her bed and made a rude gesture at her still-laughing teammate. "See if I ever help you escape from another fangirl or boy again," she grumbled.

000

Mayu sat on the front porch, finishing up her reports for her troubleshooting of the Intelligence and Interrogation departments. Shikamaru was due home from the cryptology department soon and she wanted to spend the evening with him, since he'd only returned from Grass a week ago. Tsunade expected her reports the next morning and then her three months as a troubleshooter were officially over.

The past six weeks had been uneventful after the kerfuffle from Hanada's operation had died down. Sasuke and Sakura had both been sticking to her side like glue, put out that she hadn't told them about the investigation earlier.

"Idiot!" Sakura had yelled as she checked the bandages on Mayu's stomach. "If we'd been there you never would have gotten so injured!" Mayu had meekly accepted the scolding while Sasuke grunted in agreement in the background.

"I wrote Naruto about it," he finally said and smirked at her when she gasped in horror. Great, now his next letter to her would be a long guilt trip about the power of teamwork and trust.

"Unnecessary," she'd grumbled, then had quailed at Sakura's glare.

Shikaku had been furious with her, as well, and only some judiciously placed sad eyes and dramatic wincing when she twisted the wrong way got him to finally sit next to her on the couch and cuddle her. It's not like she had gone in alone by choice. Her family was so dramatic.

Shikamaru had grumbled at her and cuddled her aggressively when he got home and just as she suspected his scowls and attempts at the silent treatment were adorable. Since her arm and stab wound were fully healed by the time he returned, his reaction had been fairly mild.

To Mayu's surprise, she had been approached by three different shinobi who were interested in taking her on as an apprentice in the past week. A Yamanaka from the Interrogation department (as suspected, she'd had a little too much fun terrorizing detainees), a member of the cryptology department, and Yamato, of all people.

Mayu had known that he'd only offered for Kakashi's sake, which told her two things. First, that Kakashi did miss her, even if he'd not given any indication of it when he stopped by to give her scary eye-smiles while she was in the hospital. Second, that Yamato totally had a crush on Kakashi, which had put her hackles up. Kakashi loved Ensui-nii, after all, and they were going to get married and build a house together right next to Shikamaru's and Mayu's future home...and. Well, Yamato had better not try to mess up any of Mayu's carefully laid plans.

Mayu had politely declined the offers, as Itachi couldn't sponsor her for the MPF if she was apprenticed to somebody outside the organization. Probably something else Kakashi had known. Ugh, she hated that she'd been such a brat. Of course, she would have gladly waited until she was a jounin to apply for the MPF if it meant apprenticing to  _Kakashi-sensei,_ but that was beside the point. Or maybe it wasn't?

Kakashi was helping her train with Anzu and Momo, who had given her a look like she was an idiot when she nervously asked if they still wanted to be her summons after their crazy first week.

"Why wouldn't we?" Anzu had said, puzzled. "You're a very interesting summoner." They'd gone back to their own realm on the eighth day, but Mayu had taken to summoning them fairly often for 'training,' as they both seemed to kind of hate their home life. Humans weren't the only creatures who liked to bully those who were different, it turned out.

Mayu had just put the last flourish on her report when she heard a scuff from the end of the yard. She blinked when she looked up and saw Uchiha Fugaku walking down the path towards her. Mayu hadn't seen Fugaku since the one glimpse she'd caught of him when he saved her from Hanada Rokuro.

"Uh, Fugaku-sama!" She said, rubbing suddenly sweating palms on her pants, and set her reports aside so she could stand, bowing a little awkwardly. He studied her, expression as stern as always, while he ascended the steps.

"Mayu-san, good afternoon," he said. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering what he could be there for, before remembering her manners.

"Um, mom and dad aren't in. Do you need to leave them a message, or, I could summon Momo to go get them if it's important..."

She drifted off when he shook his head. "Actually, I am here to speak with you." Mayu stared at him until he cleared his throat. Right. Manners.

"Ah. Well. Won't you come in? Would you like some tea?" she asked, tripping overself when she rushed to pull off her shoes and offer him a pair of the unused slippers Yoshino kept out for guests at the same time.

"Yes, thank you," he said and she led him into the family room, painfully aware that it wasn't nearly as traditional as his own tearoom.

He seemed unbothered as he sat on the couch and she stuttered out a few phrases she'd heard Yoshino use on guests before escaping to the kitchen. While she crawled up on the counter to pull down a tea set, her mind raced through possible reasons for him to need to talk to her.

Did he need to clarify a few things from her report? That was possible. Maybe he wanted to get in on the scolding action. Also very possible, though he hadn't seemed any more stern than usual.

She started the water and then carefully laid out the pot, two cups, and some rice balls Yoshino had put in the fridge for Mayu and Shikamaru to snack on throughout the day. She stared down at the slightly messy-looking tray, baffled. How did Yoshino make hers look so nice? Why did Mayu always space out when Yoshino tried to teach her these things?

Fugaku, for his part, sat patiently in the sitting room, eyes roaming the slightly rustic furniture and filled bookshelves.

Finally, Mayu appeared and his eyes darted over her form, taking in her appearance. She seemed fully recovered from Hanada's attack six weeks ago, a testament to her mother's and teammate's healing skills, he was sure. She was small, though Fugaku thought she'd probably grow a few inches in the next few years. Her right arm was a little paler than the left, telling him her cast hadn't been off for longer than a week.

It was still a little disconcerting to see her hair cut short after it being long for so many years, but it probably suited her better than the mess of a bun she was always struggling with. He'd seen Mikoto sigh and take over putting it up for the girl on more than one occasion.

She set the tray down nervously and he inwardly sighed at the mess she'd made of it. He remained silent while she poured them both a cup and he picked his up with an incline of his head, relaxing when he took a sip and he realized she at least knew how to make a good cup of tea. She sat down across the low table from him in a large stuffed chair and began to fidget. After a moment, he spoke.

"You seem recovered from your ordeal." 

"Y-yes," she said, cheeks tinging pink. "I - I haven't had a chance to thank you," she said, tipping her head down shyly. "For saving me."

Fugaku cleared his throat when she stared at him with clear admiration. "Of course. Hanada-san was my responsibility, after all." Another sip. More fidgeting from Mayu. What in the world had Shikaku been teaching the girl? "Is your family well?"

"Oh! Yes. Mom and papa are busy as usual, but they're well." She brightened. "How is little Chiasa-chan? I haven't seen a lot of her the past few months."

Fugaku allowed his face to soften slightly at the thought of his daughter. "She is well, thank you. Mikoto says she's more of a handful than Itachi and Sasuke were at her age." For some reason, Mayu looked a little smug at that.

Fugaku decided it was time to get to the reason behind his visit and set his cup down softly on the tray. "Mayu-san, the reason I've come today is to ask if you'd be interested in becoming my apprentice."

The girl stilled and her eyes went impossibly wide in her face. For a good thirty seconds, she just stared at him before blurting " _Me?_ You want  _me_ to become your apprentice? But! But you never take apprentices! Not ever!" She then blushed when he raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean, um, I may have heard something about that. Somewhere. Maybe."

Fugaku was starting to see why Itachi always looked faintly exasperated when speaking about the girl. "I haven't taken one in a very long time. That does not mean, however, that I am opposed to it." That was a bit of a lie. When his first and only apprentice had died almost fifteen years ago, the pain of it had been such that he'd never had the heart to take on another.

"But..." Mayu said, looking a little lost. "I don't understand."

Fugaku narrowed his eyes and decided honesty was his only choice. She was too clever not to see through a lie. "I admit," he started, and her eyes sharpened on him, "that when Itachi first brought up the idea, I refused." To his surprise, her eyes only widened before narrowing thoughtfully at this piece of information.

"However, you have proven throughout the years, and in the past few months especially, that you would be a valuable asset to the Military Police Force." Her eyes sparkled at the compliment and he hurried on. "However, you have also proven completely incapable of making decisions that don't end to the detriment of your health. To make matters worse, none of your current authority figures seem to do more than give you a slap on your wrist. After your last bout of idiocy, it became clear that I would be required to step in to keep you from dying before you reach your full potential."

Fugaku actually blinked in surprise when, instead of reacting defensively, the worship in her eyes only brightened and she looked down bashfully at her now-wringing hands. "Oh! Fugaku-sama, you don't have to waste your time worrying about me," she said earnestly. "Papa was very stern with me - he barely hugged me for two days!"

He stared when she actually looked put out at this form of 'punishment.' "And Itachi-sempai was very disapproving. He and Tsunade-sama made me do lots of D-ranks. With only one hand, even!"

For a moment, Fugaku just took that in and wondered if perhaps somebody had forgotten to tell him that she was actually some sort of idiot-savant. "That," he finally said in a cold voice, "is  _not_ a punishment. You chased after a criminal organization that had kidnapped multiple children without backup. You then engaged three shinobi, knowing a fourth, high-level jounin would be appearing soon. You almost died. The girls you were trying to save almost died. Your summons almost died." Mayu sank down further in her chair with each addition to the list. "I can assure you, as my apprentice, I will expect you to make better decisions."

"I - yes!" she said, suddenly earnest and wide-eyed again. "Of course, Fugaku-sama. You're totally right." Her hands were clasped under her chin, fingers intertwined, as she stared at him.

He cleared his throat. This was not the reaction he usually garnered when giving one of his infamous dressing downs. "Alright, as long as that is clear. I am not an easy taskmaster, either. You will wake early to train, then you will accompany me throughout the day as I complete my work. You will be expected to take on menial jobs on top of the internship at the MPF that is a part of the apprenticeship. You will be expected to pass all of the tests with high scores. I will not be shamed by substandard performance." He blinked when she whipped out a notebook and began taking careful, fervid notes of everything he said. This was not going the way he thought it would. He'd thought there would be more tears, for starters.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts and sipped his tea. "I also expect that you will take on the position of a junior police officer in the Military Police Force within the first year." Her head shot up from her notes.

"But - I - you think I can make jounin in that amount of time? I know Hatake Kakashi was my jounin-sensei, but I'm not actually a prodigy like he is," she said nervously and Fugaku frowned at her.

"Who said anything about you making jounin by then?" he asked, annoyed, and she blinked slowly, looking so much like Shikaku with the small gesture that he almost twitched. Why had he agreed to this again? Oh, yes, because nobody else could possibly hope to actually mentor the girl. She'd railroad over every other member of the Police Force within a week, just the way she had with her superiors in Interrogation and Intelligence, according to Itachi. Her talent was not something that could be wasted in such a manner. She needed to be taken firmly in hand.

"Well...I'm not an Uchiha," she said slowly, "so I thought I couldn't be an officer until I make jounin..."

Fugaku sighed and set his teacup down again. "If you're my apprentice, you'll be allowed to bypass that rule." Her mouth made a little 'O' of surprise and then she was bouncing up and down on her seat in excitement. A true kunoichi did not bounce, for god's sake.

"Enough," he said and she went still, reminding him of a puppy trying desperately to stay sitting on command, body fairly vibrating with energy. How did Shikaku deal with such an energetic daughter? He took a folder from inside his flak jacket and set it on the table next to the tea tray.

"This is a standard apprenticeship contract, with a few things added in to cover the MPF aspect of being my student. Look it over with Shikaku-san tonight and if you accept, bring the signed contract to my house at sunrise tomorrow. Bring your gear - all of it - I'll be testing your levels in all types of combat. I know your puppet was...compromised by Hanada-san, so we'll test that at a later date."

"Oh! Actually, I've already fixed him," she said, and he blinked at her.

"I was under the impression you were working full time for Interrogation the past six weeks and that your arm was in a cast up until a week ago. When did you have time for this?" he demanded, having an idea already of the answer.

"Oh! Well, I was able to do some of it one-handed with the help of Rika-sempai and some people at the woodshop. And I did most of my work at night." She beamed at him, obviously expecting praise.

"And when did you sleep?" he asked sharply, already peripherally aware of her habit of staying up all night working on 'projects.'

"Oh! Well, here and there," she said nervously, obviously seeing that he was not, in fact, going to praise her.

"Unacceptable," he said, voice cold. "You will sleep at least six hours every night unless you are working on a case or mission that requires your focus. Sleep is a must for any shinobi or kunoichi to stay on top of their game."

Her eyes brightened and she nodded before taking out her notebook again. "Right! Okay, sleep - six - hours - a - night. Got it!" she said and looked up at him with star-filled eyes again.

He stared at her, baffled, and was saved from responding to her frankly ridiculous reactions by the front door opening. "Nomaka Mayu!" A voice that undeniably belonged to an irate Nara Yoshino said. Fugaku watched in fascination when the girl's eyes widened in terror and she sank down further in her chair. "What do you think you're doing leaving  _classified reports_ out on the porch where any idiot could come along and find them!"

Mayu's eyes darted around the room as if looking for an escape. And that, there, was the reaction he was used to receiving when giving out a lecture. What was it about Yoshino that inspired that reaction when all he got was doe-eyes and a shyly-pleased reaction at what the girl decided was his heartwarming 'concern' for her?

"S-sorry mom!" she squeaked.

"You will be if I - Oh! Fugaku-sama! I didn't realize you were here," a flustered Yoshino said after she turned the corner into the living room, followed by her slouching husband. She was wearing her medic's uniform, with a badge on her shoulder declaring her the head of the trauma ward. "Mayu-chan! Why didn't you tell me we had a guest? And - is that - did you try and serve him that messy tray? Mayu, this is why I told you to pay attention when I -"

"What brings you here, Fugaku-san? Did you need to talk to me?" Shikaku cut his wife off, which was probably a good thing as Mayu looked ready to leap over the couch and make a run for safety.

"Actually, I was here to speak with Mayu-san. We've just finished," he said and stood, causing the girl to scramble to her feet as well. Shikaku was giving him a sharp look that Fugaku knew promised pain in his future if he decided he was causing trouble for his family. Mayu must have picked up on her father's tension because she broke in.

"Papa," she said sweetly, drawing his attention to her, and his features softened. Fugaku was beginning to see how she got away with being so frankly ridiculous. Who would have guessed that Nara Shikaku was a soft touch? "Fugaku-sama came to offer me an apprenticeship! Isn't that great?" she gushed and Fugaku couldn't quite stop his twitch.

Yoshino and Shikaku both went silent in shock and Fugaku resisted the urge to sigh. "Well, Mayu, that's...something," Yoshino finally said.

Fugaku cleared his throat. "Mayu-san, if you decide to turn down the apprenticeship," he ignored Shikaku's small scoff, "you will still be offered the internship at the Military Police Force."

She nodded frantically, eyes still wide and focused on his face. "I understand, Fugaku-sama," she said and he saw that she now had the folder holding the contract clutched to her chest.

"I'll walk you out," Shikaku said and Fugaku inclined his head, following him to the door. He slumped against the wall and watched Fugaku with half-lidded eyes while he put on his shoes and carefully set the slippers he'd used to the side. The moment the door closed behind them on the porch, Mayu's frantic squeal of excitement could be heard clearly.

"Mom! Can you believe it!?" he heard before Yoshino shushed her. Fugaku froze, horrified.  _What have I done?_ he asked himself. His thoughts must have shown on his face because Shikaku's amused voice pulled his attention back to the other shinobi.

"If you're wondering if it's too late to back out, the answer is yes," he said in a low, lazy voice, but Fugaku wasn't fooled by his slumped demeanor. That was a warning.  _Break my daughter's heart and I'll break your body._

Fugaku raised his chin. "As though I would do something so dishonorable," he said with as much affront as he could manage. Shikaku just shrugged his shoulders and relaxed minutely. Fugaku wasn't afraid of Shikaku, but he was aware that the man could do a lot of damage when riled - politically and physically. He'd rather not see what kind of heights of rage disappointing Mayu would bring him to.

Shikaku turned and looked over the front yard before bringing his attention back to Fugaku. "Just..." he started, then stopped.

Fugaku sighed. "I'll do my best," he responded to the unvoiced request.  _Just don't let her die._

Fugaku would do his best to fulfill his duty, just as he always did. Even if part of that duty now included keeping an incredibly strange genius puppeteer with a penchant for trouble and questionable decision-making skills relatively safe. As he stepped off the front porch, he had an ominous feeling that his days of peace were numbered and it had everything to do with his new apprentice.


	12. Apprentice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayu settles in to the MPF, Fugaku wonders what happened to his life, and a new threat to Konoha comes to light.

Asuka was having a bad day. Scratch that, he was having the worstday. It had started with the hot water going out in his shitty apartment and had been filled with petty annoyances such as his sister bitching him out for gambling away their rent money the night before in a haze of alcohol. Of course, none of that came even close to the position he now found himself in.

That is, tied up and ignominiously thrown over the shoulder of  _the Hatake Kakashi,_ who was humming a tuneless melody and still reading that porn of his. He wasn't even sure how he got there. It wasn't like he was a criminal mastermind. He'd just decided to go back to a few tricks of his youthful trade so that when he returned home that evening he would have the rent money his sister had told him in no uncertain terms he was not to return without.

So he'd gone into the upper merchant district where shinobi didn't tend to congregate since they made the hissy rich civilians nervous and begun relieving some of the more prosperous, less observant business people of their purses. It's not like they needed it. Not the way he did.

Just as he'd finished counting out the amount he required for rent and was ready to head home, a shadow had fallen over him. Asuka wasn't exactly the superstitious sort, but he'd known, somehow, before even looking up, that the shadow was going to be attached to something truly, truly terrible.

The first thing he'd seen when he finally got the guts to move his gaze upward was a garish orange book cover and his cheeks burned when he remembered what was written in those pages from his own foray into Icha Icha. Of course, he'd read them behind closed doors, not out in the open.

Asuka had wondered if he was going to be mauled by a pervert. When his eyes took in the unmistakable visage of one of the most infamous shinobi of the village, he wished his first guess had been correct.

"Yo," Hatake Kakashi said and lowered his book, piercing Asuka with his lone grey eye.

"Usually," he began in a comfortable tone that one only uses on people they know fairly well, even as the world seemed to darken around them and press down on Asuka in a way that made his palms sweat, "I could care less about a pickpocket. My sights are generally set on bigger threats. Recently, however, it's come to my attention that even petty crime in Konoha can lead to the injury of somebody very dear to me. So, I've decided I should take more of an interest in the day-to-day misconduct that happens in our great village."

The pressure around them lessened and Asuka found himself looking at the creepiest smile he'd ever seen. Until that moment, he didn't know you could smile menacingly with just one eye showing.

"Plus," Hatake Kakashi said cheerfully, almost as though to himself, "You'll make a nice gift for her."

"Not to mention it gives you an excuse to check in on her and make sure Uchiha-sama isn't making her cry," a bored voice said from Hatake's feet, and Asuka did a double take at the little talking pug sitting comfortably on the wall. "And it will make you look like a supportive sensei."

Asuka's voice chose that moment to begin working again. "H-Hatake-sama! This isn't what it looks like!" he squeaked and belatedly hid the beaded pink purse that smelled slightly of perfume behind his back.

He wished he hadn't spoken when Hatake turned his eye from the pug back to him. Just like that, it was flat and devoid of emotion. "Don't you know, thief-san," he had said in a quiet, deadly voice that made Asuka whimper, "that you can't lie to an elite jounin so easily?"

Asuka stared morosely down at the ground and bounced slightly with the Copy Nin's cheerful steps. It had been over quickly after that. So quickly, in fact, that it seemed as though one second he was concentrating very hard on not breaking down sobbing like a child, and the next he was wrapped up and slung over the shoulder of the strangest and deadliest man he'd ever spoken to.

Asuka craned his neck when the sounds around him changed from the quiet of the Upper Merchant districts into the more distinct hustle and bustle of Konoha Main Street. He groaned when an all-too-familiar building came into view.

"Ah, man, the MPF? Gimme a break! I was takin' purses from a buncha peacocks, not kidnapping girls. From what I hear, that's more of a shinobi past time these days," he grumbled, referring to the news that had rocked the civilian sectors not six weeks before. The people who had been snatching young girls from the streets had turned out to be a group of shinobi - one of which was a higher up at the MPF. Asuka thought it just went to show that the crap they let their ninja population get away with because they were supposedly their 'protectors' was just a bunch of elitist bullshit.

"Well, considering those perpetrators are all dead now, I figure you're getting off lightly," Hatake said in a bored tone and Asuka wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. He breathed out a sigh of relief when they entered the cool building - the late July heat was stifling - and then tensed again when he caught sight of a few uniformed coppers. The blood rushing to his head was beginning to make him dizzy and he was relieved when, after a few minutes of weaving between desks, they came to a stop. He was unceremoniously flipped over right-side-up onto a chair just as he heard a cheerful voice speak from somewhere in front of him.

"Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here?" The low hum of conversation and shuffling paperwork had noticeably quieted when they passed through the room and had now gone almost completely silent within a ten-foot radius of them. Asuka blinked and waited for the spots to fade from his vision from the vertigo of being upright again, and then looked around in interest.

He was in one of those plastic, uncomfortable chairs that bureaucracies that don't actually care about your comfort like to buy. He would have fallen out of it, wrapped up as he was, if it weren't for Kakashi's hand on his shoulder.

The MPF itself was a large, round building, with a circular open space full of desks and focused police officers the first thing you saw when you walked in. There were five hallways that led off into different directions with helpful signs proclaiming them as Archives, Evidence, Holding and Interrogation, Administration, and Investigation. Between the hallways were doors that led into private offices and what looked like a few conference rooms. They were sitting outside one such door, with a neat sign above it that read  _Chief of Police, Uchiha Fugaku._ Since when did pickpockets get sent to Uchiha Fugaku?

The voice that had spoken appeared to be attached to a young girl sitting at a desk outside and to the right of the door. It was a small desk, the kind that screamed intern or temporary, and on it was a little plate that read  _Nomaka Mayu._ She had dark grey eyes outlined in green that were currently staring up at Hatake Kakashi as if he were a favorite uncle that had dropped by unexpectedly with sweets. Her face was oval and slightly thin, with high cheekbones, and her wavy hair was a deep midnight blue that was cut in a severe A-line.

She stood and walked around the desk, showing that she was an average height for her age, and fairly slim. She was wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt with the Uchiwa fan set onto a backdrop of a four-pronged star on her right shoulder - the MPF symbol. Her green flak jacket was fitted more closely to her than most of the bulky ones he saw shinobi wearing, and slung low on her hips over a pair of long fitted black pants were two thin leather blue belts crossed over each other with three small scrolls attached on one side and a weapons pouch on the other. Each thigh had a long dagger attached to it over white bandages, with a kunai pouch over the top of the right dagger, the hilt sitting above the flap for easy access. She was wearing her hitai-ate, in the same black as her pants, as a hair band, nestled behind the long tendrils that hung down to frame her face.

"Mayu-chan, you look so official in your MPF uniform," Hatake said and Asuka twitched when a piece of candy appeared in the man's hand. Mayu brightened and took it from him almost shyly. God, he even sounded like a doting uncle.

"You think so, sensei? I can't use my big belt and carousel with the flak jacket, so I had to change things up." She lightly touched her hitai-ate, then pouted. "And Fugaku-shishou said I couldn't wear my shorts while I'm on duty."

"You look very fierce," he said and patted the girl's head, who beamed up at him.

"I also brought you this," Kakashi gestured to Asuka with a flourish and he scowled. He was a  _person,_ okay?

Mayu turned her eyes to him, and suddenly she was no longer a cute little girl greeting a family member. Her eyes had narrowed and gone sharp and were darting over his form almost too quickly to follow. After a moment her expression cleared and she rocked back on her heels in excitement.

"Oh! A thief! Sensei, did you capture him just for me?" she asked and the great Hatake Kakashi bashfully rubbed the back of his neck.

"I did it for the good of Konoha," he said airily and Asuka snorted in derision, then wished he hadn't when the room darkened around them.

"You know, you really shouldn't have gone back to pickpocketing, no matter how much money you lost gambling," Mayu said to Asuka, who gaped at her in shock.

"How did you -" he started, beginning to feel a little nervous - was this girl part of the clan of mind readers? - when their conversation was interrupted by a tall, stern man stepping out of the office. He could only be Uchiha Fugaku.

"Mayu-san," he intoned, eyes darting over Asuka's and Kakashi's forms with equal amounts of silent disdain, "what is all of this noise about?" Asuka didn't miss the way everyone around them immediately went back to whatever task they had been doing before Kakashi carried him in.

"Fugaku-shishou!" the girl said and Kakashi twitched when the girl's eyes went large and adoring. "Look what Kakashi-sensei brought me!" She swept a hand towards Asuka and he glared at it. Still a person, here. "He caught this guy pickpocketing in the Upper Merchant District and brought him in. Isn't that so nice of him?" she said in a proud tone.

"Wait, how did you know where he found me -" Asuka was cut off once again as he tried to ascertain whether or not Nomaka Mayu was reading his mind.

"Kakashi-san, I didn't know you were interested in police work," Fugaku said dryly.

"Oh, just doing my civic duty," the man replied and Mayu bounced up on the balls of her feet and whispered "So cool!" under her breath.

"Hmmm," Fugaku said noncommittally. "Officer Dai, please take Kakashi-san's statement and process..."

He looked over at Asuka, who  _humphed_ at finally being treated as a person. "Bomuto Asuka," he said gruffly. "Is there a reason you're keepin' me tied up? It's not like I can escape from a buncha Uchiha," he grumbled.

"And a Nomaka," Kakashi said magnanimously, resulting in the weird girl smile up at him.

"Yes, Uchiha-sama," another man, probably Officer Dai, had sidled up next to them and was making a strange expression, as though he was trying not to smile. Ridiculous - everybody knew Uchiha don't smile. He became Asuka's favorite Uchiha ever when he cut him free of the ninja wire and gave him a few moments to shake feeling back into his limbs.

"I was hoping Mayu-chan could take my statement, actually," Kakashi said while Asuka attempted to wiggle his toes.

"Mayu-chan will not be cleared to take statements until she becomes a junior officer," Fugaku said calmly and Kakashi drooped.

Mayu wrung her hands. "Sorry, sensei. I'll work hard and become a junior officer soon, I promise!"

"I'm sure you will, Mayu-chan," he said and she snatched the piece of candy that had appeared out of his hand. "And then you can take all my statements. Until then, I'm sure Officer Dai will take good care of me."

Fugaku twitched at the implication that this wasn't a one-time drop by and Asuka made a silent vow to stay on the right side of the law. No way was he becoming Hatake Kakashi's sacrificial lamb a second time. Maybe he would take that job that his brother-in-law had been offering him at the factory, after all.

He jumped when Mayu patted his shoulder and said "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Kakashi-sensei can be pretty determined."

Asuka had never been so relieved to see the inside of a holding cell.

000

Mayu waved goodbye to Officer Dai - by far the most laid back Uchiha she'd ever met, not counting Chiasa - and bounced out of the MPF building. It was her third week as Uchiha Fugaku's apprentice and despite it mostly consisting of him kicking the crap out of her on a training field, lecturing her on her improper habits, and making her file mountains of paperwork, it had been amazing.

Her eyes scanned the area automatically - situational awareness was something Kakashi had literally beaten into them - and brightened when she saw Team Ten lounging across the street. Shikamaru was leaning against a low wall, arms crossed over his chest and an expression that was half boredom, half annoyance on his face. Chouji was sitting cross-legged on the ground eating a bag of chips, Asuma standing on his other side, smoking a cigarette. Ino was sitting on the wall above and to the right of Shikamaru, leaning over and craning her neck as she lectured him.

"Shikamaru, we should be training right now, not waiting for your girlfriend to get out of work. You  _live together,_ why do we have to waste time so you can greet her for five minutes..."

Mayu winced with guilt. Actually, she hadn't seen much of Shikamaru at all since she started her apprenticeship and became an intern at the MPF. Fugaku kept her busy from sunrise until late afternoon and then she rushed off to either her lab or the woodshop to work on her projects before sprinting to her bed to get the required six hours of sleep every night. Shikamaru hadn't said anything, but she could tell he was getting pouty about the whole thing.

Her thoughts were interrupted when he caught sight of her. His lips quirked up into a smile, and her heart thudded in her chest at his expression - one he only ever made for her. He looked so _handsome_ and  _cool_ in his black shirt, pants, and flak jacket, hair up in its usual ponytail and earrings in place. Mayu beamed at him, darting across the street and ignoring the annoyed yells of the people she cut off.

"Shika!" she said and slammed into him. He huffed out a laugh and brought his hands to her hips when she stood on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Missed you," she said when she pulled back and shivered when his hands tightened on her hips.

"Missed you too," he grumbled, cheeks going a little pink and glaring when Asuma snorted and Ino scoffed. Mayu ignored them in favor of nuzzling into his neck and inhaling.

"You waited to see me before team practice?" 

"Wanted to say hi before you headed to Akinobu-san's." She pulled back at the odd tone to his voice, and yep, he was scowling a bit. Mayu chewed on her lip, guilt eating at her.

"I just - I need to finish Bukimi's upgrades before I get called out on a mission with Kakashi-sensei. I'm almost done," she said, voice uncharacteristically subdued. He sighed and pulled her in for a hug.

"I know, I'm not mad. Just..." he drifted off, not needing to finish the sentence.

"Me too," she said, and cuddled into him, relieved that he wasn't upset with her for being so absent. And she really did miss him.

"Maybe we can hang out tomorrow evening," he said a moment later when Asuma cleared his throat pointedly, and Mayu brightened as she pulled back.

Her mind raced through the next day. She had practice with Team Kakashi right after she was finished with the MPF, but if she completed Bukimi's upgrade and tune up that evening, she should be able to spend time with Shikamaru when she was done.

"Mm! Okay, it's a date," she said, and couldn't resist leaning forward to kiss him one more time when his face went pleased and smug.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Asuma grumbled. "Shikamaru, we need to go."

"Finally," Ino sniped, and Mayu pointedly ignored her, instead leaning up to whisper in Shikamaru's ear.

"See you later," she said, and he kissed her temple.

"Yeah," he replied, cheeks going even redder as she stepped back and he avoided his teammates' eyes. He was so cute. Mayu hummed all the way to the shop.

"Hi, Akinobu-sensei!" she called to the man when she arrived, who grunted back at her from where he was looking over a chair that somebody had just finished. Hungover, then. Best to avoid.

She skipped over to her workbench, where Bukimi was laying in parts, ready for his tune-up. Mayu picked up a rag and some wood polish and opened up her toolkit. Around her, the shop went quiet as the woodworkers started filtering out, done for the day. She absently waved goodbye as they left, having known most of them for years by that point.

"What is this, a bed and breakfast?" Akinobu's cranky voice pulled Mayu awake from where she was draped over an almost-complete Bukimi. She was still holding a screwdriver in her hand, and the early morning light was filtering through one of the high windows above her head.

"Urgh," she said and rubbed her free hand over her face. "What - what time is it?" she asked, suddenly panicked.

"Seven-thirty," Akinobu grunted, and Mayu yelped in alarm. She was supposed to be at the MPF headquarters to meet the other interns and get her official mentor assigned to her at eight am.

Mayu frantically put her screwdriver to work to finish putting Bukimi together. There was a skill assessment after the meeting and she needed her puppet for it. Akinobu made an aggrieved noise, but picked up another screwdriver and helped her with the last steps.

"Thanks, Akinobu-sensei!" She said cheerfully as she sealed her puppet and attached her two belts. He grunted out something about idiot ninja, but she could tell he was having one of his moments where he admitted to himself that he was kinda, sorta, maybe a little fond of her. They only happened about once every six months, so she took a moment to bask in it. Then she looked at the clock, squeaked, and darted out of the room.

Mayu kept the countdown until eight going in her head as she zipped past sleepy Nara and out the compound gates, then took to the roofs. "Fugaku-shishou will be so annoyed if I'm late," she mumbled cheerfully and pushed extra chakra into her legs.

Mayu loved Kakashi, and would forever insist that he was the best jounin sensei ever. Fugaku, however, was very, very good at teaching in a way Kakashi probably never would be.

The first day, he'd had her attack him with every trick she had, and then he'd thoroughly trounced her in each demonstration of her abilities while calmly and coldly pointing out her weaknesses. She'd learned more about combat in one training session with him than she had in her last three team practices.

Part of it, she knew, was that as a chunin it was only natural to start focusing on her individual abilities. Her time with Team Seven had been about teamwork and fundamentals. Also, individual instruction was always going to be more intensive. Most of it, though, was Fugaku's ability to see straight through the flash and fire and break apart her strengths, weaknesses, and potential. It was, she thought, where Sasuke had gotten his own ability to do that from, though his was less honed.

"You have a wide range of techniques to fall back on. Your taijutsu is acceptable, though it lacks power. Speed and agility are two of your major strengths. Nobody can deny that your control over your puppets is good for your age. However," he had said, and Mayu had whipped out her notebook and bounced up and down in excitement, knowing whatever he said was sure to be significant.

He had paused, stared at the notebook for a beat with an inscrutable expression, then continued. "You are unpolished. Your timing is off - not enough to matter against low-level opponents, but enough that the more talented of your peers could see through it."

Mayu had nodded eagerly - it was true, after all, that Sasuke usually avoided her puppet attacks. She ended up using them as more of a distraction against him, generally. Fugaku had stared at her for a few moments before continuing on.

"You are also incredibly underprepared for any situation where you find yourself without your gadgets or puppets." Mayu knew her eyes had gone wide and sparkly at the way he didn't hesitate to say the word 'gadget.' Out of the adults in her life, only Kakashi-sensei didn't fumble over the word until he got used to it. Even Shikaku and Yoshino had seemed a little flabbergasted by her little tricks and inventions until they became accustomed to them.

Fugaku had twitched a little at her probably-strange-from-the-outside response to his commentary but continued. "Your chakra reserves are quite high, especially for a kunoichi, yet you only have a few jutsu in your arsenal, despite having mastered a secondary Elemental Release already."

Mayu, realizing it was a question, not a statement, nodded eagerly. "Yes! Well, my chakra threads drain my reserves at a steady rate, and if I'm controlling my puppets it's difficult to make hand signs. So, Kakashi-sensei thought I should concentrate on my puppetry and taijutsu instead of getting distracted by ninjutsu. What I know is more supplementary."

Fugaku had hummed, and Mayu saw that he didn't exactly disapprove, but he didn't exactly approve either. After that, her real training began. It was, well, amazing.

Four mornings a week, she met with Fugaku, and he would put her through her paces with her puppets and taijutsu. Like Sasuke, his methods were brutal but effective - she already felt more in tune with her puppets, as though they were simply becoming an extension of herself instead of something she controlled.

He'd also started teaching her more jutsu, insisting that she be proficient with them as a secondary form of self-defense. He had started with the Great Fireball Jutsu, stating that as the apprentice of an Uchiha it was traditional that she learn it first. It was more difficult than she had expected it to be, and she couldn't believe Sasuke had learned it when he was  _eight._

Mayu had spent an hour listening to Sakura ranting as the girl healed burns in her throat the first day. It had been worth the effort and pain when, on the third day, Fugaku had said "Good," after watching her send a large fireball out across the small pond in the Uchiha training grounds.

She also couldn't help but appreciate that she had grown up with Shikaku for a father. Fugaku would give a kid a complex. Itachi and Sasuke were prime examples. They were messes. Mayu would have to give Chiasa special attention once she was old enough to do more than throw up, cry, stare at people and roll around.

Mayu skidded to a halt in front of the MPF, barely avoiding crashing into a scowling Uchiha as he exited the building, and dashed inside, weaving between desks as quickly as she could without running. That had been a very long lecture from Fugaku when she'd accidentally knocked over a woman giving a statement. Of course, Mayu had deduced she was lying about her jewelry being stolen so she could cash in on an insurance policy, but Fugaku had remained steadfast in the face of her genius. He declared that she should not "dash about my Headquarters like a child. You are a kunoichi of Konoha, you must act like one." Fugaku was so regal and cool.

She gave a small cheer as she dashed into the conference room just as her mind told her it was eight. Fugaku was standing in the room along with Dai, who looked his usual mixture of amused and baffled, and two Uchiha chunin who looked like they were a few years older than Mayu. There were also two other officers that she vaguely recognized, one she'd never seen before that was wearing a badge under his MPF symbol declaring him a lieutenant, and, to her surprise, Hyuuga Hinata, who was wearing the Uchiha uniform. Her flak jacket was thicker than Mayu's, who'd had to get hers customized so that she would be able to carry Bukimi when needed without it getting in her way.

"Hinata!" She gasped and would have gone over to the girl if Fugaku, wearing a mask of now-familiar disapproval, hadn't spoken.

Mayu didn't miss the way the two Uchiha interns smirked at the imminent lecture. She wasn't unaware that some of the clan were not happy that Fugaku's first apprentice in over a decade wasn't an Uchiha. Generally, she basked cheerfully in their angst, and this morning was no exception as she sent them a happy wave.

"Mayu-san," He said, "I believe I told you the meeting started at eight."

Mayu glanced at the clock - eight am exactly. "Yes?"

He sighed when she stated it as a question, and Mayu blinked when the lieutenant she'd never seen before chuckled. She looked closer - yep, still an Uchiha - before her attention was pulled back to Fugaku.

"Mayu, it is customary to show up a few minutes before a meeting is set to begin. This ensures that everybody is ready to start on time."

Mayu tilted her head to the side as she thought about that. "Huh, that makes sense. Thanks, Fugaku-shishou!" She said and went to sit down. The two chunin and jounin were looking at her like she was crazy, and everybody in the room except Mayu cringed when Fugaku spoke again.

"Mayu-san, are those the clothes you wore yesterday?" Mayu froze, and her eyes darted to the side.

"Um."

"They are wrinkled. Did you brush your hair this morning? Also, why are you covered in sawdust? Your eyeliner is...smudged, as well." With each question, his face became colder, and she put her arms behind her back and shuffled her feet.

"Well, I was working at Akinobu-sensei's shop on Bukimi, and I kind of...fell asleep. But!" she said as he closed his eyes in a way that she knew meant he was looking for patience, "I'm positive I got at least six hours of rest!"

Fugaku opened his eyes and stared at her with that unreadable expression he seemed to wear around her - a lot. "Mayu-san, an officer of the MPF must always be well-groomed, or we risk losing the respect of those around us. Respect of our forces is half of what keeps the shinobi and civilians of Konoha on the correct side of the law."

Mayu's eyes widened, then narrowed as she thought that through. "You're so right, Fugaku-shishou! It's much better if people are just too scared of us to even try to break the law. Don't worry, I'll make sure to put on clean clothes tomorrow." She rocked back on her heels and stared up at him as she made a mental note to make sad eyes at Yoshino until she agreed to iron Mayu's MPF uniforms.

"Perhaps," he said, "You could also brush your hair."

"Yes! I will definitely do that," she said with determination, and frantically started to create a file in her mindscape labeled 'Morning Ritual Musts.' How she was going to find the extra time was a problem she would think about later.

"...Right. Well, then, let's get started." Mayu hurried to sit down at the table next to Hinata, taking a notebook and pen from her pouch. When she looked up, she saw that all of the Uchiha in the room were looking at her with a mix of horror, fascination, and shock.

"What? Is my hair that crazy?" she mumbled and turned to Hinata with big eyes, who shook her head.

"N-no. But, maybe I could help you with it...?" Mayu shrugged, then nodded, and Hinata reached out with gentle hands to smooth down her hair. Mayu didn't miss the way the two other interns and one of the less taciturn jounin were giving Hinata less-than-welcoming looks.

Mayu doubted a Hyuuga had ever worked at the MPF before and was more than a little surprised Hinata had applied for an internship. Especially since she'd never expressed interest in it before, and it was bound to cause waves. Hinata was obviously aware of this if the slight trembling of her body, pursed lips, and downturned eyes were any indication. However, there was a determined set around her eyes and jaw that Mayu recognized from the chunin exams. Hinata may be scared out of her wits, but she wasn't going to back down. The question was  _why._

When Fugaku sat down Hinata pulled her hands back and put them in her lap, obviously ready to pay attention. Mayu decided to solve the mystery of a Hyuuga in the Police Force later, and turned her gaze to Fugaku.

"You are here because you have been selected as interns for the Konoha Military Police Force," Fugaku began without preamble. "This is not an easy position, and you will not find glory here. However, you will learn the inner workings of the MPF. Your mentors will help you build the foundation you need to build a career here. Make no mistake, this is not an undemanding assignment. You will do the boring, dirty, and less glamorous work of the organization for the next six months. You will train hard, and be given staggering amounts of information to learn. I expect nothing less than perfection from each of you."

Mayu only realized she was doing the 'creepy thing,' as Sasuke called it, where she clasped her hands under her chin and stared wide-eyed at Fugaku when she heard a choking noise coming from the mysterious Uchiha lieutenant. Mayu glared at him, annoyed that he was cutting into Fugaku's very cool speech, and he held up his hands in surrender.

She narrowed her eyes and took a moment to really study him. His expression was more affable than even Dai's, who while somber would sometimes smile and had a kind demeanor. His hair was messy, falling over his hitai-ate in places. He looked relaxed as he leaned against the wall, surveying the room and listening to Fugaku in what was obviously tolerant amusement.  _It's a mask. A good one but...there's a lot more going on under there than good-natured indulgence. Not surprising, really, he is a shinobi - a strong one, too, if he's a lieutenant..._

For a moment, he met her gaze, and she started a little at the flatness behind his eyes, a chill working its way up her spine. This was a person who had seen terrible things.

"...your mentor will be the person who will make sure you accumulate the knowledge you need to succeed here. Now. Uchiha Tsuki," one of the chunin, a boy of about fifteen with a round face and a pompous air, straightened. "Your mentor is Officer Uchiha Ringo."

One of the jounin dipped his head at the boy in acknowledgment. From the way he and the other officer were holding themselves, she could tell being a mentor to a baby police officer wasn't exactly a job people were scrambling for.

"Uchiha Ataka, your mentor is Officer Uchiha Ren." the other standard officer nodded. "Nomaka Mayu, your mentor will be Uchiha Dai." Mayu beamed at Dai, and he quirked a brow back, but she could see he was equal parts pleased and trepidatious. Well, she was the apprentice of his boss, so if he screwed up he'd probably be in trouble.

"Hyuuga Hinata," Fugaku said, and Mayu perked up because she was about to get a name to go with the mysterious lieutenant, "Your mentor is Uchiha Shisui, who has recently returned to the force to fill the position of lieutenant." Mayu's jaw dropped and her gaze whipped back over to Shisui -  _Shunshin no Shisui,_ cousin and best friend of Uchiha Itachi. He was one of the strongest jounin in the village, some even said as strong as Itachi himself, though he showed no interest in the position of Hokage. Actually, most people assumed he would become commander of ANBU, since it was a well-known secret that he had disappeared into the organization about seven years ago.

Mayu wondered, suddenly, if he would end up being the next clan head, once Sasuke officially renounced it. He was probably a shoo-in for the next Chief of Police, too, if he was showing an interest in the organization. Eh, it's not like Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura could blame her for losing out on a position to  _Uchiha Shisui._ Actually, it was a bit of a relief.

Next to her, Hinata was blinking rapidly in shock, and her cheeks had gone a bright pink. It was obviously a political move to put the Hyuuga princess with the most respected officer in the force outside of Fugaku himself, and the other two interns were now glaring darkly at the girl. Hinata glanced over at them and winced, then hunched in on herself.

"Please, like two average shinobi like yourselves had a chance of getting Uchiha Shisui as a mentor, anyway," Mayu hissed at them.

"Mayu-san," Fugaku barked, and she turned to him, brightening.

"Yes, Fugaku-shishou?" Once again she found herself staring at his stern expression that she liked to think he only used before dropping deep knowledge on her.

"I expect you to treat your fellow interns with respect."

"Yes, shishou! You can count on me!" she chirped. She glanced over at Hinata, who seemed to have relaxed a very small amount. She would treat at least  _one_ of them with respect, anyway.

Mayu looked at Dai after Fugaku finished welcoming the interns into their ranks and pulled Hinata by the hand to where he was standing against the wall.

"Dai-san. You're my mentor! Are you going to let me help you with cases? You're an investigator now, right? Since they fired Kaoru-san?" She bounced up on the balls of her feet and studied him. "Oh, you  _are_ going to let me look at your cases!" She lowered her voice when he winced. "But you're not supposed to? Oh, I won't tell!"

Next to her, Hinata giggled a little, and it was followed by a deep chuckle. "We won't tell, either," Uchiha Shisui said from behind Mayu and Hinata, and they both jumped a little. Hadn't he just been all the way across the room?

"Hinata-hime, I look forward to working with you," the man said with a small, respectful bow.

Mayu's eyes narrowed. She'd never heard anybody outside of Hinata's clan call her hime before. Was he trying to make some kind of point about her being assigned to him for political reasons? His face, however, was open and friendly, and she didn't see any signs of aggression or bitterness.

"O-oh! I look forward to working with you also, Uchiha-sama," Hinata said with a deep bow, prompting him to laugh good-naturedly. Hinata bit her lip and went red, and he hastened to explain.

"No, no, it's just strange having somebody be so formal with me. This must be what Itachi-kun feels like all the time," he said casually, as though people just ran around calling the next Hokage Itachi-kun. "Please, Shisui-san, or Shisui-sempai, if you prefer, is fine."

As Hinata returned his smile bashfully, Mayu turned wide eyes to Dai. "Oh! Can I call you Dai-sempai?" she whispered, and his lips quirked up a bit. Mayu realized with a start that he was actually pretty handsome.

Well, of course, he was, he was an Uchiha, but he had a sort of ruggedness about him that most of his clan didn't - most likely one of his parents married outside the clan, then. He had the same dark eyes and hair as all Uchiha, and his hair was almost roguishly long, falling over his hitai-ate in tousled locks, one even falling forward to obscure the leaf just a bit. He wasn't tall - probably only five feet ten inches - but he had broad shoulders, and was built more sturdily than most Uchiha appeared with their slim physiques. He also lacked the air of pomp and angst most of the clan carried around like a cloak. Mayu guessed he was about twenty-two - only nine or ten years older than herself.

"That would be fine, kohai," he said in a slightly teasing voice, and Mayu forced herself to not change her expression even as her cheeks warmed.  _Hormones,_ she thought dismissively, and shoved her reaction into a file labeled 'Annoying Physiological Reactions.'

"We will reconvene in training ground fourteen for an evaluation of your skills in thirty minutes. Mayu-san, come with me, please. Dai-san, we will meet you at the training grounds," Fugaku said dismissively, and everybody took the hint. Mayu watched for a moment as Hinata walked out the door with Shisui, who was smiling gently and chattering at her.  _Huh, there might be another, totally different reason that Shisui was assigned Hinata._ Mayu imagined one of the other officers, who had glowered at the girl when her name was announced, being in charge of her for the next six months, and pursed her lips.  _Yep, as usual, shishou thought of everything._

Fugaku glanced at her as she moved to follow him, and his eyebrows furrowed in consternation when he saw she was staring up at him in open admiration.

"Fugaku-shishou, I didn't know there would be another non-Uchiha intern. And one of my classmates, too. Hinata-chan is very strong," she said, doing a little skip to keep up with his long strides. "Who sponsored her?"

He hummed as they neared his office, which was only a few doorways from the conference room. "Itachi has spent the last ten weeks training with her, and presented her with a sponsorship three days ago."

Mayu blinked. Huh, she hadn't had any idea, though she had been a little out of pocket between her time in Interrogation (she still remembered it fondly) and then the start of her apprenticeship. "I bet Hiashi-sama broke a few blood vessels when he found out," Mayu said a little gleefully.

Fugaku had moved to sit behind his desk after closing his door, and for a moment he smirked.

"Indeed," he said, and Mayu gaped, then smiled widely at him. That might be the happiest she'd ever seen Fugaku, outside the birth of his daughter.

"Now," he said, and he was back to his stern master face. "I assume you haven't eaten yet this morning."

Mayu shuffled her feet, then shook her head. "No, I - like I said, I accidentally fell asleep at the woodshop, and Akinobu-sensei woke me up at seven thirty, and I had to run all the way here -"

She cut herself off as he held up a hand. With the other, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a ration bar, tossing it to her. Mayu brightened - he was so nice, thinking of her poor hungry stomach.

"Now, eat that, and listen to what I say." She obediently ripped open the wrapper and took a huge enthusiastic bite. He cringed, but didn't comment, and continued talking. "Managing our time is an important aspect of the shinobi lifestyle," he dropped into his lecture voice, and Mayu frantically shoved the rest of the bar into her mouth, cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk, and tugged out her notebook. "We must all learn to prioritize that which must be done now, and that which can wait for another time. Do you understand?"

Mayu nodded, though she didn't even attempt to speak past the huge mass of ration bar in her mouth. Fugaku gave a small sigh. "You will also come to my house this Saturday for etiquette lessons. I can't have you embarrassing me in front of high-level officials. Now, drink some of this water when you're done...eating...and we will go to the training grounds."

They arrived a few minutes later - five minutes before the specified time, in fact - to find everybody else already there. Mayu scurried over to where Hinata was standing, apart from the other Uchiha interns, as the mentors moved to speak to Fugaku. "Hinata," she hissed. "I heard Itachi-sempai was your sponsor." The Hyuuga nodded shyly, and Mayu saw Ataka and Tsuki, who had been eavesdropping, jolt in shock at that bit of information.

"Yes. He's been very kind," she said softly.

"He's actually a very nice person." Mayu shrugged. Of course, he'd still destroy anybody that threatened the village, but in general was a bit of a closet sweetheart. "You were never interested in the Police Force before. What changed?"

Hinata hesitated for a moment, and then straightened her shoulders. "Actually...actually, it was your actions that garnered my interest."

Mayu tilted her head to the side, and Hinata continued. "I - I started working at the hospital a month before the chunin exams," she said. "I felt like...like becoming a ninja was all killing and, and doing jobs just to get money from clients," she said in a soft voice that wouldn't be overheard by the two nosey Uchiha interns. "So I thought, maybe if I became a medic, it would feel more like I was helping people." Hinata paused, then shrugged. "It did make me feel a bit better, but I still wasn't..." she trailed off and shook her head.

"Then came the night when I realized I  _could_ directly help people with my clan's techniques and Byakugan." Hinata glanced over at Mayu, who was leaning forward, curiosity in every line of her body.

"I was at the hospital the night you saved those girls. I helped Yoshino-sama and Sakura-chan check them over and heal them. They...they talked about you. About how you found them, just because Harumi-chan asked it of you. And how...how you stood between them and the shi-shinobi who had taken them. They were so grateful." Mayu had to feed chakra into her ears to hear what Hinata was saying by the end of it, her voice was so low.

"That's when I realized...I could help the citizens of Konoha, directly, every day. So I - I went and asked Itachi-sama if he would sponsor me. He agreed, and helped me train so that I would have the skills needed to obtain an internship."

Mayu, whose cheeks had gone a little red by that point, looked down at the ground. "That was really brave of you, to go to Itachi-sempai," Mayu said, and gave Hinata a little smile. "I think you'll do really well. Not just because of," Mayu waved her hands at her own face to communicate  _Byakugan_ without saying it aloud, "but because you actually care. You're pretty cool, Hinata!"

The girl blushed so red that Mayu was a little worried she might pass out, and she poked the pointer fingers of her hands together in a nervous gesture. She was saved from stuttering out a reply by Fugaku calling for their attention.

They spent the rest of the morning lightly sparring amongst themselves while Fugaku and their mentors watched, discussing strengths, weaknesses, and next steps in their training. By the end of it, both Tsuki and Ataka had stopped looking at Hinata and Mayu like they were some sort of imposters and seemed instead to hold a grudging respect for them. Very grudging in Tsuki's case.

She gave a cheerful wave to Fugaku as she exited the MPF, where she'd spent the afternoon filing evidence. "Bye, Fugaku-shishou!"

He paused and closed his eyes for just a moment, the officer he'd been talking to at the entrance actually giving the girl a double take, before raising his hand in what could be considered a farewell or a dismissal.

She got to the training grounds just as Kakashi showed up. Sasuke, Sakura, and Yamato were standing on the bridge and looked just as shocked as Mayu felt that Kakashi was there.

"Sensei! You're on time!" Mayu said.

"I know you only have a few hours to practice with your poor, abandoned sensei." She rolled her eyes, causing him to flail dramatically.

"I just saw you two nights ago at dinner," she grumbled. Ensui had brought Kakashi to family dinner, causing Yoshino to look equal parts horrified that Ensui was seriously dating Kakashi, and happy that Ensui was seriously dating  _anybody._ Mayu grinned as a thought struck her, and she clasped her hands under her chin, causing all of Team Seven to twitch while Yamato looked on, confused.

"Mom said that you and Ensui were  _so cute together_ after you left, and she started asking me and papa what kind of flowers she thought you'd prefer."

"...flowers?" Kakashi finally enquired, obviously unsure whether he should ask or not, and Mayu beamed.

"For the ceremony, of course!" She skipped over to Sakura as Kakashi flailed again, not missing the way Yamato seemed to exude gloominess suddenly. Oh yes, she'd need to keep an eye on that.

"Mayu-chan!" Sakura said, reaching out to grab both of her hands in her own. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!"

Mayu slumped a little at that, feeling especially bad when Sasuke grunted his agreement. "I have no time for anything. Fugaku-shishou insists that I sleep six hours  _every night,_ on top of the internship and apprenticeship! And Shikamaru is starting to get annoyed with me and shishou gave me a really confusing speech about choosing things to pay attention to -"

She cut herself off as Sakura gave her a light - for her - bop on the head. "Idiot! It's called time management!"

Mayu stuck out her lower lip and rubbed the top of her head. Sakura remained unmoved, and Sasuke was holding two fingers to his forehead, mumbling under his breath about giving his father a lesson in 'Mayu communication techniques,' whatever that meant.

"Okay, tell us everything you have on your plate," the boy said.

Mayu puffed out her cheeks in thought for a moment. "Okay, well, the internship - which hadn't even fully started until today! And Fugaku has me training with him four mornings a week. I do five full days and one-half day at the MPF currently. Um, team practices with Team Kakashi twice a week. Time in my lab and the woodshop for upkeep and R&D -"

Sasuke held up a hand, and she stopped talking and took a deep breath of air. Team Kakashi were all staring at her like she was an idiot, and she cringed. "Okay. While you're doing this internship, you're dropping any research and development on your puppets and in your lab."

"But!"

"No," Sasuke said sternly. "You've taken on too much. Mayu, you can get back to that any time. What you need to focus on right now is learning how to function in the Military Police Force and not being eaten alive by my father."

"And you can't just keep neglecting your friends and family," Sakura scolded.

"That's right, Mayu-chan. You need to prioritize - pick what's most important right now. The rest will still be there when you're done with your internship," Kakashi said seriously.

"Right. My father will probably scale back the training time with you once you're up to his exacting standards," Sasuke said a little bitterly.

Mayu blinked at her team. "Huh. That actually...makes sense." If she only went to the shop and lab for puppet upkeep and resupply on her gadgets and explosives, that would free up hours of her time.

A pat on her head had her looking up into Kakashi's eye smile. "Once you get used to working with Yamato on the team, we can scale back our team practices to once a week. Especially since you're not a full-time member."

Mayu pouted. "But I like team practice."

"Well, it's just for six months or so," Kakashi said, and Mayu beamed up at him. "Right, well, let's get to work."

That day she, Sakura, and Kakashi were teaming up in a spar against Yamato and Sasuke, and it was obvious the two had been training together more frequently than Sakura and Mayu. Not surprising, since Sakura had her medic duties and Mayu the MPF - but it was annoying.

Mayu jumped into the air and propelled herself off a column of wood that had been originally aiming for her head, using the momentum to land on a tree branch above Sasuke.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball!" she muttered and would have grinned at the way his eyes widened in shock if she wasn't in the middle of breathing fire.

He jumped out of the way, and Kakashi and Sakura landed lightly next to her as Yamato and Sasuke went to regroup. "Fugaku-san taught you that already, hmm?" her sensei said, and she smirked.

"Yep! Pretty cool, huh?" Sakura held up her hand, and they had time to high five before Sasuke and Yamato were coming at them with a joint attack of lightning and wood. They all scattered, and Mayu saw Kakashi signal them from where he was hiding behind a bush. Mayu hummed to herself as she bounced from tree branch to tree branch, pulling in her chakra so she'd be harder to find and taking cover behind a tree.

She reached for the scroll she needed and waited the ten seconds Kakashi had indicated before unrolling it and pushing chakra into the seal. She pulled on her backpack quickly, not knowing how long the genjutsu Kakashi had signaled Sakura to unleash would last. Then, with a push and pull of her threads, the Little Terrors popped out of her bag and hovered around her.

Bukimi was just a little too unwieldy to get close to Sasuke and Yamato with all of the wood spires shooting about, but the Terrors were a much smaller target, and Mayu could easily control them while she herself was engaging in intense acrobatics to avoid being skewered.

Mayu ran up the trunk of the tree, then out onto a branch, diving towards where she could smell Sasuke hiding behind a tree on the right.

She was peripherally aware of Kakashi engaging Yamato from the front while Sakura came at him from behind as the man dispelled her illusion. Mayu almost felt sorry for him when Sakura punched a crater into the ground next to him and he sailed into the air. Kakashi lunged in for a follow-up, and Mayu lost track of what exactly was happening with them as Sasuke darted out of the bushes to meet her attack head-on.

Her daggers met the tanto that Kakashi had given him a few weeks ago, and Mayu grinned at him fiercely. He smirked back, then jerked and disengaged, spinning out of the way right before three Terrors could hit him from above. Three more rushed him from the side, little poisoned blades out and whirling, and he twisted to avoid them. For a moment he looked shocked, and Mayu realized just how much of a difference her individual training with Fugaku was making. Sasuke was having trouble avoiding her puppets - much more than he usually did.

Then, Mayu was diving forward with her daggers again to flank him as the Terrors tried to hit him from the other side. His tanto was a blur as he held her back, red eyes whirling, and Mayu spun lightly as she pushed chakra into the daggers, lighting them up with fire as they crossed his line of vision.

For a moment, he was disoriented from the flash of light in his face, but he still blocked her swipes. Five of the Terrors attacked his head and torso, and he did some truly impressive contortions to avoid them - and landed right in the path of the one she'd brought low to the ground. Its spinning blades sliced into his leg just as Mayu was hit hard by something on her side. With an  _oof_ of air, she was knocked off her feet, and she automatically cut the chakra she was feeding into her blades. She'd been burned about four times too many practicing with Yoshino and Fugaku.

Mayu crashed through a bush, inwardly groaning at the nettles she'd need to pull from, well, everywhere, before twisting her body into something more controlled and rolling up onto her feet.  _Ouch,_ she thought to herself as she twisted a bit to see how injured she was.  _So that's what it feels like to be hit by the Mokuton._

Sakura appeared next to her, worry clear on her face. "You okay, Mayu-chan? Sorry about that - Yamato is sneaky."

"I'm fine. Bruised ribs, I think." She didn't protest when Sakura put a glowing green hand on her side - Kakashi had made it clear that her teammate got to decide what needed healing and what didn't in a combat situation. It was part of Sakura's job to make those decisions. The pain faded a bit, and Sakura gave a determined nod before pushing back a piece of sweaty hair that had come out of her bun.

"Okay, we're good to go. Kakashi-sensei is holding them off. Let's come in from the sides - we'll switch. I'll take Sasuke this time, you engage Yamato. I think sensei will provide support."

Mayu grinned at her before rushing off to circle around where she could hear sounds of fighting. A peek through the trees showed her that Yamato was standing close to the edge of the clearing, and had just sent a deadly stream of water at a bored-looking Kakashi. Mayu sent the Terrors at Yamato while he was still sending the stream of water as the tell-tale explosion of a tree revealed that Sakura had re-entered the fray.

Yamato twisted out of the way, and Mayu had to admit that he was very, very good as she lit up her daggers and engaged him. He hit her with a kick to the stomach that sent her sailing, and Kakashi stepped easily between them while she twisted in midair to recover. Eyes narrowing, she sent the Terrors at him from the side, just as the sounds of fighting on Sakura's side ended.

"Mayu, did you poison Sasuke?!" Sakura's voice called.

"Um. Only a little!" she said and squeaked as wood burst out of the ground and wrapped around her torso, effectively immobilizing her. She sagged as much as she could in its hold as a Yamato clone came up behind her and held a kunai to her throat.

"The rules of the spar dictate that you are dead. Please disengage your puppets," it said.

"Fine," Mayu muttered. "Can you let me go so I can give Sasuke the antidote?" The wood retreated from her form and back into the ground, and Mayu brought the Terrors back and put them in their bag, zipping it easily with a thread before sulking off to Sasuke's side.

Sakura had propped him up against a tree away from the action, where he was glaring woozily through his heavy sedation, and Mayu pulled a vial of antidote from her flak jack and tipped it into his mouth. She watched as Kakashi and Sakura engaged Yamato while Sasuke stirred next to her.

"You should fully recover within half an hour," Mayu said, then winced when Sakura punched a Yamato-clone and it exploded into a cloud of splinters.

"Though, you might have a bit of a problem with constipation for a day or two." She pointedly didn't look over at his glare. Kakashi dropped down on real-Yamato, who had just come out of the earth and wrapped a furious-looking Sakura in wood, and easily subdued him, probably saying something annoying and cheerful judging from everybody's body language.

"You've gotten faster and more precise with your puppets," Sasuke finally grumbled, and Mayu turned and smiled at him.

"I've been practicing. A lot. Your dad is kind of intense, you know?"

Sasuke snorted, probably thinking that was a bit of an understatement. "I'm aware," he drawled just as the rest of Team Kakashi joined them.

"Mayu-chan, you've learned some new tricks!" Kakashi said, and Sakura beamed at her.

"Sasuke and Sakura have, too," Mayu said a little bashfully, and Kakashi hummed.

"Alright, I want to spend the rest of our session going over individual skills. Next week, each of us will show up with adjusted formations to account for Yamato and any new or improved abilities."

Mayu was dirty and sore by the time she returned home, and she shuffled into the family room where she could hear Shikamaru's and Yoshino's low voices. They were discussing the medical properties of some plant when she entered, Shikaku sitting with his usual spread of work around him.

"Mayu-chan, welcome home!" Yoshino said, and Mayu collapsed on the couch next to her, burying her face in her shoulder.

"Moooom, everything hurts. Make it better," she whined and ignored Shikaku's chuckling and Shikamaru's low, worried noise. Yoshino sighed but obediently went about checking her over.

"Why didn't Sakura heal you?" she said in almost-disapproval.

"Eh, she's just as beat up as me. Kakashi-sensei wanted to do  _assessments,"_ she griped, but couldn't stop the smile that belied her whining. "It was actually pretty fun. Though, I'm not sure about this Yamato character," she grumbled as she remembered the way he'd stood just a little too close to sensei.

"Yamato-san is one of our elite jounin. You're lucky to have him on your team," Shikaku said in a mild voice that Mayu knew meant he was annoyed with her.

"Well, he's not very professional," she said and slumped back over onto Yoshino in a pout.

"I've...never heard anybody say that about Yamato-san before," Shikaku said, slightly baffled. Mayu grumbled something about homewreckers, then sat up, much less sore after Yoshino took care of her ribs, and beamed at Shikamaru.

"Hey! We have a date!" she said, and something in her stomach fluttered a little when he gave her a lazy half smile. She ignored Yoshino's little squeal of delight in favor of smiling back.

"I...bought a bento from that sushi place you like," he grumbled. "I thought we could have a picnic." Shikaku made a choked-off laughing sound and Shikamaru glared at him.

"Okay! Um, let me shower, then we can go." He nodded and leaned back on the couch, obviously planning on a power nap as a yawn overtook his features. Mayu darted up the stairs and into the bathroom after grabbing her robe. She hesitated before getting out, and then shrugged and reached for her razor, deciding she would take the time to shave. Yoshino had included a lesson on shaving her legs in her 'so you're a woman now,' speech she had given Mayu the day she started her period. It had been useful and traumatizing all at the same time.

Mayu washed thoroughly, then wrapped herself in a towel and wrestled a hair dryer from under the sink, deciding she should probably put some sort of effort into her appearance. It didn't take long to dry since her hair was now short, and she squirted some oils into her hands that Yoshino had gotten for her in a fit of hopefulness and gently tousled it into her hair until it was laying in soft waves.

She then put on her robe and rushed down the hall into her bedroom, aware of the time passing. She bit her lip when she got to her closet, then squared her shoulders and reached into the back for a white sundress with little yellow flowers on it that Yoshino had presented to her a few weeks ago. She put on a bra with underwire, wrinkling her nose as she did, a pair of underwear she'd been instructed to use with a dress to avoid lines, and slipped the snug-but-not-too-tight dress on.

She took her time re-applying her eyeliner and added a bit of lip gloss. A look in the mirror revealed that she basically looked like herself, but in a dress with shiny hair and makeup.

"Meh," she said, then grabbed a pair of flat but strappy brown sandals from her closet and thumped down the stairs.

"I'm ready!" she announced as she burst back into the family room. Shikamaru was now the only one there, and he opened his eyes lazily. They widened when he took her in, and he sat up all the way.

"Um, is this okay?" She asked, tugging on the hemline of the flared skirt nervously.

"I - yes." he cleared his throat, and she couldn't help but feel a little smug when she saw that his cheeks had gone pink.

"You look very pretty," he finally settled on. She bit her lip and looked up at him from under her lashes, and he made a small noise in the back of his throat.

"Mom and dad went out to dinner," he finally said.

"Oh! That's good, they needed a date night. So..." she said leadingly, and he jolted from where he'd been staring at her. "Are you going to come kiss me, or what?" she finally said, impatient. His lips quirked up in a grin, and he stood, then sauntered over to her, leaning in to put his lips on hers. She relaxed against him then jolted when her stomach growled.

He pulled back and raised an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged sheepishly. "I skipped lunch."

With a sigh, he grabbed her hand and dragged her into the kitchen, where a large bento for two and a soft checkered blanket were sitting on the table. She picked up the blanket with her free hand and he grabbed the food, then they left the house together. Mayu chattered at him as they crossed the yard, stuttering a little when he set down the bento and easily lifted her over the fence, his hands on her hips and hers on his shoulders.

"You're in a dress," he muttered in explanation, not meeting her eyes when she stared at him. She swallowed and willed her heartbeat down to normal levels before gamely continuing on with a play-by-play of her day.

"...and did you know! Hyuuga Hinata is an intern, too? Itachi-sempai sponsored her." Shikamaru hummed and nodded along with her, shoulders slouched, bento under one arm and the other hand holding her own. Anybody watching might have thought he was just humoring her, but she could tell he was taking it all in.

They had ended up at their favorite summer spot - a large tree far enough into the Nara forest that all they could hear around them was birdsong and the soft gurgle of a creek ten feet away. It was shady and cool, the late summer heat having less of a hold there, and she helped spread the blanket as she spoke.

He chuckled when she told him about Yamato's obvious crush. "You know, I'm sure there's a ton of people who have a crush on Kakashi-sensei. I doubt you need to worry about him leaving Ensui-ojisan."

They sat down, and she stuck out her lip in a pout. "Yeah, but sensei is actually fond of Yamato-san, though he has no idea that the guy's in love with him. What if he finds out and decides he wants to date his kohai instead? Then who will be our neighbors?" she wailed, and Shikamaru sighed as he opened the bento and handed her some chopsticks. She was distracted by stuffing food into her face for a few minutes, concentrating on not getting soy sauce or wasabi on her dress. Yoshino was weirdly protective of Mayu's clothes.

"I'm sure we'll like whoever our neighbors end up being," Shikamaru said after swallowing a bite, and she paused in her chewing, staring at him wide-eyed with her cheeks puffed out from the amount of food in her mouth. He smirked at her as if knowing that casually revealing his assumption that they'd be sharing a house someday had made her brain stutter to a halt. Of course, she'd just done the same thing, but she never even tried to hide her creepier tendencies.

Finally, she dropped her gaze and started chewing again, giving him a thankful look when he handed her a bottle of water. They ended up sprawled on the blanket, garbage packed up in the now-closed bento, staring up at the fading light playing through the leaves of the trees. Mayu's head was pillowed on his shoulder, and he was telling her about a run-in Ino had with a muddy, angry cat on their last mission that had her laughing loudly.

"She must have been so mad," she said gleefully, and he huffed.

"Yeah, she was pretty unbearable the rest of the trip," he grumbled, and she turned and grinned at him. His eyes, which had been half-lidded and amused, sharpened, and she didn't move away when he twisted over to kiss her.

His hand was on her waist, thumb rubbing in soothing circles, and he was looming over her. Mayu scooted a little closer, and he hummed against her mouth, kissing her for another moment before pulling back, drawing in a breath of air. He then gave her one last soft kiss before lying back down on his back.

Mayu stuck out her lower lip, disappointed but also a little relieved. She had a vague idea of wanting...more when he kissed her, but at the same time, the urge made her a bit nervous. Shikamaru somehow could always tell when she hit whatever wall her subconscious had decided meant 'too much,' and backed off.

For a while they just lay in silence, Mayu snuggled up against him while he ran a hand through her hair before she told him about her team's time management plan for her. She craned her neck so she could look at him, curious to hear his thoughts on it, and he gave her a small smile.

"They're right, I think," he said after a moment. "You won't always have Fugaku-sama as a master or Dai-san as a mentor, so you should focus on learning what you can from them. You're smart enough that six months without upgrades to your other stuff won't set you back, really."

"Mmm, that's what I thought, too," she said, then yawned and pushed her face into his shoulder. It had grown dark around them, and the sounds of crickets chirping filled their little clearing.

"Tired?" he asked in a low voice, and she hummed in response, eyes heavy-lidded. He chuckled and moved to sit up, but she tightened her hold on him and made a noise of protest. With a sigh, he sat back, and she closed her eyes. She was comfortable, lying in their little clearing, pushed up against Shikamaru. She'd muster up the energy to go home in a bit.

The next thing she knew, Mayu's alarm was going off, she was in her own bed, and it was morning. Her lips quirked up when she realized Shikamaru must have carried her home. She was still in her dress, the underwire from her bra pushing uncomfortably into her ribs, but her sandals were off and she was under her covers.  _He's so sweet,_ she thought to herself, then reached over and shut off her alarm with a sigh.

Mayu's good mood lasted through Fugaku's training session - he worked with her on extending the fire in her blades outward into a whip after beating on her in an attempt to improve her taijutsu - and she was humming when she knocked on a familiar door. Dai had been promoted when Kaoru was fired, and he now sat behind the desk that Mayu had once rifled through to find the file on the kidnappings.

He waved her in, and indicated she should shut the door behind her. "Mayu-chan, hello," he said warmly (for an Uchiha), and she gave him a cheerful smile and plopped into the chair across his desk.

"Dai-sempai! Hi! What are we working on today?" His lip quirked up and indicated a large pile of what she recognized as the Konoha charter and various clan law books. The thing about being in the MPF is that there wasn't just village law to take into account, but individual clan rules and regulations, as well. A disturbance in the Hyuuga compound would be handled a lot different than one in the Inuzuka compound, for instance. Heck, they probably wouldn't even be allowed in the Hyuuga compound unless a non-clan member was involved.

"Oh! Let's see, I've memorized all of these except the Aburame and Kurama law books," she said happily, and Dai paused in his writing. "Freaking Shino wouldn't be convinced to get me a copy of the Aburame's, and the Kurama...well, I guess I kind of forgot about them."

"You memorized all of them?" he asked, disbelief obvious.

"Well, yes, once I got a copy of them, it's not like it was  _hard,"_ she said with a sniff, a little insulted that he was doubting her. "I have an eidetic memory, after all, and I knew I'd eventually need to know all of this." Obtaining copies was the hardest part - clans guarded them fiercely.

"Okay. What does by-law sixteen b, section thirty-two, of the Konoha charter state?" he asked, voice sharp.

"No officer of the Konoha Military Police Force shall use excessive force against a citizen of Konoha. Excessive force being: anything beyond what is necessary to subdue and capture, or to defend oneself or others from bodily harm or death," Mayu recited dutifully and smiled smugly at his baffled expression.

"When a Hyuuga becomes a missing-nin -" he began, a gleam in his eye.

"Then the Hyuuga clan is given the first crack at retrieving them. The penalty for a Hyuuga that abandons the village and their clan is death, according to page thirty-nine of the Hyuuga Clan's tenth edition of their law book."

"...Right," Dai finally said after a moment. "Well, then, read through the ones you don't know by the end of the week. The Hyuuga had some recent changes, so review that, too. You'll be tested on all of it before you can become a junior officer. Once you're done with those, we'll start on training manuals for the Investigation and Interrogation departments, since that's where Fugaku-sama wants you to focus your career. You'll also need to memorize the handbook for patrol since you'll spend most of your time doing that as a junior officer."

Mayu rocked back on her heels in excitement and sealed the handbooks into her free scroll. "You got it, Dai-sempai!"

He shot her an amused look and shook his head. "Alright, then, follow me. You're going to learn how to work the evidence desk." They spent the morning going over the procedure for checking evidence in and out, and the qualifications and paperwork needed before she was allowed to do either - no matter who was asking.

"It doesn't matter if the Hokage herself comes in here asking for a piece of evidence," Dai said in a serious voice, looking her in the eye to be sure she understood the gravity of what he was saying. "If they don't have the correct credentials or paperwork, they don't get evidence, period."

When he was done teaching her how to check evidence in and out, he handed her a schedule. She looked it over and saw she'd be working in Evidence two morning shifts a week. Mayu wrinkled her nose at the boring job but didn't complain. After all, she'd now get a firsthand look at all the evidence that came through, even if  _technically_ she wasn't supposed to snoop. Well, if they didn't want somebody with her track record to look, they wouldn't give her the metaphorical keys to the kingdom. Or something.

000

The next day she and Shikamaru were summoned directly to the Hokage's office. Asuma was there already and gave his student a little smile. Shikamaru just gave him his grumpiest Morning Nara face, and the Sarutobi huffed out a laugh.

Tsunade gave them a level look over the top of her folded hands as Itachi handed them each a folder. Mayu flipped it open, and a picture of a blonde, brown-eyed woman in her early twenties with pleasant features and a half smile on her face looked back at her.

_Name: Ito Kaede_

_Village of Origin: Village Hidden in the Grass_

_Age: 32_

_Tokubetsu Jounin_

_Status: Missing Nin_

_Overview: Missing for six years. Presumed leader of an international criminal organization comprised of multiple low-to-mid level missing-nin from various hidden villages. Former intelligence officer. IQ of 175._

_Elemental Affinities: Water, secondary in Earth_

Mayu frowned as she read through the first page. "So this is our saboteur, huh?"

"Yes. Asuma-san and his team were successful in obtaining information on her during their diplomatic mission to Grass," Tsunade said. "Shikamaru-san and Ino-san compiled the report, so I'll have him give an overview."

Shikamaru slumped but complied in a bored tone. "Ito Kaede's parents were killed in a conflict between Konoha and Iwa that occurred in the Land of Grass during the third shinobi war. She has never approved of the positive diplomatic relations that Grass pursued with Iwa and Konoha afterward as a result. Seven years ago, her team was killed by what she insisted were Konoha black ops members. She was the only survivor. Konoha denied that it sent the assassins, and Grass believed us, if only officially because the assassination of one of the high ranked members of their Intelligence Department would have been in direct violation of our treaties. Which would have been bad for everybody."

Mayu watched Tsunade's face closely, but not even a muscle twitched - which was actually more telling than if she'd reacted at all. Shikamaru continued his report. "Ito refused to comply when the leadership of Grass commanded her to let it go. She abandoned her village soon after."

"So..." Mayu said after a moment of silence. "Why did we send those assassins?"

Tsunade's shoulders twitched and she glared at her. Mayu met her gaze steadily - motive was important if they wanted to figure out how to stop the group Ito was leading. With a sigh, Tsunade motioned for Itachi to speak, who was standing at her shoulder.

"We have no record of the order being made. However, after Grass allowed us to access their reports on the incident and we read through them, it seems very likely that it was Konoha shinobi who carried out the assassination of Ito's team," he said in an unruffled voice.

"So...ANBU?" Mayu asked tentatively, but Tsunade was already shaking her head.

"No. All Hokage have access to the ANBU mission details of former Hokage."

Mayu gritted her teeth. "So, Danzo's secret army strikes again," she grumbled. "Awesome."

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. She didn't say it out loud, but Mayu knew she was thinking that for a dead guy more than six years gone, Danzo sure did cause a lot of trouble in the present. "Most likely, yes. We assume that somebody in Ito's team had some sort of information on his less-than-legal activities, so he sent assassins to take them out."

"God," Asuma said and rubbed a hand over his face. He looked a mix of ashamed and pissed off, and Mayu was suddenly reminded that the Third Hokage was Asuma's father. It must be shitty to have his father's failures pop up like this. Danzo was probably the Hokage's biggest fuck up, actually, and the man's actions would be leaving ripples for years to come.

"I wouldn't mind bringing him back to life just to kill him all over again," Tsunade said, then put on her 'down to business' face.

"After Shikamaru-san and Ino-san finished compiling their reports, we put out requests for information in our networks. Yesterday, we received a report from an informant." Tsunade motioned for Itachi to continue, and Mayu couldn't help but think it was adorable that she was having him tag in for practice. Of course, there were only four months left until he'd be sworn in as the Rokudaime - at twenty years old, he beat the fourth's record of youngest Hokage ever by two years.

"She is a difficult woman to track down," Itachi said calmly. "There are no signs of her anywhere throughout the Elemental Nations - no whispers, no sightings, nothing. This is extremely unusual for a missing-nin, especially one that is, supposedly, in contact with others. However, one of our agents did discover where she went directly after leaving Grass. She holed up in a small tourist village in the Land of Hot Water for almost a year before disappearing. We'd like the three of you to go to the village and see if you can find any clues whatsoever on either her whereabouts, where she may have gone next or her allies."

Mayu and Shikamaru exchanged a look, and she flipped through her file, raising an eyebrow when she saw a section labeled 'hobbies.' Shikamaru saw the gesture and glanced at the folder, then his lip quirked up.

"Ino's very good at information gathering," he muttered with a shrug, and she could see he was proud of his teammate's abilities.

They were ignored by the higher level shinobi in the room while Asuma argued that they shouldn't be sending chunin out on a mission to gather information on an unknown enemy.

Itachi shook his head. "No, it's important that we send shinobi who are familiar with Ito Kaede and with Investigation and Intelligence. Shikamaru-san received the knowledge on her identity first-hand, and Mayu helped write the original profile. The two of them are more likely to make connections with only a small amount of information. They may be only chunin, but they're two of our village's strongest minds. As for the danger level, there are no reports of shinobi activity in the village, and Ito Kaede hasn't been seen there for many years."

"We don't know enough about them -" Asuma tried to protest, but was cut off by Tsunade.

"Enough. Why do you think we're sending you with them? As an elite jounin, your job is to keep them alive. If you're that nervous, though, you can take Genma. He's good in a fight."

Asuma pursed his lips, then sighed and tilted his head in a nod. "Yes, Hokage-sama," he said.

"Good. Leave before noon. I want this situation taken care of yesterday," she snapped, mood ruined by Asuma's arguing, and Mayu grabbed Shikamaru's hand and pulled him out of the office. He didn't have the experience with an annoyed Tsunade that would clue him into the fact that escape was the best option.

They left the tower and stepped off to the side, looking at Asuma expectantly. "Alright, you heard the Hokage. I'll try and track down Genma. We'll meet at the gates in an hour."

"Actually, Asuma-sensei," Mayu said, "I can send Anzu, my summons, to track him down and give him a message."

He hummed, then nodded. "Alright, that'd be good, thanks."

"Okay! Also...well, I'm still in the process of training them, and since I don't get many out of village missions that aren't too combat heavy for a first try, do you think Anzu and Momo could come with us? I want to get them used to travel." She widened her eyes up at him. "Please? They're really fast, and smart too! And they'd make good scouts and can help us keep an eye out for trouble."

Asuma clicked his tongue in thought for a moment, and she could see the moment his sensei-instincts that told him to let her take advantage of a learning activity kicked in. "Alright - but they need to listen to me, so make it clear that I'm the team leader."

Mayu cheered before biting her thumb and slapping her hand to the ground. Her two summons appeared, and she gave them a whispered update on the situation.

"Now, remember, Asuma-sensei is the team leader, so you have to listen to him, okay?" They both nodded solemnly, and then Anzu took off for the jounin lounge, where he'd at least be able to find somebody who knew where Genma had gone off to.

They met back at the gates an hour later, Anzu and Momo trying and failing to hide their excitement at their first mission. They were pacing around, bodies fairly wriggling in their enthusiasm.

She'd changed into her Hashino battle gear and had opted to wear Bukimi on her back. She probably could have kept him sealed, but it wasn't like she had to worry about falling behind. Shikamaru was pretty fast, he was a shinobi after all, but his team hadn't trained in speed endurance the way Team Seven had. So, the extra weight wouldn't be a hindrance. She'd also added two little notches on the bottom of his platform where she could latch a couple of Tiny Terrors into place. It was good to have options, after all, without having to stop and unseal them from her carousel.

"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked, having noticed that she decided to keep Bukumi unsealed and was fidgeting with the straps to his platform.

"I -" Mayu faltered, and frowned. "I'm not sure. I think...I feel like I've missed something. Some important piece of information on Ito Kaede." He frowned but didn't discount her worry.

"Hmm. Maybe spend some time meditating tonight," he said, then  _oofed_ as Momo accidentally bumped into his leg.

"Momo, Anzu, cut it out," Mayu hissed. Anzu sat, but Momo just huffed at her and sauntered off to stand a few feet away, acting every inch the affronted cat. She rolled her eyes, then waved at Genma when she saw him approaching the gates.

"Hey," he said. "The Hokage need somebody blown up or something?"

Mayu frowned. "What?"

He chuckled, and Asuma chose that moment to appear. "Well, that's your specialty, ain't it? Blowing things up?"

Asuma laughed. "Nah, we're actually supposed to keep a low profile on this one."

"So we're basically there to make sure Shikaku-sama's babies don't get killed, right?" Genma said, obviously unimpressed.

"Like Shika and I need  _you_ to keep ourselves alive," Mayu said with a sniff as they exited the gates, insulted by his tone. "You're only coming along because Asuma-sensei is a worry wart."

Asuma, having been exposed to Mayu throughout the last year multiple times, just sighed, but Genma looked delighted. "The rumors are true - the jounin commander's sweet little princess is actually a grade A brat!"

Mayu gasped at that. "I am not a princess! Or sweet!"

Shikamaru sighed and slumped. "Oi, Genma, you shouldn't insult my girlfriend. It'd be a total drag to have to fight you."

Mayu beamed at him, Genma completely forgotten. "You're so chivalrous, Shikamaru," she said a little dreamily.

Genma blinked, obviously unsure whether he'd just been seriously threatened or not. "What just happened?" he grumbled, and Asuma sighed and waved his hand in the air.

"It's better not to ask," he said gravely.

It took two days to reach the medium-sized village moving at a sedate (for shinobi) pace. They checked into a popular lodge, and Mayu clapped when Asuma let her pick who she bunked with since she was the only female. She latched onto a slightly pink Shikamaru's arm, and Asuma rubbed at his temples. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but -"

"Don't be a pervert, Asuma-sensei!" Mayu scolded. "Shika and I will be very professional. Plus, we don't even kiss with tongue yet," she finished matter-of-factly and was rewarded with Asuma's faintly traumatized face and Shikamaru making his 'you've shocked me' choking noise next to her.

"Well, kid, and here I thought you bagging a girlfriend at thirteen meant you had game," Genma said, and grinned around his senbon. Mayu decided that he probably wasn't too horrible after all when Shikamaru slouched into a Nara pout.

The first thing they did was go for a soak. "It's a good way to get a grasp on the local culture," Genma said loftily. Considering it was going to be all tourists, she doubted there'd be any local culture in the bathhouse. She had to admit, though, that it was nice to get away from the men for a while and relax back into the water. There were only a few other women in the pool, and they were chatting quietly on the opposite end.

Mayu dropped into her mind cave almost lazily and brought up all of the information she had on Ito Kaede. What was she missing? There was something...some vague niggling connection there that she just couldn't place. She was still missing too much information. With a sigh she opened her eyes and stared up into the blue sky, watching the wisps of steam dance through the air in front of her. She just hoped whatever it was wouldn't bite them in the ass.

000

Two days later, they had nothing. The hostel that Ito had stayed at during her sojourn in Hot Water had closed down two years ago when the owners died. Nobody seemed to have anything but vague memories of her so far. Not surprising, as a kunoichi trained in Intelligence, she would be able to fade into the background easily. Plus, it was a large enough village that any one person wouldn't stand out, especially with tourists moving through all the time.

So far the whole mission had felt more like a vacation than anything else. They soaked in the hot springs in the evenings, and at night Mayu had foregone the second bed in the room to snuggle up against Shikamaru. Despite the overall pleasantness of the trip so far, Mayu couldn't kick the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

She sighed and leaned up against Shikamaru's side. That day they'd been tromping around the local hangout spots that one of the attendants in the hot springs had scribbled on a piece of paper for Mayu. They were mostly located on a long strip of road that was a few blocks from the main tourist area of the village. They'd been in three bars, a craft store, and a tea house. So far nobody had recognized Ito from her picture.

"Intelligence work is so boring," she groaned. "How does your team stand it?"

Shikamaru was slumped against a wall next to her, eyes half closed, expression grumpy, and he just shrugged. "Eh, usually Ino does this part. I just assimilate and break down the information she finds."

Mayu hummed, and found herself, for the first time in her life, wishing that the blonde girl was there. Mayu let her eyes wander over the sparse crowd, and stopped suddenly when she saw a small sign above a door. It was mostly hidden due to the fact that it was tucked into a stairwell leading down to the basement level below a bar.  _Sparrow Tea House._ Under that:  _Poetry reading every evening._

"Shika," she breathed. "Wasn't 'Writing Poetry' one of the hobbies Ino listed in Ito's profile?"

He had straightened next to her, recognizing her 'I've found something' tone. "It was."

He'd barely finished speaking before she latched onto his hand and dragged him across the street, ignoring his yelping as a cart barely missed running them down. His eyes sharpened when he saw the sign above the door, once green paint now almost grey with age and peeling. Mayu reached out and pushed it open, and they both stepped in and stopped for a moment as the door shut behind them to adjust to the change in lighting.

The inside resembled the door, in that everything was old and faded and peeling. The floors were suspiciously sticky, and the tables mismatched. There was a small bar lining the back wall where people could order tea, and on the opposite end of the room was a tiny stage with a mic, currently empty.

Mayu headed for the bar and sat gingerly on one of the cracked stools, Shikamaru sliding into the one next to her. A weathered old man was behind it, shaky hands wiping down a teacup.

"What can I do for ya?" he said after a few moments of looking at them suspiciously.

"Hmm, how about a pot of jasmine for my friend and I," Mayu said, and followed it up with her most innocent smile. He remained unimpressed but went about the process of making their tea. When it was in front of them, and Shikamaru had paid, Mayu took a picture out of her coat.

"Excuse me, I was wondering...do you remember this woman? She'd have been here...six years ago or so?"

The man glanced down dismissively but paused when he caught a glimpse of her face. His expression turned calculating, and Mayu sighed.

"So you do recognize her," she said gently. "Don't worry, we aren't here to cause trouble. We're just trying to figure out where she might have gone next, or if she's still in contact with anybody around here."

The old man looked at the picture, then up at Mayu's face, which she did her best to make earnest and sincere. "I...she used to come in here. Almost every night for months. Sometimes she'd read poetry, sometimes she'd just listen." He hesitated, obviously not sure if he should say the next thing that came to his mind.

"She called herself Shu. Her poetry was...angry," he finally settled on.

Mayu's eyes darted to a man who had been sitting in the corner as he stood, throwing money on the table and moving to amble out of the teahouse. It was dim in the teahouse, so she couldn't make him out very well. By the way he raised a hand casually in farewell to the old man, who didn't seem to notice, as he was still staring at the picture, he was probably a regular. Mayu was pulled from her musings as the conversation continued.

"How so?" Shikamaru asked from where he was slumped over the bar, one hand holding up his chin, the other lifting the tea to his mouth - which was delicious.

"She talked a lot about vengeance and the inherent evil of the shinobi world," the man said bluntly. "I'm guessing you're here because you noticed that she decided to do something about all that rage."

Mayu hummed noncommittally around her teacup, and the man sighed. "Do you know where she went after she left?" He shook his head and didn't meet her eyes. "Well...do you know anybody else who would know?"

Before he could answer the door to the teahouse opened, and a man in his thirties with brown hair and eyes entered. "Hey, dad, that delivery you were waiting for still hasn't arrived," he said as he casually walked behind the bar, grocery bags in hands, and completely missing the way his father had gone stiff and wide-eyed.

"I told you we should have switched to the other merchants - the ones from Rice Fields. They're never late," he continued as he knelt behind the counter and the sounds of him putting things on shelves reached their ears.

"Their product isn't as good," the old man grumbled, having recovered.

"So, was there anybody Shu talked to more than others?" Shikamaru asked as soon as the son had straightened. Mayu watched as he went still and his eyes darted over to the picture of Ito that was still laid out on the counter. His lips tightened and he swallowed nervously.

The old man glanced at his son, disapproval and what looked a bit like despair overtaking his features. After a moment of internal debate, he spoke. "There was a man. A shinobi, I believe, that started coming in once every few weeks. He'd listen to her poetry, and then sit with Shu after and encourage her ranting."

"Dad," the son snapped, cheeks red with anger. "What are you doing?"

"What I should have long ago," he said, eyes firmly on the picture. "You think I don't know what this group does? They are murderers and warmongers, and I am tired of watching as you corrupt your soul with their unfocused hatred."

"Their wars killed mom.  _Your wife,"_ the son spat. "I'd hardly say that the hatred is unfocused."

Mayu and Shikamaru exchanged glances. There was no point in trying to detain or forcibly question the son unless they wanted to create an international incident since he was a civilian of an allied nation. Tsunade would have to reach out to Fire Country's Daimyo, who would then talk to Grass Country's Daimyo. They'd probably have to send a message to Konoha and then stick around for however long to make sure he didn't run or send a message out warning Shu. What a pain.

"What do you mean, murderers and warmongers?" Mayu finally said and felt deep sympathy for him when his shoulders slumped under the weight of his son's fury.

"Don't you  _dare -"_ the man hissed, but his father paid him no mind.

"I heard them talking once, about a week before she left. He said -" The son had moved towards his father, aggression in his stance, and Shikamaru's hand shot out over the counter and grabbed his arm. For a moment he lost his lazy mein, and the son swallowed thickly as Shikamaru gave him a steady look.

"Don't touch him or interfere," he said and waited for the man, who was now sweating with nerves, to nod before he released him. His poor father looked sick to his stomach, but he continued when Shikamaru nodded to him.

"The man said that she would make a good leader for a group of like-minded individuals. People who saw the - the inherent evil of the shinobi world, and were willing to do something about it. From her poetry and past discussions that I overheard, the 'something' would be bloody and most likely force conflict between the Great Nations. Their aim is to weaken the nations by inciting fighting amongst them. To what end purpose, I'm not sure."

Mayu had a sudden, clarifying premonition of where this was going. The missing piece she'd been trying so hard to connect was now lit up like a neon sign in her mind. "The man...what did he look like?" she asked, but the old man was already shaking his head.

"I don't know - he always wore a mask. It was grey and bland, and had only one eye hole," he said apologetically. "He called himself Tobi."

"Was he wearing anything else distinctive?" Mayu asked, and her throat constricted when he nodded slowly.

"He always wore a cloak." Mayu closed her eyes as he continued. "It had clouds printed on it. Red clouds."

000

Their team was racing through the grass, pushing their endurance to the limits. They'd been running for almost a full day, having taken only one small break. A grim determination to get back to Konoha before an S-ranked criminal caught up to them kept them going. Mayu's mind was unhelpfully sending her images of what had happened the last time she and Shikamaru had tangled with Akatsuki, and she could tell by Shikamaru's uncharacteristically tense jaw that she wasn't the only one lost in unpleasant memories.

She wanted to smack herself for not making the connection to Akatsuki before, but the fact that Ito's group was comprised of low-level ninja for members had thrown her. Every little tidbit of information Naruto was able to smuggle her regarding the Akatsuki all said the same thing: S-ranked criminals, moved in pairs, wreak major destruction. Not medium strength saboteurs. The connection her mind had been trying to make was the  _international criminal organization_ part of it.

Missing-nin from other countries banding together in an organized manner was just not that usual in the Elemental Nations. Mayu should have known that Ito Kaede's group was at least connected to the Akatsuki, though she doubted they were official members. More like a partnership - one went in and bashed their way through the nations, the other used more subtle techniques to slowly subvert them.

Of course, just as she realized that Ito had ties to the Akatsuki, she also remembered the man who had left the tea shop at the very start of their conversation. When she'd frantically asked if the man who had been sitting in the corner had ever talked to Ito, or 'Shu' as the old man knew her, he had lost all the color in his face. Mayu and Shikamaru had tried their best to track the mystery man down, but he'd been gone. They assumed to get a message out to Ito, which meant there was a distinct possibility that two members of Akatsuki were now on their heels.

So their team had taken the only logical course of action. They'd run. Mayu had sent Anzu ahead of her - he was much faster than even Sasuke in a straight-up speed and endurance test - with an urgent message to the Hokage and a request for backup.

Momo and Asuma were at the front of the procession, in the hope that if somebody moved to cut them off Momo's advanced senses would give them a warning. Asuma was there to protect her. Mayu and Genma were at the rear for the same reason, with Shikamaru in the middle. He was their strategist - it was important to keep him functional. They were all flagging, and Mayu wasn't surprised when Asuma held up his hand to signal them to stop.

"We have to rest," he said grimly. "If they catch up to us, we won't be any good in a fight. I'll take the first watch. Don't bother unpacking - eat a ration bar, fill your water in the stream over there, and just sleep where you can find a comfortable-looking area."

Mayu and Shikamaru both stumbled over the stream, Momo already there and lapping at the water. They then collapsed, close enough that Mayu could feel the heat radiating from him, but not so close that they'd trip each other if they had to get up fast. Mayu removed Bukimi from her back and rolled her shoulders in relief, then lay her head on Momo's flank for a pillow and fell asleep immediately.

Genma woke them three hours later, having taken the second watch. They had decided the chunin needed the rest more than Genma and Asuma did - and Mayu winced as she put her body through a series of quick stretches, bullying a grumbling Shikamaru into the same thing. The last thing they needed was cramped muscles. They drank water, refilled their bottles, and each ate a few ration bars before taking off again.

They were about ten minutes from the border of fire country when Momo let out a warning growl, and they stopped at Asuma's signal. "Smells like...like death. But not," Momo said slowly. "Death and wood and clay."

Mayu raised her nose to the air, trying to pick up what Momo had, but caught only a faint whiff of decay overlaying living flesh. "That's...really weird," she agreed. "Maybe somebody carrying a corpse?" she whispered, and Genma and Asuma exchanged concerned looks.

"No...the death comes from the same person as the living scent," Momo said, and her hackles were raised.

"Maybe...maybe they've got an injury that's rotting?" Mayu said, nerves making her shuffle from foot to foot.

Momo didn't answer, instead focusing her eyes on a copse of sad-looking trees standing alone amongst the grass in the distance. "It is coming from there," she said.

Asuma rubbed a hand down his face. "Alright. Alright, let's go around it. Genma, you and I will keep ourselves between the trees and the kids at all times. Momo and Mayu, keep an ear and nose out for any change of position."

Mayu nodded jerkily, not even bothering to get upset about the 'kids' comment. If it kept Shikamaru safe, she was okay with it. She let her hand brush the back of his as their party took off again, wind whipping through her short hair and grass slapping against her mesh-covered legs and boots. They turned east to run almost parallel along the border of the Land of Fire, keeping the copse of trees within view instead of directly behind them.

Momo growled when two figures darted out from the trees and began to pursue. Asuma signaled for them to go faster, and they obeyed. Mayu felt almost numb when she saw the cloaks billowing around the figures, dark against the grass with barely-noticeable red blobs.

"They're gaining," Genma said in a strained voice. Asuma swore.

"Alright. Shikamaru, Mayu. Continue on - we'll hold them off," he said, voice heavy.

"No," they both said at the same time and skidded to a stop with the two jounin. The cloaked figures also slowed, having seen that their prey was no longer running.

Asuma sent them both a look that had shivers running up their spines. "I am your commanding officer. I'm telling you to run."

"You're my sensei. I'm not leaving you," Shikamaru said through gritted teeth.

"And Team Kakashi doesn't abandon comrades. Sorry, Asuma-sensei, but your scary face isn't as bad as Kakashi-sensei's disappointed face."

"Two chunin will only hold us back in this fight," he said, and Mayu rolled her eyes.

"Two  _normal_ chunin, maybe, but our minds alone make us an asset. Also, we've been practicing together for over a year. We'll be useful. I promise," Mayu said, and Shikamaru nodded, sharp eyes still on the approaching figures, who had slowed to almost a saunter.

Asuma sighed. "Fine. I want you to keep back. You'll be support - Shikamaru with your shadows and Mayu with your puppets. Unless you have no other choice, don't engage directly. Watch them, figure out what you can about their fighting styles, try to come up with a strategy that keeps us alive."

They both nodded and jumped back twice so that Asuma and Genma were between them and the threat, Momo crouched down by Mayu's side. "Momo, maybe you should..." she started to say but stopped talking when the cat gave her an unimpressed look.

"Fine, just...if things get too hairy, or you're injured, you unsummon yourself, got it? That's an order," Mayu said firmly, ignoring Asuma's raised eyebrow. The cat just sat and licked her paw, not bothering to look over at her summoner. Huh, so this is what it felt like to have insubordinate underlings. Suddenly she felt more sympathy for all the people she'd worked under since becoming a chunin.

Mayu watched in trepidation as a blonde, feminine-looking man approached. The figure next to him was...wrong. Mayu frowned at the odd shape under the cloak. The man was hunched over and had an unnatural gate. His head was covered by a large, straw hat, and she wondered for a moment how he had managed such speed before.

Then, as he grew closer, her ears, which she'd sent a stream of chakra to, picked up clicks and whirls that were all too familiar. "Oh!" She blurted. "You're a puppet master. I guess you must be from Sand originally, huh?"

The strangely-shaped man - or puppet? - turned to face her, eyes narrowing. "Hey, Sasori, my man, looks like your gig is up already, yeah. That's the problem with everlasting art - predictable," the blonde said.

"Nomaka, explain," Asuma said, and Mayu jerked a little sheepishly.

"I can hear the gears, Asuma-sensei," she said quickly. "Barely there - that means good craftsmanship, but at this point, I'd recognize it anywhere." She narrowed her eyes as she tried to get a look at the shadowed face beneath the hat. "Actually, I think...do you remember Kankuro's fight against Kiba in the chunin exams? How he switched places with his puppet? I think something like that is happening. Or maybe...he's inside the puppet? Anyway, the death smell is coming from him."

"And the clay from the other," Momo said cautiously.

"You're clever," a deep voice said from under the hat. "And you know puppetry. Strange for a Konoha nin." Did he mean the clever part or the puppetry part?

Mayu just sniffed when Asuma shot her a warning look. Got it, don't engage verbally with the creepy S-ranked nin.

"So," Asuma said, voice relaxed though his body was tense. "What can we do for you?"

"We heard somebody was asking around about one of our friends in Hot Water, yeah. So we came out to investigate." Mayu studied the blonde man. He was young, and his demeanor was relaxed in a way that told her he wasn't concerned about having to fight four shinobi and a summons with just the two of them.

"Shika, do you recognize either of them?" she whispered as Asuma answered him. She knew he'd been given access to the Akatsuki files, though she wasn't supposed to and he hadn't told her since it was classified.

Shikamaru hesitated for a moment before answering. "No. I don't think we have them in the Akatsuki files." Mayu hummed in response. Either these two were new or hadn't come out before this. Or everybody who encountered them was dead. Probably the latter.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid we just can't let you get back to Konoha with your information," the blonde said, and Momo whipped her head around, probably having heard something.

"Behind!" the cat called, and Mayu instinctively dove to the side, peripherally aware of Shikamaru doing the same, just as two white doves made out of what looked like clay landed where they'd been standing. Before she could comment, they exploded, the force of it sending Mayu flying backward, arms raised to protect her face. She fed chakra into Bukimi almost automatically, and he took most of the brunt when they hit the ground, skidding and bouncing across the grass.

Disoriented, she went up on her knees, blinking stars out of her eyes as she tried to take in the scene. Had Shikamaru gotten out of the way on time? She let out a breath of relief when she saw him struggling to his feet on the other side of the explosion. Momo was shaking her head back and forth but seemed mostly unharmed.

"What the fuck was that," she muttered, taking stock of her injuries. A few bruises, and what felt like a mild burn on her hand. Asuma and Genma had engaged the two Akatsuki, and Mayu blinked when a huge metal scorpion's tail popped out of the back of the cloak and slammed down where Asuma had been standing only a few moments ago. Genma was proving just how fast he was as he avoided flying white globs of exploding paste that Deidara was chucking his way.

Mayu zipped over to Shikamaru's side, and he latched onto her arm as they both jumped back out of the range of the explosives. "They're strong," Shikamaru said, and Mayu hummed, watching closely as the hat was swiped off the head of the man that the blonde had called Sasori when he barely avoided Asuma's trench knives. She wrinkled her nose at the masked face, whose hair was pulled back into cornrows that ended in five seriously unattractive tails that stuck straight up from his skull.

"No wonder he wears a hat," she muttered, and Shikamaru snorted.

"You're fast, but my puppets are the ultimate art," Sasori intoned, and Mayu winced as his tail swung around almost too quickly to see. Asuma jumped over it easily, and Mayu could see how Shikamaru's laid back sensei had been a member of the Twelve Guardians for so many years. His trench knives cut and slashed at the puppet, and Sasori's cloak spun around him as he dodged.

Genma was whipping senbon at the blonde in a blur of movement, and he hissed as he jumped out of the way. "Deidara. Take to the air," Sasori said, and Mayu's eyes widened when the blonde - Deidara - performed a familiar hand sign and two shadow clones appeared. One ran at Genma, whose eyes narrowed as he backward. The other headed for Mayu and Shikamaru. The clone was stopped in its tracks by Shikamaru's shadows about fifteen feet from them, Mayu having disengaged Bukimi in preparation.

"I'll -" she started to say, but then Deidara's clone exploded, and Mayu, Shikamaru, and Momo all went flying - again.

Mayu lay on the ground, gritting her teeth past the pain she felt radiating from her left leg, which had been burned. Thankfully her coat had protected most of her body, but her leg...she sat up, eyes immediately finding Shikamaru, who looked a little singed but okay. Momo, however, was laying on the ground, making small whimpering noises, and Mayu scrambled over to her after identifying where their foes were. Deidara could make large birds that he could fly about on, because of course he could, and was now standing atop it, throwing bombs at Genma and Asuma as they tried to engage with Sasori.

Basically, it was a disaster. Mayu bit her lip when she got to Momo, who had a bad burn on her back right hip. "Oh, Momo," she muttered and the cat struggled to sit up. "No, no, stay down," she said, fumbling for the small tub of ointment Harumi had given her, grateful that the two enemy nin seemed distracted by Asuma and Genma. There was still about half left, and she hoped it was good for burns. Mayu slathered it onto the cat's hip, wincing at her cut-off whine as she did so.

"Momo, it's time for you to go. You're very brave, but..."

"I understand, Mayu. Please, do not die," the cat said solemnly, and then disappeared. Shikamaru had knelt next to her, and he pulled air in through his teeth when he saw the large burn on her leg that extended from the top of her boot up to her knee. The skin was red, with large blisters already forming, pieces of mesh stuck into it in places. In one spot on her calf, it looked almost blackened at the edges, and Mayu forced herself to breathe through nausea that hit her hard.  _Right, we'll just put the pain over here - ignore it,_ she told herself, chaining down the file in her mindscape labeled 'pain,' and after a moment she was able to mostly block it out.

"Here, help me get this ointment on and wrap it, and then we need to assist Genma and Asuma. They'll never last like this," Mayu said matter-of-factly.

Shikamaru nodded, and she saw he was watching the fight with a calculating air as she slathered on the ointment and he quickly wrapped a bandage around the wound. "Will this slow you down?" he asked dispassionately as she stood, and she put weight on it. Painful, but not debilitating. Thank god Shikamaru was the type who could look past his personal feelings when shit hit the fan. If he went overprotective on her they'd probably all die.

"No, I can fight at top speed," she said and pulled Bukimi back to them in a guard position from where he'd landed a few feet away. They both winced as another bomb went off behind Genma and Asuma right after Deidara yelled "Katsu!" joyously.

"These guys are monsters," Mayu muttered. "You and I can at least distract one of them. What do you think - Deidara or Sasori?"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "Deidara. That'll take the pressure off them. How long will your threads extend with your Terrors?" he said a little urgently as Deidara came back around.

"Um...with two of them, about forty feet." He hummed. "Okay, here's what we'll do," he muttered. After he explained his plan, Mayu nodded once, then quickly clicked Bukimi into place, pulling her two Terrors free instead. She bit her lip, and as Deidara's huge bird turned to come back for another loop, took off running, Shikamaru at her side. She kept her eyes on the blonde, trusting Shikamaru to guard her flank.

When Sasori expelled a hail of senbon at them, noticing they had engaged, Shikamaru deflected them before they could hit. Luckily Genma and Asuma pulled his attention back to them. Then Shikamaru pulled in front of her and knelt down with his back facing her in a move they'd practiced dozens of times precisely for an enemy who could fly.

She leapt onto his shoulders, and he jumped just as they touched down, propelling both of them into the air. Deidara's bird was rushing down towards Asuma above them by a good forty feet and to their left, his cloak cracking around him from the force of the wind. At the apex of Shikamaru's jump, she pushed off of him, gaining an extra twenty feet in height.

Deidara looked over at her in bored interest, and she tossed two grenades at him that she'd had prepped. He studied them, sending two kunai to knock them back from him right before they would have hit. When they exploded, he was out of their range, but they did their jobs. His focus was on them, not on two little puppets zipping through the air, blades spinning.

At the last second, he twisted out of their way, eyes widening just a bit. One of them cut his sleeve just as she hit the apex of her jump and began to fall. Shikamaru caught her, and she sent him a grateful smile. "I missed," she said a little grumpily as he set her on her feet.

"That's okay, looks like our overall objective was a success. We've drawn his attention," he said bleakly. Mayu saw that they had, indeed, pulled his eyes to them, and he was now hovering about twenty feet away.

"Hey, those were some nice explosions, yeah. Not as good as my art, but still okay. Puppets  _and_ explosions, huh? Tell me, as a user of both, would you say puppets are the ultimate art, or bombs?"

"That's easy," Sasori called as he sent Genma flying with a swipe of his tail. "Puppets are everlasting, and therefore superior art."

"No way, art is fleeting, so explosions are the ultimate art form!" Deidara said in what was obviously a well-worn argument. Then, he turned and looked at Mayu expectantly.

"Oh, well. I guess...I like them both?" she said, and he scoffed.

"Indecision is a killer of ninja, you know?" he replied, and then she and Shikamaru were running and spinning and leaping out of the way as he sent balls of clay their way. At some point, she saw that they were coming from a  _mouth_ in his hand. It had a tongue. It was disgusting. It was awesome.

"Genma! Asuma!" she called as she darted past them. "The exploding clay - it's coming out of mouths in his hands! If you can compromise them -" She cut off as Shikamaru grabbed her and jumped out of the way of three clay birds that were attempting to dive bomb them.

"A  _what?!"_ Genma called after the sounds of explosions lessened, but Mayu was already past them twisting around in the air when she realized Deidara had flanked her. He dropped another three consecutive birds. The first two she could evade, but the third was too close. She swore and mournfully sent one of her Little Terrors to scoop it up. Feeling a bit vindictive over her puppet's imminent demise, she sent it soaring towards Deidara, detaching her thread when it wouldn't go any further and letting it continue its trajectory with its own momentum.

It blew one of the wings of the bird off, and Mayu cheered. Shikamaru landed in a crouch next to her, and they watched as Deidara jumped off the bird right before it hit the ground, landing lightly. "Shikamaru," she said urgently, and he nodded.

"Formation three. Move as quickly as you can," he said, and she nodded, then disengaged Bukimi and moved to the side of Shikamaru. He made a hand sign, and Deidara stopped in his tracks where he'd been sauntering towards them.

"Shadow Possession Complete," Shikamaru said in a tight voice that told Mayu he was struggling to hold Deidara.

"Puppet Technique: Bladed Volley," she said calmly, and Bukimi rushed across the space between herself and Deidara, blades extended and pistoning. With a cry, Shikamaru was knocked off his feet by Sasori's tail, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere, and Deidara was released from the shadow possession, stepping easily to the side to avoid Bukimi's blades. Mayu quickly spun away from the threat, which was now standing five feet away, making a little  _meeping_ sound as she barely dodged the tail.

Worry for Shikamaru making her a little frantic, she pulled six smoke bombs from her pouch and tossed them at Sasori, engulfing him in multi-colored puffs of smoke. "You hide with tricks and bobs, instead of meeting me head on. I suppose you know who the better puppeteer is," his voice said from inside the smoke, seemingly unconcerned with the low visibility. Mayu rolled her eyes. Yeah, the S-ranked ninja was probably a  _teeny, tiny_ bit more talented than her at combat. Not exactly a shocker.

"I'm not hiding  _myself,_ you moron," she muttered, and chucked three Mayu cocktails into the smoke, sending four beetles in after them. Genma and Asuma, having seen what her little 'tricks and bobs' could do at the chunin exams, dashed forward, Asuma stopping to help Shikamaru up. Genma just threw Mayu over his shoulder, probably having seen that she'd started to favor her left leg (it really, really stung past all that adrenaline and her mental blocks) before taking off into a run. The fiery explosion that rocked the area Deidara and Sasori were currently in almost knocked the Konoha nin off their feet, but somehow Genma recovered. It was all she could do to pull Bukimi onto her back, apologizing when one of his legs smacked Genma in the face.

"Maybe if you weren't treating me like a  _sack of potatoes,"_ she grumbled when he made a strained noise as a large puppet was added to his load. "Um, Genma-san, you might want to run faster," she continued in a small voice as a furious man-scorpion burst out of the smoke, cloak in tatters and revealing a slightly-cracked mask on its back.

It actually skittered after them on all fours, and she made a distressed sound as it pulled its mask down. The jaw unhinged, and without waiting to see what would come out, she disengaged Bumiki and brought him in front of them like a shield, feeding chakra into him. The sound of multiple projectiles thumping against him reached her ears, and she winced as one that had gotten past him whizzed past her ear.  _Senbon, probably poisoned, because, well, he's from Suna._

It was too bad this guy was evil, otherwise, Mayu would think he was pretty awesome. He even understood that an arachnid puppet was way more intimidating than a humanoid one. Genma grunted and his stride faltered, and she glanced down and saw that there was a senbon sticking out of the back of his leg.

"Genma-san..." she said uneasily, and a little awkwardly due to his shoulder pressing into her stomach.

"I know," he answered in a strangled tone. "I have immunity built up to a lot of different poisons. Let's hope he uses one of those."

Ten minutes later it became apparent that he didn't, in fact, use one of the poisons Genma had an immunity to. With a small gasp of air, Genma slowed, then fell to one knee. They must have finally crossed into Fire Country, because there were actually trees around them, though they weren't as numerous or as large as the ones closer to Konoha.

Mayu slid off of Genma as she took in their change of location, then spun to face Sasori, putting herself between her now-mostly-unconscious teammate and the enraged puppet master.

Bukimi once again ended up acting as a shield as the tail whipped towards them, metal gleaming and point looked particularly sharp. It hit Bukimi with such force he crashed back into Mayu, who then hit Genma, and they all went sprawling in a mess of limbs. Genma, worryingly, didn't even react, and Mayu struggled to stand as a large, spinning blade extended from the mask on Sasori's back as the man slash puppet slash whatever it was came towards her on all fours.

"You," he said coldly, " _Cracked my puppet."_ Mayu got her knees under her and reached for her daggers, though how she'd block a huge spinning blade attached to a metal arm with them she had no idea.

Luckily she didn't have to figure it out, as a column of wood appeared between Mayu and the blades, which cut deeply into it. Another one raced towards Sasori's exposed flank, forcing him to disengage and leap to the side - right into a chakra laced punch. Mayu sagged in relief as soon as she caught sight of her female teammate's pink hair.

"Shannaro!" Sakura yelled as her fist connected, and Sasori was sent soaring away into the trees and out of sight, pieces of his puppet flying off of him almost comically. Backup had arrived. _Anzu must have run really, really fast,_ she thought a bit dazedly, still a little shocked not to be currently impaled on probably poisonous blades.

"Mayu-san," Yamato said in a calm voice as he landed next to her. "Report." Sakura moved to join them, going directly to Genma's side and frowning, Shikamaru barely a step behind.

"We were pursued by two Akatsuki members. Sasori, a missing sand nin and puppet master who uses poison. He got Genma with a senbon eleven minutes and forty-two seconds ago. It's still in his leg - sorry, I haven't had a chance to remove it." Sakura located the senbon and tugged it from his leg, wrapping it in a cloth and tucking it away.

"Deidara is the other. Some sort of ability that allows him to make clay explosive by...putting it into a mouth located on his hand." As if to punctuate her point, they heard a faint yell of "Boom!" and an explosion rocked their little clearing.

"Asuma-sensei -" Shikamaru started, and Yamato shook his head sharply.

"Sempai and Sasuke-san have gone to back him up. Sakura, what is Genma's condition?"

Sakura pursed her lips as she tipped something into his mouth. "Not good, Yamato-san. He needs Tsunade-shishou and Shizune-san's expertise - soon, I think, or he'll die. He would have more time, but his blood was pumping fast and spread the poison quickly."

Yamato hummed. "Okay. Mayu, Shikamaru, I want you two to take Genma-san and get him to the village." He held up a hand when they went to argue. "We're the rescue team, it's our job to hold them back. Plus, Mayu is injured and you're both exhausted. Team Gai is right behind us and will provide backup if we need it. You need to go, or Genma-san will die," he said bluntly, eyes searching the clearing for signs of Sasori as a pained yell from Deidara reached their ears.

Mayu and Shikamaru exchanged glances, and he gave a small nod, jaw clenched. "It's the call I would make in his place," he admitted. "They're fresh, and you can watch our backs while I carry Genma."

"Alright," Mayu said, slapping at Sakura's hands when she went for her bandage. "Stop that, you need your chakra for this fight," she grumbled.

She helped tie Genma onto Shikamaru's back as Sakura tucked the senbon into Shikamaru's pouch and gave him fast, whispered instructions on what to tell Tsunade as soon as they got there. Mayu squeezed Sakura's hand and nodded at Yamato, then they turned to leave.

A very angry, very young redhead appeared and blocked their path. Mayu blinked at him. "Uh. I guess you're...the puppetmaster. Or..." She frowned at his shirtless figure and tilted her head to the side, taking in the too-wide eyes, and the seams that were obvious where his shoulder met arm. It looked like there was some sort of compartment in its stomach, and there was a large round column jutting out of the right side of his chest with the kanji for scorpion on it.

"I don't suppose you want to show your true body," she finally huffed, eyes darting around in an attempt to see any signs of chakra threads or their wielder. "I'm assuming you were inside the creepy man-scorpion," she grumbled.

His wide, manic eyes moved to look at her. "This is my true body," he said a little smuggly. "I have made myself immortal and untouchable with my art."

Mayu's jaw dropped as her mind caught up. "Um. You made yourself into a puppet? That lives inside another puppet? That's...that's...pretty creepy, but...also kind of cool." She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, and Shikamaru huffed next to her, and Sakura sighed from where she was standing at her other side. Yamato remained silent from where he'd moved in front of all of them, putting himself between them and the threat.

"Mayu, you are not allowed to turn yourself into a living puppet," Shikamaru grumbled, and Yamato twitched.

"Enough," Sasori snapped, interrupting Mayu's reply. "I can't believe two  _children_ have forced me to reveal my true self. Now, I will show you what true mastery looks like." Mayu shifted so that she stood in front of Shikamaru and Genma. Sasori gave her an unimpressed look, and then reached behind himself and pulled out a scroll.

"Uh oh," Mayu mumbled. She knew that a puppet master pulling out a scroll was never a good thing, though usually, she was on the other side of the equation. Yamato must have agreed because three shoots of wood popped out of the ground and tried to wrap around Sasori. He easily avoided the attack, and Mayu gaped when strings extended directly from the core with the Scorpion kanji and connected to the scroll. When what had to be a hundred very human-like puppets in red cloaks appeared, Mayu wasn't even that surprised.

"Uh...did you use real skin for those?" She asked, then, "and you can control that many at once?"

"Behold, the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets," he said a little smugly, and Mayu's eyes darted around her, taking in the position of the puppets that were now surrounding their team.

"Huh. Are there any reading materials you could suggest?" she finally said, and Sakura glared at her while Yamato took a moment to look at her like she was crazy.

"There is no knowledge you could acquire that would bring you to my level," he bragged. Before Mayu could gather herself up in affront, the puppets attacked. She squeaked when one of them sent water bullets at her.

"What the hell! Puppets don't have elemental affinities!" she hissed at Shikamaru, who was moving so that he remained at her side.

"These were not always puppets," Sasori said as Mayu twisted around Shikamaru and blocked a sword with her daggers that was heading for Genma as Shikamaru blocked another scythe of water heading their way with an earth wall. Mayu took that in and wrinkled her nose. Gross.

"Assume all of his blades are poisoned!" Mayu yelled at Sakura, who nodded. "And go for the joints - that's the best way to deal with them."

"We need to bring this fight closer to Kakashi and Sasuke," Yamato said in a low voice as he ducked under the blade of a puppet and pushed his tanto into a joint. Kakashi must have had the same thought because an annoyed-looking Deidara burst into the clearing - well, it looked more like he'd been thrown into the clearing, really - taking three puppets down with him. Sasori sighed as his partner struggled to his feet, face mildly annoyed.

"Hey, Sasori, my man, I'm getting kind of tired of playing, yeah?" Kakashi and Sasuke appeared, both of them taking in the situation before sending a joint lightning attack that had half the puppets twitching and going limp.

"Now," Yamato said to them, and Mayu and Shikamaru looked at each other, then at the five puppets between them and freedom. Mayu grinned at him, knowing her teeth were probably bloody - she'd bitten the inside of her cheek at some point while she was being tossed about. He smirked back and inclined his head.

WIthout another word spoken, Mayu took off running - straight at the puppets blocking their escape. Multiple strings of shadows were writhing around her and then extending past her, Shikamaru's footsteps sounding a few feet behind her. They reached for the puppets, wrapping around and binding a few of them while the others moved out of their path. Mayu noted absently that the cost for using a hundred puppets seemed to be a lack of coordination of their efforts.

Mayu flicked her wrist to free ten explosive tags, then pushed herself up into a spin from her right, uninjured leg, arms extended, coat flaring, using the momentum to send her chakra threads with explosive tags on the end zipping through the air at the puppets. The three Shikamaru had bound were easy to hit, and one other was unlucky enough to get one on its back, unable to dodge the speed of her swinging thread. She pushed chakra into them, and pieces of puppets sailed into the air with the force of the explosion. The two of them plus Genma dashed through the hole they'd just made. Then, they ran.

000

They passed Team Gai only five minutes after they'd started running, and Mayu was able to let out a breath of relief after giving them a quick run down of the situation and pointing them in the right direction. Not that they needed it - the explosions and screams were a good indication of where the fighting was happening.

They stumbled into the village, barely coherent in their exhaustion (and pain in Mayu's case, burns turned out to be  _not fun)_ five hours later, and Mayu listened as Shikamaru dutifully recited what Sakura had told him regarding Genma's poisoning. Shizune had rushed in and whisked him off, and Mayu found herself passing out in a hospital bed as her mother and Harumi fussed over her leg and various other cuts and bruises.

When she woke up, Shikamaru was asleep in the bed across the room, and Shikaku was doing paperwork on one of those little rolling tables between them. Mayu groaned miserably when her aches and pains hit her, but she'd certainly woken up with worse, so forced herself to sit up and pour herself a cup of water. When she was done gulping it down greedily, she slid off the bed and limped over to a concerned-looking Shikaku, who pushed the table out of the way so she could curl up on his lap.

"The others?" She asked in a small voice, and he rubbed a soothing hand down her back.

"They're okay. Sakura and Lee were both poisoned, but they got here in time for the antidote that Tsunade-sama and Shizune created. Kakashi-san is laid up with chakra exhaustion - Ensui's in with him, don't worry. Sasuke is fine if a little worn out, and the rest of Team Gai are okay, too. They chased off the two Akatsuki members pretty quick once Team Gai appeared." He paused, and Mayu stiffened. "Genma will recover. Asuma was...badly burned. He'll recover, but right now he's in a lot of pain."

Mayu shoved her face into Shikaku's shoulder. "Is it my fault?" she asked in a small voice. "I should have made the connection to Akatsuki sooner..."

His arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer. "No, sweetheart. Of course not. This is just...the job. You did all the right things," he said soothingly. "Plus, I didn't see it either," he finished a little ruefully.

She sighed. "Will you tell me the story about Ensui and Baken going undercover at the circus?" she finally said. Ensui hated that story. Shikaku loved it. With a chuckle, he complied, and she fell asleep to the soothing baritone of his voice.

The next day found her arguing furiously with Tsunade in a conference room while Shikamaru tried unsuccessfully to calm her down and Kakashi made vague, goading comments in the background. Shikaku was pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers but wasn't actually arguing with what Mayu was saying. What had started as a debrief had quickly devolved into a 'what the hell do we do now' discussion.

Tsunade had said she planned on creating four four-person cells to send out as scouts, looking for information on the Akatsuki. Mayu had come back with a new idea that had met resistance.

"This is an  _international threat._ That means you need international cooperation. We have to respond with as much force as possible. They're trying to cause strife between the countries - our response should be to band together. You're worried about looking weak to other countries by asking for help, but if Konoha is seen as the leader against something that could very well destroy all the hidden villages, it only gives us authority. You have to reach out to the other Kage," Mayu said, then belated added, "Hokage-sama," thoughts going to what Fugaku would say if he found out she was being bratty with the Hokage.

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. "It's not that easy. I doubt they'll listen, and I know some of them will use it as a chance to stir up trouble."

Mayu rolled her eyes. "And when they do, our superior shinobi will knock them down a peg," Mayu said confidently. When Tsunade raised an eyebrow, Mayu huffed out a breath. Tsunade, out of patience with her snootiness, slammed a hand down on her desk.

"Brat! I got enough attitude from your stick-in-the-mud master when he came here to tell me off for sending his apprentice after the Akatsuki. I don't need any from you," she finished with a grumble, and Mayu frowned when she realized Tsunade looked...guilty.

"It's not like you knew Ito was connected to the Akatsuki. Not even  _I_ knew that." She gave a disdainful sniff, and Kakashi sighed mournfully, mumbling about disrespectful students who never learned.

Mayu then thought about the rest of Tsunade's statement and brightened. "Wait, Fugaku-shishou was worried about me?"

Shikaku and Kakashi both went into sulks, and Itachi's lip twitched. "You  _are_ his apprentice," he said mildly, then changed the subject back to the matter at hand.

"I agree with Mayu-chan," he said, and Tsunade sighed dramatically. "If Akatsuki wants the Elemental Nations divided, then we should be doing the opposite. At the very least, sharing the information we have on the Akatsuki will make it more difficult for them to achieve their objective of collecting the jinchuuriki."

Tsunade closed her eyes and threaded her fingers together as she thought. A moment later, she opened them, and Mayu could see the decision was made. "Fine. Shikaku-san, how do you suggest we proceed?"

Her father hummed from where he was leaning against the wall next to Kakashi. "We should put together an informational packet on both the Akatsuki and Ito Kaede's group and send it with a diplomatic contingent to each country. Make it clear what signs to look for in their own Intelligence departments to discover if they've been compromised. Iwa, at least, will have had the same issue with Ito as we had, and since they don't have a Mayu digging through their records -" he smirked and she beamed at him, "-they probably haven't realized it yet. Once they discover we're correct, they'll try to blame us, so we should ask Grass to confirm our story."

Tsunade hummed and glanced at Itachi for his input. "As you said, Hokage-sama, there is the possibility that Iwa or Cloud would try to use our cooperation as a chance to infiltrate our village or otherwise cause problems. I suggest that as part of our proposal, we provide strong members of our village as the first members of an International Response Team that we'll urge the other nations to join. We should include Nara Ensui in the party - he'll run circles around any strategist they have, and they know it, so it should at least discourage any unsavory behavior. Not to mention he would be a terrifying foe on the battlefield, as well." Mayu exchanged a smug look with Shikamaru at that description.

"We should also have Jiraiya as part of our response team, as he is both famous throughout the nations, familiar with the Akatsuki, and strong enough to give any of them pause."

Mayu perked up. Did that mean Naruto would come back to Konoha? "Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura, and Sasuke should be included. Yamato's Mokuton will make a statement paired with Sasuke and Kakashi's sharingan, as they are the kekkei genkai of our founders. Sakura is your apprentice, which would send a message as well." Itachi glanced at Mayu and made a slightly apologetic face, probably because he didn't include her in the team. Mayu, however, wasn't stupid - she knew putting her on an international team with the potential for diplomatic disaster was...not the best plan. Plus, she had things to do here, in Konoha.

Kakashi made a noise in the back of his throat. "Don't you think Sakura and Sasuke are a little young to take on the Akatsuki?"

Tsunade snorted. "You mean like they just did? They held their own - Mayu and Shikamaru were pivotal to Genma and Asuma surviving the encounter, as well. Plus, they don't actually have to enter combat with the Akatsuki - remember there's a whole network of low-level nin we need to deal with." Kakashi hummed, obviously unhappy, but didn't say anything else.

"Genma," Mayu said, and the adults' attention was back on her. She shrugged. "He's fast and strong, and already lived through them attacking once with only two chunin and a jounin on his side. That should get him points with other countries."

Nobody said what they were all thinking - that Asuma would have been a perfect addition to the team. Turns out 'burned but will recover' actually meant 'whole right leg and hip was covered in major burns.' He'd live, but he wouldn't be going out on active missions anymore.

Shikamaru had been carrying around a low-level fury since he found out, and Mayu glanced at him nervously. He looked...calculating, and her heart dropped. That probably wasn't a good thing.

"All right. Mayu, Shikamaru, Kakashi. I want the three of you to create a comprehensive file detailing everything you learned about Deidara, Sasori, and Ito's group by midday tomorrow. Dismissed. Shikaku, Itachi, pull up a chair, we'll be here awhile."

Mayu opened her mouth to argue - she wanted to stay and listen to their planning session - but Kakashi and Shikamaru both dragged her out.

"Lame," she muttered but limped after them to Asuma's hospital room. He was pretty drugged up and out of it, but seemed to appreciate when she played the violin, so she spent some time there, swallowing back guilt.

It was completely illogical to feel that way, of course. If she and Shikamaru hadn't left when they did, Genma would be dead - possibly Sakura and Lee, too, since they probably wouldn't have made it if the antidote hadn't been on hand when they arrived. They'd done the right thing, they had. It just sucked that Asuma's career as an active shinobi was effectively over.  _Fucking Akatsuki._ She had a feeling she'd be saying that phrase a lot in the future.

000

Fugaku was wading through a large pile of paperwork that he needed to finish if he wanted to get his budget approved by the hokage when he heard his apprentice's cheerful voice from her desk outside his office.

"Sensei! What are you doing here?"

If Fugaku were a lesser man, he would have banged his head on his desk. It was the third time this week Kakashi had shown up with one of his little 'gifts' to Mayu. Two days ago it had been proof of a low-level drug smuggling ring being run by a few chunin and genin. Before that, another trussed up criminal - this time a tokubetsu jounin who had decided to try and sneak into a civilian bank vault. Hatake 'just happened' to be present, depositing his latest paycheck from a mission, and heroically swept in and captured the robber. No matter that Fugaku's police force had already been alerted and could have handled it easily. Hatake Kakashi was  _infuriating._

Of course, Fugaku knew exactly what his little drop-ins were about. Mayu, the ridiculous trouble magnet that she was, had another run-in with the Akatsuki. He couldn't even be angry with her after reading the report since she'd done exactly what she should have - gone to her commanding officer and then run. She just hadn't been fast enough. If she hadn't signed on with the servals and gotten a ridiculously fast summons that could go for backup...he allowed himself a small sigh.

So far Mayu had been exactly what he expected - undisciplined, completely shameless, and a source of almost constant stress. She also possessed a strange sort of endearing quality that had him becoming more fond of her than he would have guessed.

Even if he was certain she was going through the evidence boxes without permission while working the desk and kept goading the other interns when she thought he wasn't listening. He was also pretty sure that she was helping Dai with his casework when she was supposedly holed up with him learning the laws that govern Konoha and her clans if the increase in the percent of solved cases from his team was any indication. Of course, whenever he quizzed her on said laws, she recited them perfectly, staring up at him as if expecting him to toss her candy like her ridiculous jounin sensei.

If there was one thing he'd figured out quickly, however, it was to choose his battles with Nomaka Mayu. An Uchiha she was not, and would never be. He would just have to live with the indignity of having her as an apprentice for the good of Konoha.

"Oh, a kitten!" Her voice said, and Fugaku gave in to the urge to rub at one temple. "Kakashi-sensei, it looks so sad. What happened?"

"Oh, well," he said in that self-effacing way that made Fugaku want to hit him with a Great Fire Dragon, despite how undignified it would be, "I found it up in a tree. I think it had been there for a few days. If you can be spared, maybe we can go and try to find his family -"

Fugaku stood and moved swiftly to his door to stop this insanity in its tracks. "Unfortunately," he intoned, inwardly wincing at the sight of a wide-eyed Mayu holding a truly pathetic looking ball of brown and white fur, "Mayu and I have a meeting with the Hokage in fifteen minutes." He ignored Kakashi's slumped posture as he turned to shut off the lights in his office and close the door.

"...Don't worry, sensei," Mayu was saying in a low voice, "Meet me after I'm finished talking to the Hokage, and we can look for her family together," she said. "Here, take these for me -"

Fugaku turned around to find that Kakashi was standing next to Mayu with no kitten in sight. He raised one eyebrow, and Kakashi eye smiled at him. "Turns out a weapons pouch is the perfect size for a kitten," he said, patting his own, and Fugaku saw that it was bulging a bit. He thought about pointing out that the kitten probably wasn't comfortable amongst a bunch of kunai, but gave it up as a lost cause.

"Kakashi-san. This meeting should only take an hour," He said grudgingly, and Mayu beamed up at him as though he'd just announced he would go out and find the kitten's home all on his own.

Fugaku motioned for his apprentice to follow him, and tried to ignore that she was practically bouncing next to him as she waved goodbye to Dai's team as they passed. They'd all started treating her like their own personal crime solving pet, and he'd even heard one of the gruff officers say she was "Cute, especially when she gets all snooty."

Uchiha Fugaku's apprentice should not be  _cute._ It was mortifying. "Wasn't that so nice of Kakashi-sensei?" she gushed, as she always did when he swung by. "I know you don't like him," she announced loudly, causing one of his officers to snort and say 'understatement,' under his breath, "but he really has been trying to support the MPF lately," she said happily.

Fugaku shot her a warning look as they made their way out of the building and down the street, and she beamed at him. A passing jounin did a double take. Mayu began trying to deduce why they were heading for the Hokage's office. After one outrageous theory that they were going to be assigned a covert, secret task, she said in a furtive voice, "Hey, you don't think I'm in trouble, right?" Fugaku pursed his lips.

"Is there a reason you would be?" He asked calmly, and she laughed nervously.

"I mean, what? No! I've been a model citizen lately!" At his unimpressed eyebrow raise, she backtracked quickly. "I mean always! I've always been a model citizen. Because, laws and stuff," she finished a little lamely. He hummed non-committedly and tried not to let his stress show. If he was going to be reamed out by Tsunade for something his apprentice had done, Mayu would find herself running laps around Konoha for the next week. Or maybe he'd give her all the filing work in the building.

He'd done that to her last week when he caught her looking through cold case files without permission. Fugaku savored the memory of her crestfallen expression when he'd shown her the towering stack of files. Mayu gasped next to him and waved frantically at Shikaku, who was waiting for them at the stairs leading up into the tower. As though she hadn't just seen him that morning before he left for work.

"Pa -" she coughed when Fugaku cleared his throat in warning, and her whole posture slumped. "Otou-sama," she greeted much less enthusiastically than usual, obviously sulking at the formal address, then brightened when Shikaku shot her an amused look.

"Hey, squirt. You give Fugaku-san any trouble today?"

"Nope!" she said proudly as if she'd just overcome an insurmountable hurdle, then turned her adoring gaze up at Fugaku. He felt his eye twitch and knew Shikaku was laughing at him from the way his eyes glinted. "Fugaku-sama taught me how to take a statement this morning. He had a lot of good advice," she said, and Shikaku put his large hand on her head.

"I bet he did, he's damn good at his job," Shikaku said easily, and Fugaku shot him a surprised look. He sounded sincere, and the Nara clan head wasn't known for passing out compliments he didn't mean. "You're lucky to have him as a teacher."

"Mm!" Mayu said with a nod and gave a particularly enthusiastic rock back on her heels as they came to a stop in front of the Hokage's secretary.

"You can go in, she's expecting you," the woman said, and Fugaku frowned. He could have sworn he just heard - but Shikaku was herding Mayu into the office ahead of him, and Fugaku had to follow or risk being left behind. Fugaku hoped Shikaku wasn't present for this meeting because Mayu was just in  _that much trouble,_ but couldn't actually deny it was a distinct possibility.

"Fugaku-san, Shikaku-san, thanks for coming," Tsunade said, and Fugaku glanced over to where his son was buried behind a pile of paperwork at his desk. "You're aware of the delegation I sent out to the other hidden villages two weeks ago," she said, and Fugaku inclined his head.

"Sand, Grass, Hot Water, and Iwa have all agreed to send their own nin to aid in the take-down of Akatsuki." Fugaku raised his eyebrow at the last but didn't comment. They must havefound evidence of Ito's meddling in their own Intelligence departments. "Grass has agreed to host the initial meeting, as they are allied with all of the nations and feel partly responsible for the problem," Tsunade said dryly.

Mayu was practically vibrating with excitement next to him, but his teaching methods were at least somewhat working because she stayed silent. A true miracle. "This is mostly just a meet and greet and exchange of information. I assume we'll be hammering out details of the response team. I will be attending while Itachi takes on the responsibilities of Hokage here," Tsunade said, and Fugaku had to fight to keep a smile off his face at the rush of pride for his son.

"Fugaku-san, I want you attend as a member of my entourage. Your perspective on security and your investigative abilities will be useful for this first meeting. Mayu will be attending." Tsunade quieted the girl before she could speak with a look. "Let me make this very clear," she said. "You are probably the worst diplomat I've ever seen - worse than an Inuzuka. You are there to observe,  _quietly,_ and pass on those observations to Fugaku-san or myself privately. Got it?"

Mayu nodded enthusiastically and bounced up on her toes. Tsunade sent Fugaku the same baffled look he'd been getting from, well, everybody for the past few months. The one that said  _How does this apprenticeship even work?_ He just met her gaze calmly, and she chuckled.

"Alright, then. We're leaving in a week and a half -" she stopped talking as a tiny, muffled  _meow_ clearly sounded from the direction of Mayu. Fugaku, not known as the best investigator of his generation for nothing, slowly turned and stared Mayu down, realizing that when Kakashi said the kitten fit perfectly in a weapon's pouch, he hadn't meant his own. Mayu had given Kakashi all of her kunai to hold in his own pouch.

"Is there a cat in here?" Tsunade asked, baffled, as another squeaking meow was heard.

"I thought," Fugaku said with as much decorum as he could muster in the current situation, "That Kakashi-san was holding the cat whilst we met with Godaime-sama?"

Mayu reached into her pouch and pulled out the scruffy, blinking kitten. "But! Kakashi was running home while he waited for me, and his apartment smells like dogs! Poor little Beaker would have been so scared," she cooed, and Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose as Tsunade stared at the cat, honestly baffled that somebody had brought a kitten into a meeting with her.

"I thought you were trying to return the kitten to its family," Fugaku finally settled on saying, not missing the fact that she had named the thing.

"Yeah, Kakashi and I are going to look for them after this meeting!" She said, holding the kitten up for Shikaku to see. He took it from her with a sigh, and held it cupped in one hand against his chest. His expression was that of a man who just realized he'd be acquiring an unwanted pet. His guess was proven correct when Mayu's face went solemn and sad. "But, from how malnourished he is, we probably won't find one. I wonder if Hana will look over him for us..."

"Brat! Could we please stop talking about the kitten you  _brought into a meeting with the Hokage_ and focus on the international group of criminal terrorists trying to tear our world apart?" Tsunade yelled, and Fugaku winced, a little ashamed that he'd allowed one of his students' little 'situations' to sidetrack him in front of the Hokage.

"I apologize, Hokage-sama," Fugaku said with a tilt of his head. "Rest assured, I will deal with this infraction myself." He felt a little proud of himself when Mayu's hands twitched in horror, obviously already feeling the strain of filing. Shikaku noticed her reaction, and shot Fugaku a look of respect. He made sure to send him his most superior expression, and the Nara huffed and absentmindedly ran a hand down the back of the now purring kitten.

 _My life,_ Fugaku thought to himself,  _is the epitome of ridiculous._ And it was all the fault of the blue-haired girl making horrified faces next to him at the thought of filing. Tsunade must have agreed because she continued talking in a tone that spoke of suffering with no end in sight.

"When we return, I have a project for yourself and Mayu, Fugaku-san. You two will now be in charge of investigation into Ito Kaede's group and the Akatsuki. You will also," Tsunade said solemnly, "be taking on a project that Itachi and I have been discussing for some time." Tsunade then made a hand sign, and three ANBU appeared in front of her desk in a crouch. "Clear the room," she said, and Mayu's eyes widened. What could Tsunade have to say that she didn't want her ANBU to hear? Mayu glanced at Shikaku and saw he was frowning in thought, as well.

When the ANBU disappeared, Tsunade took a deep breath. "This is not to leave this room, do you understand? The five of us will be the only ones that know of this project."

Mayu glanced at Fugaku, unsure of how to reply, and he just inclined his head, face calculating. "You have the complete discretion of myself and my apprentice," he said with gravity, and Shikaku grunted in agreement.

"Alright," Tsunade said. "Most of this will be done under Itachi's tenure, and as it was his plan in the first place, I'll have him explain."

Itachi stepped forward and started talking without preamble. "As you are well aware, we have had multiple instances of traitors and information leaks since Shimura Danzo's death seven years ago. The problems were there before, but were...missed," he said a little disdainfully, and Tsunade winced at the reminder of her sensei's mistakes. "Much of this stems from the creation of a deeply secretive organization that you all know as Root, created by Danzo originally with permission by the Sandaime, and then continued illegally when the Hokage ordered it disbanded."

Itachi sighed. "We believe there are still remnants of Root in Konoha, subverting the Godaime's will and the safety of certain individuals in the village, though we have no idea who the leader is. The reveal of Ito's sabotage only complicates the situation, not to mention the possibility of Orochimaru's spies. It is, quite frankly, a mess."

Itachi looked askance at Mayu. "I spoke with Mayu about it once, and she suggested that we compile data on the traitors and information leaks we have caught out, and use it to identify red flags to watch for in our people, and hopefully build a roadmap that leads us to some of the kingpins."

Fugaku side-eyed her, and she fidgeted a little. "That idea holds merit, though it sounds like a large undertaking," he said, and Beaker mewled in apparent agreement from where Shikaku was thoughtfully scratching under her fuzzy chin.

"As the two strongest investigative minds in Konoha, I would like you and Mayu to lead this project," Tsunade said bluntly. "Along with gathering the information we have on Akatsuki from our own networks and the other villages to try and figure out where in the hell they are, what their endgame is, and who the players are."

Mayu blinked at her in shock. "That's...a lot," she said slowly, and Tsunade sighed and leaned back, rubbing her eyes.

"I know," she said. "But we just...can't trust many people. I've known you since you were six, kid, and I know you won't do anything to hurt the village, if only because it's where your family lives. Fugaku-san is a loyal member of the village who has proven time and again that he cares about upholding its laws, and is the father of its future Hokage. Shikaku has just as many ties and history here. He's the best strategist in the village, and can offer insight and keep up with you two."

Mayu frowned. "What about Shikamaru? He'd be a good addition..." she trailed off as Tsunade exchanged a look with Itachi. Mayu thought she looked a little uncomfortable. She glanced at Shikaku, who was staring fixedly out the window.

"What," she said flatly, and Itachi sighed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you weren't aware. Shikamaru has asked to study under his uncle and will be part of the Intervillage Akatsuki Response Team. He won't be in the village often enough to be of any help."

Mayu stared at Tsunade. "Since when?" she finally asked, voice coming out a little smaller than she intended.

"Since four days ago," Shikaku said gently. "Sweetheart, he was going to tell you -"

"Right," she said a little flatly. She'd known something was up, of course, she had. She'd even known it involved him getting revenge on Akatsuki for Asuma's injury. But she'd assumed he'd come to her when he figured it out and they'd do it  _together._

When it became obvious Mayu was ready for a subject change, they discussed details of the assignment, Tsunade reiterated it was an S-class secret, and the meeting ended. Kakashi met her outside the tower, and Mayu silently took Beaker from Shikaku, unable to meet his eyes, and joined Kakashi.

"Everything okay?" he finally asked after they'd been walking in silence for awhile, and she shook her head.

"Why didn't Ensui-nii tell me about Shikamaru?" she asked in a subdued voice.

Kakashi looked panicked when he realized the situation he was in. "Ah, well, I think he wanted Shikamaru to have a chance to tell you."

Mayu was quiet for a moment. "Ensui-nii is out of the village a lot," she said. "That - that must be hard, huh?"

Kakashi hummed. "It is and it isn't. I'm...very self-sufficient. Kind of like you," he tacked on gently. Mayu took a deep breath and blinked back tears. Kakashi was right, of course - she'd miss Shikamaru but would be perfectly fine while he was gone. She'd just been handed a huge project, after all. One that was sure to be complex and challenging and altogether the opposite of dull.

"I just don't know why he didn't tell me what he was going to do," she settled on as Kakashi led her to the tree he'd found Beaker in.

"Well, quite frankly, boys are idiots," Kakashi said with a shrug, and Mayu giggled.

They didn't find Beaker's family, if she'd ever had one, and ended up taking her to Kiba's house, where Hana was lounging around with her brother. Kakashi disappeared sometime between Mayu knocking on the door and Tsume answering it, and she ended up staying for dinner while Hana gave her instructions on pet care.

When she returned home weighed down with cat supplies and a much cleaner and healthier Beaker, the house was fairly quiet. It smelled faintly of Ensui, so she assumed he was around, and Mayu could hear the shuffling of paper in the library that meant her family was probably congregated in there and continued pointedly up the stairs. She was still reeling from what she'd learned in Tsunade's office.

A few minutes later, she was lying on her stomach playing a game of 'attack the stuffed mouse' with Beaker next to his new tower and cat bed when there was a knock on her door.

"Go away," she grumbled when she smelled who was there. Of course, he swung the door open and slouched inside instead.

"Dad told me that Tsunade-sama told you about my training under Ensui-nii," he said after a moment of standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Yeah,  _she_ did," Mayu said, wincing when Beaker missed the mouse and got her finger instead.

"I wasn't sure how to -" he started, and then stopped.

"How to tell me that you'll be training in assassination techniques? Or maybe that you'll be spending seventy percent of your time out of the village for the next however long? Oh! Or maybe that you were joining a task force hunting down criminals?" She said lightly. "Guess I'm good enough to kiss and cuddle, but not good enough to - to confide in."

"Mayu -" he said, and she abruptly turned to face him, furious. "We're supposed to be  _partners,"_ she hissed. "Instead, you completely left me out. Everybody in the family knew but me! Did you think I wouldn't support you? That I don't know the exact reasons you decided to do this?" Shikamaru needed to get stronger, too, and Ensui was strong, in a different way than Shikaku. Ensui could strategize with the best of them, but he really excelled at going out and taking care of business. Shikamaru was going to take after both of them, now. Not to mention getting free reign to bring a world of hurt down on the Akatsuki, something he was itching for.

Shikamaru slumped and looked to the side, miserable. "No I - I just knew that it'd hurt you. For me to leave."  _Without you_ went unvoiced but not unheard. Mayu took a deep breath.

"And you were worried that I would disapprove of you training in assassination," she said mildly, and he jerked his head in a nod. He looked so wretched that her anger drained out of her in a rush, though her hurt remained.

"Idiot boy," she muttered, and he glanced at her. "Do you think I'm so pathetic that I'd expect you to sit around here with me instead of doing what you need to become a strong shinobi? You need to build a reputation and make contacts internationally, and this  _is_ a good way to do it, if not an expected one." Mayu bit her lip. "The assassination part...doesn't really bother me," she said truthfully.

Shikamaru was a Nara through and through. The apathetic, cold, and calculating Nara was just as much a part of his personality as her sweet, lazy, and loyal Shika. Assassination would sharpen him, yes, harden him for sure. But he'd survive it just fine with his mind intact, and a certain amount of hardening was only to be expected in their lifestyle.

"Eventually you'll take a mostly in-village position as a strategist or advisor or something," she muttered as he stared at her like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. "So I can live with a few years of you flitting about murdering people in creative ways with your shadows. Besides, Ensui-nii is good at survival, and super scary. Those are good things to learn." Mayu frowned as he continued to gape at her. "Hey, does this mean you'll sign the summons contract, too? More than one person can do that per generation, right? Don't Shisui-san and Itachi-sempai share a contrac -"

She cut off with an  _oomph_ as Shikamaru dropped to his knees and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said, and she sighed into his shoulder.

"It - it really sucked hearing it from somebody else," she admitted, and he tightened his hold.

"Sorry, I was just -"  _Worried you'd think I don't care enough to stay._

"I know," she said and clung onto him. "I - I guess I forgive you. But next time, remember we're partners."

He pulled back and smiled at her crookedly. "I promise." She grinned stupidly at him for a second. The moment was broken when Beaker attached her little claws to Shikamaru with a yowl, obviously ready for the attention to be back on her.

"Ah, the cat dad said you'd probably be bringing home," Shikamaru muttered, and reached down to pick her up. She swiped at his nose when he held her in front of his face to study her, and Mayu smirked when she saw he was completely charmed. The deadly Nara clan just couldn't resist cute little animals. They were a bunch of assassins and war generals who herded dear, for goodness sake. It was ridiculous.

With a sigh, she stood, then motioned for Shikamaru to follow her out of the room. "Come on, let's introduce her to everybody," she said.

As she entered the library to the sight of Ensui and Yoshino bickering over whether Inuzuka or Nara made better chakra pills while Shikaku napped in a chair, she couldn't help but smile. Things weren't perfect, in fact, they were becoming downright concerning, but at that moment she couldn't find it in herself to be too worried about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses on who the mysterious leader of the left over Root faction could be?


	13. Intern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akatsuki Response Force is born and Mayu gets to hang out in a secret investigation room with Fugaku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ap3x-phantom did some [awesome fanart](https://ap3x-phantom.deviantart.com/art/Shadow-Puppet-726215591) of Mayu and Shikamaru. Make sure to check it out!

Mayu came back into consciousness immediately aware of three things. First, that she was still one less toe than she'd been that morning. Or was it yesterday morning, now? Second, that her family and half the MPF were probably freaking out right about now.

Third, that she was really, very angry. She had liked her left pinky toe. Not consciously, of course, but now that it was gone she found that she had really been quite emotionally attached to it. She kept her eyes closed and body relaxed despite the fact that she was supremely uncomfortable. She was bruised and cut up in multiple places, the arm she was awkwardly lying on was asleep, and her foot was throbbing where they had cut off her toe. Her  _toe!_

Mayu tried to feed chakra into her ears and had to fight panic when it wouldn't come to her call.  _Relax, there must be chakra dampening seals wherever you're at. Standard procedure with prisoners. You still have your training and your mind._

After a moment her heartbeat slowed and she concentrated on gathering information the old-fashioned way. Her breathing seemed to echo a bit in what had first seemed like complete silence. After a time, though, she realized she could hear the trickling of water somewhere nearby.

The air felt cold and clammy and there was no light shining from beyond her closed eyelids. It smelled of dirt and old shit and piss - and didn't it say a lot about her life that she knew those smells? So: dark, damp, cold, quiet except for a small stream of water nearby, and smelled like earth. She was probably in a cave or a cellar. Mayu shivered at the old, old memories that brought up. She wasn't Diana Holmes anymore, however, and she had a lot more at her disposal than she had in her past life. Like being a trained killer and the fact that her kidnappers didn't realize exactly what they had decided to lock up.

Oh, they were going to regret this, deeply, by the time she was finished with them. Maybe she'd even leave some leftovers for her family and friends.

 

_Six Months Earlier_

"Mayu-chan!" a delighted voice said behind her and her eyes widened as she spun around and took in a face she hadn't seen in months.

"Naruto!" Ignoring the other shinobi around them, the two of them dashed across the room, throwing their arms around each other.

He was just as warm as she remembered and when she pulled back to beam at him, his eyes were the same blue and his smile was still like looking into the sun. He was taller, but not by much - only an inch higher than her own five foot six inches. He'd gained some muscle definition, though, and there was less baby fat on his cheeks.

"Mayu-chan, you look so cool! Is that the MPF symbol on your arm? Your hair is  _gone -"_ he started babbling at her as she took him in. He was confident now in a way he hadn't been before. Getting away from the people who treated him so badly in Konoha had been good for him.

"Mayu," Fugaku's slightly exasperated voice said from behind her and she stopped mid-hop in the excited jumping she'd been doing and laughed nervously, glancing around them at the judging faces of the shinobi that were currently in the lobby of Grass' meeting center. Right. She was supposed to be blending into the background.

"Fugaku-shishou! You remember Naruto-kun?" she said a little sheepishly, keeping a hand on his arm while she turned to face her teacher, who was standing next to an amused-looking Jiraiya.

"I do. Hello, Naruto, I hope you are well," he said and Naruto smiled brightly at him.

"I'm great. I already got to see Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan, too! And I learned a ton while I was gone. I'm an amazing Fuinjutsu...maker...person," he said, brow furrowing while he tried to figure out what exactly the term was for somebody who used seals, and Fugaku was suddenly making the same unreadable expression he did when Mayu said something that he didn't know how to respond to.

"Oh! You have to show me! You should see what I can do with Bukimi now," Mayu said. "Fugaku-shishou has helped me get  _so good_ with my puppets. Between the two of us we'll -"

"Mayu, we're going to be late. Perhaps you and Naruto could catch up later?" Fugaku said and Mayu slumped.

"Okay, shishou," she said sadly, a look mirrored by Naruto. Fugaku twitched at the power of their combined sad eyes but remained steadfast.

"After the meetings, you may go to dinner with your old team," he said, even though he'd told her earlier that they were going to go over what they learned in the meetings in their shared room that evening. So he only stayed  _mostly_ steadfast, but he'd learned quickly that a sulking Mayu was even more baffling and ridiculous than a cheerful one.

They both brightened. "You're so cool, Fugaku-shishou!" she said just as Naruto said, "You're so nice, Fugaku-sama!"

Ignoring Jiraiya's loud booming laughter at his expense, Fugaku gathered his dignity and swept towards the door leading into the meeting, Mayu following in his wake.

The meetings were incredibly dull and full of diplomats airing petty grievances and demands that were so off topic it was almost laughable. Mayu ended up creating a new schematic for a puppet in her head while watching everybody else with half her attention.  _Day one, nothing gets accomplished,_ she thought to herself, though she did have four pages of observations to go over with Fugaku.  _After_ her team dinner.

She bounced down the steps after the meetings for the day let out to where Naruto was talking animatedly at Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. "Mayu! Are you ready for dinner? Gaara's going to come, too," Naruto said.

"Yep. Shika and Ensui-nii are coming as well."

They ended up at a barbeque restaurant at a large, rowdy table, Naruto loudly telling stories of his exploits. Mayu realized that it would probably be a long while before she'd see all of them in the same place again. Their goals were taking them all away from the village, while hers kept her firmly inside of it.

The conversation eventually turned to the Akatsuki Response Force (so they'd gotten one thing done that day - named the force that would never exist if the villages didn't all calm down and band together).

"I'm joining it for sure," Naruto said, a familiar determined glint in his eye.

"That seems like it'd be a little dangerous for you, considering," Shikamaru said, voicing what Mayu had been thinking. Was it wise to send a jinchuuriki after a group of people hunting jinchuuriki?

"I think that is the exact reason he should go. It is why I insisted on being allowed to join this response force," Gaara spoke up for the first time. "I do not want to sit idly by while others put themselves in harm's way for me."

Next to her, Sakura stiffened and Mayu realized that she had just figured out Naruto's status of jinchuuriki from their conversation. Whoops. It was rapidly becoming Konoha's worst kept secret.

"I understand that, but, if they got ahold of you...it would be bad for everybody," Mayu said, biting her lip.

"If it were you, would you want to hide away?" Naruto said, face earnest, willing her to understand.

Mayu hesitated. She wanted to agree with his decision when it was so obviously important to him, but the truth was, it seemed pretty stupid. "I...don't know. I suppose it's not really up to us, anyway," she said and Ensui looked at her.

"That was surprisingly diplomatic, comin' from you," he said, obviously ready to change the subject, and Mayu sniffed and put her nose in the air.

"I am perfectly capable of being diplomatic. Mikoto-sama's been giving me etiquette and diplomacy lessons every Saturday," she admitted when he just raised an eyebrow. Sasuke, who had suffered through watching one such lesson, snorted.

"Yeah and my mother might actually be a saint with how much patience she has. Honestly, how hard it is to remember how to set up a tea tray?" Mayu glared at him while Naruto laughed.

"Well, it's not my fault that it's so dull. Honestly, you Uchiha worry about the stupidest things," she sniped and his eyes narrowed.

"I don't know, you seem to have the same weird obsession as my Uchihafather when it comes to case files." Sasuke twitched when Mayu brightened.

"You really think I'm like Fugaku-shishou?"

000

It took almost a week to finally get anybody to agree on anything. Mayu had identified three people that were obviously just there to disrupt talks and quietly passed the information on to Fugaku, though she assumed he had already figured it out. She also gathered a lot of information, both relevant and not, about the members of the hopefully-soon-to-be international force.

Iwa had sent the Tsuchikage's niece to handle the diplomatic aspect of the talks - he hadn't left his village since the third war and wasn't about to start now. They'd also sent along their famous Smash Team, who was uncomfortably familiar to both Ensui and Team Seven from that first ill-fated mission to Grass. Mayu glared at them until Fugaku cleared his throat at her meaningfully.

Their gorgeous leader, Sato Nanako, known for her devastating strategic mind combined with a large repertoire of earth jutsu and incredible skill with a katana, just smirked back at her, then flipped her long, red hair over a shoulder. Her two male partners, Goto and Ryo, large and intimidating, sat on either side of her, glowering at the room at large. They were called the Smash Team for a reason - one that involved their foes generally ending up as bloodied smears on whatever surface was nearby.

Iwa had also sent one other jounin to join the response force, a cheerful, small man named Ishii Kento who wore two short swords strapped to his back. After some judicious eavesdropping and snooping, Mayu discovered he was a well-known assassin, along with being an integral part of Iwa's Intelligence department.

Grass was being represented diplomatically by Farumo Yatoma, who had put forward two shinobi for the force: his son, Yato, along with his brother, Baru, who had built his own reputation as an elite jounin that had no trouble repelling some of the stronger attacks at their borders.

Hot Water's diplomat was a short man with his head shaved bald that had eyes as sharp as any Nara. Mayu was a little surprised they'd agreed to enter a conflict outside of their borders until they handed over their own files on the Akatsuki. It turned out one of the members was from their own village - and he had left a lot of dead shinobi behind him when he defected. The shinobi they offered as a part of the Akatsuki Response Force were two brothers, twins named Koji and Toma, who were pretty deadly with their combination water and fire attacks by all accounts, along with being popular with the ladies.

Mayu had heard them trying to convince Nanako that they had a few other 'combo techniques' that she might be  _personally_ interested in. When Mayu had bounced up to them and innocently asked them what they meant, both of them had stuttered and looked supremely uncomfortable. It had been the most entertaining thing to happen that day. Nanako thought so, too, if her tinkling laughter and slapping of the table while she pointed at the two perverts was any indication.

Suna had sent Gaara and his two siblings, along with their jounin-sensei, Baki, as their representatives. All four would be joining the response force, with Baki also acting as Suna's diplomatic representative.

By the fourth day, Mayu despaired of them ever agreeing on anything. Maybe Tsunade had been right and international cooperation just wasn't in the cards. Currently, they were trying to decide who would be the General of ARF, as they'd taken to calling the Akatsuki Response Force, courtesy of Koji and Toma. Considering it meant four of the villages allowing a member of a different village to command some of their shinobi, it wasn't turning out to be an easy task.

Then, in the middle of the fifth day, the Hot Water diplomat had entered the room after lunch looking ill, lips pursed and face white.

"I have just received word that the former shinobi of Hot Water, Hidan, and his Akatsuki partner have destroyed the tourist village, Kasai. They slaughtered every man, woman, and child in less than a day. All of our responding shinobi were killed. By only twoof the members of Akatsuki. These were not weak ninja that we sent."

Shikamaru, Genma, and Mayu stiffened. That was the village where Ito Kaede had stayed - where they interviewed the old man. Who was most likely dead now. The room went silent and then Tsunade stood and leaned over the table, placing her fingertips on the surface and piercing the room with a look.

"This," she said in a low voice, "is why we are here. It was Hot Water this time, but when will it be one of your villages? We must act now before they grow stronger. We need to put aside our differences and bring them down."

Surprisingly, it was Sato Nanako who spoke first, standing and tossing her hair back. "I put forward Jiraiya of the Sannin as the leader of ARF," she said haughtily. "He has experience leading in both peace and wartime and he's arguably the strongest of us. Plus, everybody knows he's your spymaster, which means he's good at disseminating information." Jiraiya leered at her and she narrowed her eyes at him dangerously.

There was a vote and it was decided that Jiraiya would lead the force, with Nanako and Baki acting as lieutenants. Tsunade then put forward the suggestion that they break their shinobi into four separate teams, with three active at all times and one rotating out every four months. Each five-person cell would scour the country, following tips and, hopefully, identifying Akatsuki members and their supporters - namely Ito Kaede's group.

The plan was that once a threat was identified, they would send messages to the other teams and Jiraiya, asking for assistance before engaging. Though the point of stacking heavy hitters on each team was that they'd hopefully be able to handle a few Akatsuki members if they didn't have time to call for backup. Nobody wanted to take any chances after the report of the destroyed village. Mayu was a little surprised at how quickly they all moved once there was motivation. Well, they  _were_ all shinobi, after all. Action was most of their job.

Akatsuki Response Team One, or ART One was led by Kakashi and included Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto (who had, unsurprisingly, won the debate with Tsunade and was now part of ARF) by Kakashi's own stubborn insistence. When anybody tried to argue that three Konoha chuunin on his team was a lopsided set-up, he'd just eye-smiled threateningly until they shut up.

It seemed he wanted to keep an eye on his students. Ishii Kento from Iwa was added as their fifth, both because he was a strong jounin and because he could fill in the gap of somebody trained in Intelligence. Plus, these were supposed to be internationalteams, which meant they needed somebody from another country placed there. Mayu allowed herself to feel smug about the fact that Yamato wouldn't be able to make cow eyes at Kakashi while he was separated from Ensui for long months at a time.

ART Two would be led by Baki and consisted of Farumo Baru, Yamato, and the twins from Hot Water. Team Three would be led by Ensui, which meant Shikamaru was also on team three since he was his apprentice. They'd been paired with the Sand Siblings. Gaara had been given jounin status by Sand village shortly after making chunin, which wasn't exactly surprising.

Mayu felt a little relieved; Gaara would be difficult to get through for anybody and would hopefully watch Shikamaru's back. Though having Gaara on their team could make them a target. She had to swallow down a tide of fear and force herself to smile encouragingly at Shikamaru, who was watching her closely for her reaction. Being supportive sucked.

Team Four was being led by Sato Nanako and consisted of her two partners along with Genma and Farumo Yato, whom Mayu had waved at cheerfully and given a thumbs up. Shikamaru sulked in response, which was kind of her goal. His pouting face was still too adorable to pass up, plus it distracted him from staring at her with his worried eyes.

"One last thing," Tsunade said as everybody was getting ready to leave. "Uchiha Fugaku and his apprentice Nomaka Mayu have been tasked with discovering the motive, location, and members of the Akatsuki and their allies. I assure you, you will not find anybody in the Elemental Nations more talented in investigation. Uchiha Fugaku leads our Military Police Force and Mayu is his apprentice and one of our brightest young minds. All information you send us will be passed onto them. I encourage any of you with knowledge or experience with the Akatsuki to speak with them directly."

Mayu forced herself to keep her face just as impassive as Fugaku's, though inside she was reeling at Tsunade's description of her. Of course, a lot of it had been posturing, but she also saw that Tsunade had meant it. More than that, she'd actually seemed fond of Mayu. Usually, she treated her like the annoyance who had ruined her life. Huh.

The next morning Jiraiya banged loudly on her and Fugaku's door and Mayu shuffled over and whipped it open.  _"What?"_ she snarled, then cringed when Fugaku sighed behind her.

"What can I do for you, Jiraiya-sama," she said sulkily and he reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Fugaku-san, I need to borrow your student - you don't need her today do you?" Mayu stared up at the man in horror, visions of being forced to perv on unsuspecting women in bathhouses dancing through her head. Yeah, Naruto had told her in his infrequent letters home exactlywhat the man got up to in his free time.

"That would be fine, Jiraiya-sama. May ask what you need her for?" Fugaku said from where he was making his bed with neat, precise movements.

"Research. Kakashi's team was able to obtain a few of those 'living puppets' that Sasori was using in their fight. Tsunade and I want Mayu to look over it with the Sand puppeteer, Kangaroo or whatever his name is, see what they can find out about his technique."

Mayu gasped. "Really? Why didn't you say so? I'll be right out!" She slammed the door in Jiraiya's face, rushing over to her bag and pulling out her MPF uniform, struggling into it as Fugaku moved into the bathroom, a hopeless expression on his face.

Kankuro, it turned out, was just as excited to study the puppets as she was and didn't say anything creepy the whole time they were working. He listened closely while she described their fight with Sasori and the strings that had extended directly from the odd block of flesh in his chest. They were soon involved in a deep discussion about puppetry while they sliced open and examined the puppets, which had indeed been created from human bodies.

By the end of the day, Mayu had forgiven him for his creepiness the first two times they met and he'd forgiven her for insulting his catsuit. The next morning they stood in front of the gathered ARF members and diplomats and gave their report.

"We believe Sasori was able to control so many puppets at once due to his chakra threads extending directly from his chakra core, which is stored in a column of living flesh located here," Mayu said, pointing to the large sketch of Sasori they'd hastily done the night before. "Because the puppets are made from still-living bodies," there were a few reactions from people at this information, but for the most part they were all hardened shinobi and kept their cool, "he was able to connect his chakra directly into their spinal column, controlling them from there. This also allowed him to activate their elemental affinities."

Once they finished their report, Tsunade stepped up and described the poison Sasori had used, then handed out instructions on creating the antidote. Then, Baki took over to give the information that Sand had on Sasori.

Kakashi gave a clipped report on Deidara's strengths, personality, and weaknesses, and Ishii handed out the Iwa Intel file containing his information from before he defected. This was followed by a surprisingly disturbing report on Hidan by Hot Water's representative. He was very old, possibly immortal, and definitely insane. Awesome.

Shikamaru and Sasuke handled the report on Kisame and Suigetsu, with Naruto interrupting to give colorful commentary until Tsunade bopped him on the head to shut him up.

"Wait a moment," Nanako said, disbelief obvious. "Are you saying that four of your chunin -"

"Three of them were genin at the time," Tsunade interrupted.

Nanako stared at her. "So. One of your chunin and three of your genin went up against The Monster of the Mist and  _lived?"_

"And his partner," Kakashi said, eye smiling.

Nanako turned her attention to Mayu and narrowed her eyes. "Well, why isn't she on the force, then?"

"She already explained that to you yesterday," Mayu said with a sniff, annoyed that the woman was talking about her as if she weren't there.

"Mayu," Fugaku said, voice heavy with disapproval, and she cringed.  _Whoops._

"Sato-sama," she tacked on.

The woman stared at her before her face morphed into a slow smile. "Oh, I like you," she purred. Mayu preened a little, then cringed when she saw a vein throbbing in Tsunade's temple. Right, she was supposed to be seen and not heard.

"My apprentice is, without a doubt, strong enough to keep up with any of your teams," Fugaku said and Mayu's eyes widened at the praise. "However, she will do more good analyzing the information the teams collect and using it to discover what, exactly, the Akatsuki's goals are and how to defeat them. As Tsunade-sama said, she is one of the strongest analytical minds in our village."

He pointedly didn't look at Mayu, who was staring up at him in adoration. The subject was dropped and they moved on after that.

That night she snuck out of her and Fugaku's shared room and padded down to Ensui and Shikamaru's. She knew that Ensui was bunking with Kakashi, who had mysteriously decided to spend his personal money on his own room. Shikamaru wasn't even surprised to see her there - actually, he looked a little relieved.

"There's no way Fugaku-sama doesn't know you snuck out," he grumbled but tugged her against him. She laid her head on his shoulder and shrugged.

"It'll be worth the extra filing."

They crawled into bed and she cuddled up to him. "You're coming back," she said as confidently as she could and his arm tightened as he rolled over onto his side to face her.

"Of course. Always."

Mayu buried her face in his shoulder, her next words coming out muffled. "And you won't decide you're better off living the single life."

"Troublesome," he grumbled above her, then gently pushed her back until he could see her face. His fingers came up and traced her cheek even as his eyes went serious.

"Did you know," he said slowly, "that Ensui was living with his old genin teammate, Eiji, before he died?"

Mayu blinked at the apparent non-sequitur but played along. "I figured out he loved him, yes," she said slowly.

"And did you know that he never dated anybody seriously after he met him at the age of twelve, or after he died, until he started dating Kakashi-sensei almost twelve years later?" Mayu's brow furrowed. 

"I assumed," she said shortly. "What does this -"

"Dad met mom when he was sixteen," Shikamaru continued. "He'd dated casually a few times before that, but once he met her that was it, he never even looked at another woman."

"What's your  _point?"_ Mayu finally huffed and he grinned at her.

"My point is that if there's one thing you never need to worry about with a Nara man, it's us straying. Dad said it's because we're smart enough to know a good thing when we see it. Mom says we're just too lazy to fall in love more times than we absolutely have to."

Mayu blinked at him, chest warming, and leaned forward to kiss him. "Fine, I'll stop being insecure," she muttered and he chuckled. After a few moments, she spoke again. "You don't have to worry, either."

"I know," he said a little smugly and she rolled her eyes fondly.

"I changed my mind," she said loftily. "Maybe Sai will be interested in -  _oof."_ She was cut off as he rolled over and dug his fingers into her side.

When he finally let up and she'd finished laughing, he tugged her back into his side. She fell asleep a few minutes later, hoping that he couldn't see just how devastated she actually felt about his new assignment. It wasn't useful to anybody, after all, and like Kakashi said, she was self-sufficient. She'd be fine.

000

Fugaku sat on his bed waiting for the chakra signature he knew was his wayward student's to return. He couldn't help but wonder if this was what he had to look forward to when Chiasa was a teenager. He had heard Mayu leave last night and had assumed she'd gone to the Inn's kitchen or to get some air or whatever it is she did when she wasn't in his sight.

An hour later, he was prowling the building until he picked up her signature in a room two floors down. A room that also held the signature of the Nara heir. He'd barely restrained himself from kicking down the door and dragging her out of there, knowing that a dramatic midnight show was  _not_ the way to show the foreign ninja sleeping in the surrounding rooms the true strength of his student or his village.

So, he'd gone back to his room and sat, silently fuming, waiting for Mayu to appear. When the door opened and she shuffled in, he drew himself up, taking in her messy hair and wrinkled clothes with horror.

"Where," he said in low, dangerous voice and her head to whipped up from where it'd been hanging and her eyes widened, "have you  _been."_

All of his plans for retribution after his sleepless night were ruined when she burst into tears.

000

Ensui slouched over his breakfast, leaning slightly against Kakashi and cursing mornings. Why did they exist? Better question: why did he have to be awake during them?

Across from them, his nephew was also hunched over, face set in a grumpy mask that Ensui knew had more to do with a certain blue-haired girl leaving that day to return to Konoha than the hour. Not that Ensui could blame him - he and Kakashi would be seeing each other even less than Mayu and Shikamaru, as they were on different teams. The only time they'd get to connect was when all of ARF met up at headquarters to check in every six months.

The bright side of all of this was that he wasn't being shuffled into the role of chunin commander. The more he thought about it, the more it filled him with dread. The paperwork  _alone..._

His thoughts were interrupted when Kakashi stiffened next to him and a moment later Ensui felt it. Killing intent. Shit, if a fight broke out here...he glanced around. The Sand siblings and Smash Team were both in the inn's dining area, along with Genma and the annoying twins from Hot Water. The ninja around them fell silent, tension filling the room, and Ensui took a deep breath before turning towards the source. He paused and blinked slowly.

Uchiha Fugaku was standing in the doorway, eyes sweeping the area, and his chakra was almost crackling around him. That was...not what he expected. Fugaku was a terrifying shinobi, anybody who had ever faced him or fought with him in the war knew that. The knowledge was sometimes lost, however, behind his veneer of Uchiha pride and dignity. He did not flaunt his power, he kept it pulled in tight until it was time to unleash it. Ensui had seen him well and truly angry only a handful of times and it was always alarming.

The first time he'd seen Fugaku lose his temper he'd burned a squadron of Cloud shinobi alive. The last time was after some punk kid thought it'd be hilarious to try and grope Mikoto, back when the two Uchiha were still just engaged. He'd been in the hospital for a week and off the rosters for two more.

Ensui wondered what poor sap was about to die. Then, Fugaku's eyes landed on their table and his face darkened. Ensui followed the line of Fugaku's death glare when the man began marching across the room towards them.

"Shikamaru, what did you  _do,"_ he hissed, taking in his nephew's frozen expression and suddenly colorless face.

"I - nothing!" he said, then slumped down in his seat and mumbled, "Mayu did spend the night in my room last night..."

Across the aisle, Genma let out a low whistle and said, "Kid's gonna die."

That's right, the idiot who had slapped Mikoto's ass in front of Fugaku had been Genma, who was now shooting Shikamaru a sympathetic look.

"We just  _slept,_ okay? I wouldn't - she's!" Shikamaru cut himself off, eyes darting around while he searched for an exit.

Ensui pinched Kakashi, who was glowering at Shikamaru. "Just a fair warning, I'm pretty sure killing my nephew is grounds for a termination of our relationship. Plus, Mayu's her own person, stop acting like he's just stolen a jewel from your vault." Kakashi paused at that, actually looking thoughtful. God, the man was seriously socially awkward. He didn't even have the excuse of being an overly traditional Uchiha like Fugaku did.

"Oooh, the Nara and Copy-nin are dating? That's pretty hot," Sato Nanako said from where she was sitting across the table from Genma. Ensui ignored her.

"You've done it now, Shikamaru," Ensui said with a sigh. "He's going to insist you two get married at shuriken point."

A familiar dazed look came over his nephew's face - the one Shikaku still made sometimes when Yoshino walked by. "Dad says we can't get engaged until we're both eighteen," he said a little mournfully and Kakashi made a high pitched noise of distress in the back of his throat. Okay, so he was still working through his Feelings.

Their conversation was brought to a halt when Fugaku swept up to their table, icy fury radiating from him. Ensui forced himself to relax and took a leisurely sip of his tea. "Hey, Fugaku-sama. You here for breakfast?"

"Ensui-san," Fugaku said and suddenly there was a room key in his face. "Your...assistance is needed in room 214." If Ensui didn't know Fugaku fairly well he'd have missed the urgency in his tone.

"That's yours and Mayu's room, right?" Ensui said and took the key from Fugaku's hand.

"That is correct." Ensui studied Fugaku's face, still coldly furious and...yep, that was concern and possibly some panic.

"Alright. I'm going." Ensui wiped his hands on a napkin and stood a little more quickly than a Nara usually would before lunch.

"...I'll come with you," Kakashi said with an eye smile, but his posture was tense while he threw down money and slid out of the booth.

They both knew that Mayu was most likely the person who needed their 'assistance.' Shikamaru moved to follow them and Fugaku pinned him in place with a look. "Not you," he said coldly. "You and I have some things to discuss."

Shikamaru leaned back in the booth, eyes wide and pleading as they met Ensui's. He shrugged helplessly at him. Hey, if you're going to sneak around with the female apprentice of Uchiha Fugaku, you gotta be ready to face the consequences. Still...

"Just don't kill him. I don't even want to know what a feud between our clans would look like," Ensui grumbled, then turned and strode to the door, trying not to feel too guilty for leaving Shikamaru to his fate.

He'd be fine. Probably. Traumatized at most.

000

Adjusting to life without her genin team, Ensui, and Shikamaru would have been a lot more difficult if Mayu wasn't so busy. The day after they'd returned, Fugaku had motioned for her to follow him into his office and closed the door.

"What I'm about to show you is a well-kept secret and I expect it to stay that way," he said a little severely. Mayu perked up and nodded eagerly.

"Don't worry, Fugaku-shishou, I won't tell," she said and he hummed before turning to the wall on the far side of his office.

"There are times where a sensitive case is given to me and I am asked to investigate quietly. It is best to have space where I can work on these without worrying about the information falling into the wrong hands."

Mayu watched while he lifted a hand and placed it on the wall. He must have fed chakra into it because a seal lit up beneath his palm. He then moved his hand to the right and up and repeated the process. He did that four more times, hands placed in what looked like blank wall space, and then there was a click and a section of the wall, about four feet wide and seven feet tall, depressed, then moved to the side.

"Shishou," Mayu whispered as she moved to follow him through the new doorway, "you have a  _secret investigation room."_

Just when she thought he couldn't get any cooler. Her eyes wandered the space, which was fairly small - about half the size of his office. Piled against the wall to the right of the door was a stack of file boxes that stretched from one corner to the other and was as tall as Mayu. The wall directly in front of her was completely covered by corkboard and was currently empty outside of a few pins scattered throughout.

In the middle of the room was a long folding table that took up most of the floor space and the wall on the left was covered by a bookcase. Mayu wandered over to it and saw that it contained all of the clan law books along with Konoha's charters. It also had blank paper, notebooks, pens, and more pins.

"The boxes against the wall are full of information that Tsunade-sama and Itachi thought would be useful for the investigation," he said, watching her closely. Mayu brightened and she moved over to run her fingers across the labels on the front.

"Personnel files, records from Interrogation, some Intelligence reports..." she trailed off as one of the labels caught her eye. "Root," she whispered. "They gave us access to Root files."

"All of them, if they're to be believed," Fugaku said carefully. Mayu glanced over at his face, which looked like it was set in stone. "Though not everything could fit - we'll have to switch out for new material as needed."

Mayu whistled lowly. "This is going to be so... _interesting,"_ she breathed. For what felt like the first time since she left Grass - and her team, Shikamaru, and Ensui - behind, she was excited. This is why she had joined the MPF, why she had decided she was needed more in Konoha than out hunting Akatsuki. "Fugaku-shishou, we're really going to do it! We're going to finally wipe out Root."

"That is the goal, yes. Mayu," he said and she turned to face him, recognizing that he wanted her to pay attention. "Do you remember the rule I put forward at the very beginning of your apprenticeship? That when your duty allows, you are to get six hours of sleep every night?" He met her gaze steadily. "I'm afraid that the foreseeable future won't be allowing for that as often as I'd like."

The first few months of their investigation involved slogging through hundreds and hundreds of files, making notes and flagging things of interest, such as former Root members, friends of confirmed traitors and Orochimaru's old experiments _(_ and didn't that explain Yamato's Mokuton, Mayu had kind of assumed he was Tsunade's secret love child or something. Or that Hashirama had some illegitimate offspring at one point and Yamato was their spawn).

"Orochimaru is a total creep and I hate him," Mayu said to Shikaku, who had joined them in their little room that evening and was sitting in one of the two chairs while Mayu sat cross-legged at his feet. "But he is also a genius. The things he did...no wonder crazy Danzo had such a hard-on for him."

Fugaku was out of the room otherwise she probably would have been Sharingan'd out of existence for saying something so undignified. Shikaku just sent her an amused look, probably thinking disparaging things about her upbringing.

Mayu and Shikaku were currently working on a sort of scoring system for identifying persons of interest. Ex-root members who had been reintegrated into the force received five points automatically. Family members or close friends of identified traitors were given two points. Anybody with enough clearance to have access to mission information was given a point. Orphans who were under the care of Nono Yakushi were given a point. There were dozens of other data points they identified from looking over old files, from people involved in missions that were now suspect to being on so-and-so's team between certain dates to investments that could be connected to Root's monetary web.

Every low-level Uchiha was given a point simply because they'd been on the verge of rebellion due to Danzo's meddling. The higher level Uchiha were given more depending on their exact role in the village.

Fugaku had studied her closely when they were looking through those files, obviously waiting for her to throw up her hands in disgust or demand to know why Tsunade would ever trust Fugaku with this project. Mayu just continued working without comment, knowing he'd take her silence as acceptance.

Even the Nara clan had been on the verge of...something after the same people who'd allowed Danzo to paint the Uchiha into a corner had tried to kidnap her and hurt Shikamaru. The village had let the Uchiha down, had forced them into a position where they felt they had to react. Rebellions generally happened for a reason, after all, and letting a snake like Danzo run about destroying lives was a good way to incite one.

Actually, a lot of people Mayu knew had at least one point against them. A file wasn't flagged until it met a threshold of five points, so all ex-root members were under investigation. Which meant she had to add Kakashi's and Yamato's files to the follow-up pile, along with Sai's and Shisui's. Good thing she didn't mind snooping about through people's pasts, or she might feel guilty for invading the privacy of her team and friends, even if it was under orders.

Shikaku had four points, as did Fugaku. Mayu had two - one for her time being raised by Yakushi Nono and one for her habit of stealing classified files. The cork board was already covered with a web of suspected Root missions and traitors, timelines, and a map of the elemental nations that was covered in tacks and connecting lines. Mayu stood and wobbled over to add in  _Orochimaru illegal experiments discovered_ to their timeline.

A few hours later, Fugaku had returned bearing packed bentos courtesy of Mikoto and Mayu was blinking down at a mess of papers in front of her.

"Papa," she said slowly. "How many of the creepy implanted eyes did you say Danzo had on him?"

Shikaku raised an eyebrow at her. "Ten," he said, grimacing at the mention of the fight with Danzo.

After Mayu had read the actual report of the battle, she'd been furious. Shikaku had almost died due to Danzo miraculously coming back to life with his  _implanted magic eyes._ Only Genma's quick reaction had saved him. Mayu could slightly understand why he hadn't told her the whole story back then, but, well. She'd still sulked over it for about three days, turning her nose up at him whenever they were in the same room.

Frowning, Mayu looked down at the papers in front of her and shuffled through them, scribbling something in her notebook. She'd drawn the attention of both Fugaku and Shikaku as she mumbled to herself under her breath. Finally, she sat back and looked up at Fugaku. She opened her mouth and then closed it before opening it again, though she didn't say anything.

"What is it?" He finally said and she bit her lip, eyes skittering over to Shikaku.

She did not want to say what she'd just discovered out loud. Fugaku had been so furious after reading the report on Danzo's implanted Sharingan that he'd made the walls tremble with the force of his pulsing chakra.

"Let me see," Shikaku said gently and she handed her notes over. He looked at them lazily and then straightened, eyes a little wide.

"This is..." he said and Fugaku snatched the papers from his hand. After a moment his face lost all color.

"This..." he said and, yep, there was his chakra again. His Sharingan was glowing red in the dim lighting and she  _eeped_ when Shikaku grabbed her arm and tugged her halfway behind his chair.

"Explain to me how you came to this conclusion," Fugaku demanded and then sighed when he looked over at Mayu's white face half peeking out from behind Shikaku.

He closed his eyes and took three deep breaths, pulling his chakra back to him and relieving the pressure in the air. "I apologize," he said a little stiffly, then opened his once again black eyes. "Please explain, Mayu."

"It - it's okay, shishou. I understand." Then, she was dropping into her 'let me explain to you plebeians how I came to this brilliant deduction' voice, as Kiba liked to call it.

"Orochimaru's notes declared that in the course of his experimentation on the Sharingan, he had six failures and ten successful implants. However," here her eyebrows furrowed, "from what I can tell Danzo acquired twelve, not eight, advanced Sharingan wielders in the past forty years."

"I only have the eight," Shikaku said and Mayu shook her head.

"But there were four other clan members put under Danzo's leadership throughout that time - bodies which were never found. The reason they were missed in the original investigation is that they were listed as wartime casualties, but all of the circumstances were...questionable at best when you look at them closely. We know he was forcing them to...to kill people they loved, so it's possible that two of them were the sacrifices. But that means there were probably at least two more sets of Sharingan eyes."

Shikaku stared at her for a moment. "Mayu, when in the world did you have time to go through the list of wartime casualties?" he finally said and she shrugged.

"I didn't go through  _all_ of them, just the Uchiha."

Fugaku stood and put his back to them, staring at the corkboard wall and its various residents.

"So what you're saying," he said in a low, controlled voice, "is that we have somebody running around with implanted Sharingan."

"Not...necessarily," Mayu said. "Chances are they disappeared  _after_ Danzo's death. Unless this person has a direct line to Orochimaru..." she stopped suddenly and stood, rushing to their pile of boxes and beginning to rifle through them.

"The invasion," she said, then more urgently, "The  _invasion!"_

"What? Mayu, what is it?" Shikaku said, standing and striding over to where the boxes were. She crowed in triumph when she found the file she was looking for. "They never figured out who helped Orochimaru and the Sound ninja infiltrate the village. They knew there had to be someone on the inside, but Danzo was dead by then, so he wouldn't have been Orochimaru's contact anymore."

Mayu looked up and met Fugaku's eyes. "That's..." her eyes wandered to the wall, darting over it, certain aspects seeming to light up in front of her eyes.

"Mayu -" Shikaku started to say and she held up a hand to stop him, keeping her eyes on the board.

She mumbled to herself for a few moments, then plopped on her butt where she'd been kneeling and closed her eyes. She was vaguely aware of Shikaku telling Fugaku to let her be as she dropped into her mind cave.

Images from the files she'd been going through every evening for the past months flew past her. Her hands darted out to touch anything that looked relevant and tugged it out of the swirling mass around her. She pushed what she needed behind her and after a few minutes the maelstrom subsided, the files she'd discarded flowing back into their filing cabinets.

Mayu turned and started putting them into order, arranging and rearranging until she had a picture built in front of her.  _"Oh,"_ she breathed and opened her eyes.

Shikaku and Fugaku were now seated at the table talking in low voices and she stood, swaying a little - how long had she been there? - and walked over to the corkboard wall, drawing their attention.

"The tone changed," she said slowly and brought a finger to trace along the pre-Danzo-death portion of the timeline. "When Danzo was alive, Root activity was mostly about building his personal power base and destabilizing the Hokage. A personal vendetta and power play that he convinced himself was for the good of Konoha." She turned her attention to the post-Danzo suspected Root activity. "This...the motivation has changed."

Fugaku came and stood next to her, humming as he caught on. "There's no pretense of a long-term goal of making Konoha more powerful. All of this...is meant to weaken Konoha."

"Not just Konoha," Shikaku said. "Look here - this assassination of a diplomat from Kiri who came to request aid for some of the refugees from the bloodline purge five years ago. Konoha and Kiri both could have benefitted long term. Instead, his death cut short negotiations before they could begin - the refugees disappeared."

"Some of the skirmishes between Iwa and Konoha...they don't really make sense," Mayu said. "Inoichi-sama even said that a few of his prisoners almost seemed altered - like they weren't in control of their actions. We assumed it was brainwashing by the Tsuchikage, but what if it  _wasn't."_

Fugaku and Shikaku exchanged looks.

"Whoever took over the Root remnants...they're lashing out," Mayu finally said.

"And they're good at hiding," Shikaku said thoughtfully. "We didn't even realize they were still around after Tsunade cleaned house until recently."

"And they have stolen Sharingan," Fugaku finished shortly.

They were all silent for a few minutes. "Well, shit," Shikaku finally said, summing up the situation nicely.

000

Mayu took a smiling Chiasa from Mikoto after slinging her huge bag of supplies over a shoulder.

"Thank you so much for watching her this afternoon," Mikoto said and Mayu shrugged.

"It's no problem, Mikoto-sama. Fugaku-shishou is pretty busy, so I would have just been filing all afternoon." Mayu wrinkled her nose and Mikoto smiled at her, well aware of how much she hated filing.

Fugaku and Shikaku had decided the next steps in the investigation were to start shaking up some of their top suspects. They'd started having officers tail some of them and begun bringing them in for interviews (interrogations). They'd also declared it too dangerous to involve Mayu in since they fully expected a slightly violent reaction from somebody at some point. In fact, they were hoping for it. If somebody thought they were catching on to his or her game, they might panic. Panicked people did stupid things, like try to assassinate anybody who seemed to be getting close to the truth.

Shikaku had forbidden her from showing her face in any of the interrogations or surveillance and Fugaku had backed him up, annoyingly. They both thought she'd make a tempting target. She wasn't allowed in their super-secret investigation room until after hours to avoid arousing suspicions and Fugaku was currently busy scaring potential traitors.

Dai had taken off to investigate the appearance of some new drug that was killing off the people idiotic enough to use it, so she couldn't even harass him for case files. There was no new information flowing in on the Akatsuki from ARF as of yet and Mayu found herself truly at loose ends for the first time in three months.

So when Mikoto had told her she needed someone to watch Chiasa while she dealt with some clan drama, Mayu had volunteered. Chiasa was crawling now and actually interacting with her environment. Mayu had never been around an infant before and she was already looking forward to some light studying of Chiasa's development and reflexes.

She stepped out into the sunshine of the late fall weather and pulled up the hood on Chiasa's jacket - it had cat ears, so adorable. She stopped and cocked her head to the side when she saw a figure sitting on the steps, hunched over slightly.

"Hinata," she said and Hinata looked over and smiled at her, though it was painfully obvious she wasn't exactly feeling happy at the moment.

"Mayu-chan, hello," she said, face softening when Chiasa cooed at her.

Mayu studied her girl and frowned. "Don't want to go home, huh? Your dad still not taking the whole 'I joined the organization run by our biggest rivals' thing well?" Hinata, used to Mayu announcing her feelings to the world after three months of filing and running errands and reading through law books together, just shrugged.

"Well..." Mayu said after some thought. "You could come home with me, instead. I have Chiasa-chan until after dinner. Just tell your dad that the ward of Nara Shikaku asked for your assistance with a very important matter. I'll even send Anzu with a message."

Hinata brightened. "Really? You would do that?" she asked, looking down at her feet, and Mayu grinned and handed her Chiasa to hold while she summoned Anzu and Momo.

"Hey, guys. Wanna hang out with me and Hinata and Chiasa?" Momo brightened when she saw the infant and moved over to nuzzle her. Chiasa squealed in delight and slapped a hand against her whiskered cheek. Momo startled and jumped back, tail between her legs, before creeping forward again. Anzu watched awkwardly from a few feet away.

"Anzu," Mayu said. "Will you go to the Hyuuga compound and tell whatever stuffy Hyuuga is at the gates that Hinata is assisting me with an important matter and will be home after dinner? No need to send a guard - we'll walk her back."

Anzu huffed out a laugh. "Yes, Mayu. Should I meet you at home?" Mayu scratched under his chin and he let out a rumbling purr.

"Yeah. It's going to be a lazy afternoon."

An hour later their little party was sitting in the backyard. Chiasa was attempting to make her way off the blanket Mayu had put down to get to Asuma-chibi, who had grown into a very handsome hen. Mayu had decided to just ignore the fact that all three of the chicks had, in fact, grown into hens instead of roosters. Gender was subjective, anyway. Kakashi-chibi and Ensui-chibi were bobbing around the yard eating seeds and bugs and Chiasa thought that chickens were just the best thing she'd ever seen, if the squealing and desperate reaching for feathers were any indication.

Mayu was idly playing her violin, deciding that Chiasa needed some art to go along with all the fireballs and shuriken in her future, while she chatted with Hinata.

"So, what's Shisui-san like?"

Hinata smiled. "He's very kind. He's also a good teacher."

Mayu hummed. "I think he taught Itachi-sempai, too. What about the other Uchiha?"

Hinata hesitated and Mayu focused on her. "I've seen that some of them don't exactly look happy when you walk by. Don't worry about it - I've got a few people who aren't excited about me being a non-Uchiha, too. They'll get used to it - they'll have to if both Itachi-sempai and Fugaku-shishou have decided to start integrating non-clan members into the force."

Mayu was pretty sure Itachi's long-term plan was to integrate the Uchiha more into the village as a whole and have the MPF become a jointly run venture as well. Tsunade had already started the process during her tenure, but as a Senju, she'd been forced to tread lightly. Ugh, politics.

Hinata's smile was wobbly. "It's difficult for me not to be bothered by it."

Mayu played a happy little jig on her violin and Chiasa clapped from where she was precariously wobbling while she was sitting up, having given up on catching Asuma-chibi. The hen just kept standing and moving a few feet away every time she got too close.

"Well, you're going to be an asset to the force. You can do something none of the others can. Any of the Uchiha officers are interchangeable except for the higher-ups, but there's only one Hyuuga in the bunch. Plus, you're pretty smart and talented, too - I heard Fugaku-shishou talking to Dai-sempai about it."

Hyuuga blushed. "R-really?" she squeaked and Mayu hummed.

"Yeah, Dai wants you to join his team eventually, says you'll be useful in tracking down suspects. You're also not a fuss bucket like just about every Uchiha on earth." Anzu snorted. He was stretched out next to Hinata, unconcerned that Beaker had decided his tail looked like an amazing cat toy and was now wrapped around it, gnawing on the end furiously.

"People just don't like change," Mayu continued and wrinkled her nose when the smell of baby poop wafted over them. She set down her violin and scooped Chiasa up, who started fussing when she was forced to lay down on the blanket.

"Give them a few years and you'll just be part of the force, nobody will think twice about it."

Hinata stared down at the blanket thoughtfully while Mayu wiped Chiasa down, dutifully rubbing on some paste Mikoto had included in the bag of supplies to prevent rash. Chiasa was adorable, but Mayu wasn't sure having to do this multiple times a day was worth the joys of parenting. Good thing she didn't have to worry about it for a really, really long time.

Hinata smiled at Mayu. "You're right," she said. "And it - it doesn't matter because." She took a deep breath. "Because this is what's right. I know it."

Mayu reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "That's the spirit. And when you're a lieutenant at the MPF, your dad'll have to eat his words."  _And won't that just delight shishou,_ she thought with a smirk.

000

Hinata became a bit of a fixture in Mayu's life after that. Former Team Eight welcomed her into the team practices they still did when they had the time with ease and Momo and Anzu became fast friends with Akamaru, which was actually pretty hilarious to watch. Weren't cats and dogs supposed to hate each other?

Akamaru had grown in the past year, standing almost as tall as Mayu's hip. He was still a goofy puppy, though - well until he wasn't, that is. Combat against he and Kiba was always intense and Kiba seemed to hold a bit of a grudge against puppets after his defeat against Kankuro in the exams.

"I'm just saying, puppets are  _creepy!"_ Kiba grumbled for the fourth time since Mayu had laid him and Akamaru out with her Rolling Thunder Technique that day.

Anzu and Momo had distracted him with a joint attack while Mayu dropped down from above him in a tree and by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. Hinata giggled into her noodles and Mayu rolled her eyes.

"Well, yeah, that's kind of the aim. Psychological warfare," she said cheerfully after swallowing a bite.

It was the first evening in over a week that she wasn't working Fugaku in their secret investigation room, but he had a late meeting with the ANBU commander in his office, so he'd sent her home. Hinata had been adorably firm in her insistence that Mayu come to team practice and then out to dinner with them.

Kiba started to reply, but then stopped suddenly, nose twitching in a familiar gesture. Mayu blinked at him and then fed chakra into her own nose and sampled the air. Broth, noodles...Akamaru ate something he shouldn't have, gross...

Her eyes widened when a familiar scent reached her nose and she stood so quickly her stool tipped over.

"Mayu-chan, what -" Hinata started, baffled, glancing at a grinning Kiba, but Mayu was already rushing out the door.

"Don't bother, Hinata, I doubt you'll be seeing her for the rest of the night," she heard him say as she dashed out of the stand and searched the crowd.

There - slouching down the street away from the Tower and in the direction of the Nara compound were two familiar ponytails. Why had nobody told her they were due back? She would have...have showered or made dinner or...

She ignored her brain's frantic thinking in favor of cupping her hands to her mouth. "Shika!"

Both of the figures paused and turned, along with a few of the other shinobi out on the street. Shikamaru straightened and was scanning the crowd and when his eyes fell on her he stilled. They both stood for a moment taking each other in and then Mayu made a hand sign and shunshined towards him, overshooting a bit in her excitement and colliding with him, sending them both tumbling to the ground in a mess of limbs.

Unconcerned with the spectacle they made, she sat up and smiled down at his face, which was now set in a grimace of pain.

"You're home!" she said, then leaned down and kissed him. His hands drifted to her waist and he pressed his lips against hers more firmly.

Then she was being hefted into the air by the back of her flak jacket. "Shikamaru, did you learn nothing about discretion the last time Fugaku-sama nailed your ass to the wall? Or did you not notice the two Uchiha officers glaring daggers at you from across the street? It's like you have zero survival instinct," Ensui grumbled and set Mayu on her feet. She beamed at him and threw her arms around his waist.

She'd heard about the dressing down Fugaku had given Shikamaru about respecting boundaries and the sanctity of marriage and how he knew a lot of ways to kill a person. Actually, everybody had heard about it. Poor Shikamaru. Uchiha were so traditional and weird. Not that Mayu would let that stop her from doing what she liked, but she also knew she couldn't stop Fugaku from being, well, himself.

"Ensui-nii! I missed you," she said and he chuckled and returned her hug.

"Missed you too, sweetheart." She stood there for a moment basking in his presence before pulling back and returning to a now-standing Shikamaru's side, pushing up against him until he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"What are you guys doing back? I thought your off month wasn't coming up for weeks." 

All four of the ART teams had stayed on for the first four-month rotation as they dealt with set-up and team training before they started taking their 'off' rotations. ART Three wasn't slated for their break for another month - six months total after ARF had gone active.

"We had a run-in with some of Ito Kaede's people," Ensui said gruffly while Mayu nuzzled against Shikamaru's shoulder - he seemed to have grown at least an inch in the past months - and he tightened his hold on her. "We took a prisoner and just dropped her off. Hokage-sama asked us to stick around for a few days."

Hokage-sama was now Itachi, as of a week ago. There had been a big ceremony and Mayu perked up in realization.

"Hey, that means you'll be here for the Itachi Festival. Shika, we can go together!" They'd never gone to a festival as a couple before.

"Yeah," he said, then pulled back from her reluctantly when Ensui started pushing them towards the Nara compound.

"I'm pretty sure it's called the Coronation Festival, not the Itachi Festival. Come on, let's get out of the street, I wanna catch your mom and tell her we invited the rest of our team over for dinner tomorrow."

"Where are the rest of your team, anyway?" she finally said, realizing they must have come with them if it was official ARF business.

"They're already at their guest quarters. Kankuro was injured and is recovering now," Shikamaru said in a strange tone and she side eyed him suspiciously.

"Are you still not getting along with him? Because you two are a team, now - "

Ensui chuckled. "It might have something to do with his enthusiasm over Shikamaru's girlfriend being a 'genius puppeteer.'"

Shikamaru slumped and Mayu blinked rapidly. "Well," she said, a little flustered. "It's not like you have anything to worry about." She plastered herself against his side and he stumbled before wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I know," he grumbled and sent her his cute little half smile. She stared up at him a little dazedly - had he somehow gotten more handsome? - and ignored Ensui's sigh.

"Right. Well, I'm going to go on ahead. You two...take some time to..." he didn't bother finishing before leaping up into the trees and Mayu realized they had reached the Nara compound.

She glanced up at him shyly. "Do you want to..."

"Should we..."

She huffed out a laugh when they talked over each other, then grabbed his hand and tugged him in the direction of the Nara clan forest. It was chilly, but not horribly so, especially for how late in the season it was.

He followed her easy pace through the trees until they stopped at a familiar one. She turned and leaned against the trunk and his face softened when she held out a hand and beckoned him closer. He took it and let her pull him in. Then she let go so she could wrap her arms around his neck, humming in encouragement when his own went around her waist. His lips moved over hers, familiar but somehow more exciting than before. Probably because of what she planned to try next.

A week ago she'd burst into Kiba's room, holding a new scent inhibiting prototype in the air and declaring she needed to experiment on him. The house had been empty of all of his family at that time of day except for him. She had followed his recent scent signature to his bedroom, disregarding the second, unfamiliar smell of somebody that didn't generally spend time at their house. In retrospect, a mistake.

She'd walked in on him with his tongue down some girl's throat and his hand up her shirt. The girl had screeched and scrambled away from Kiba and Mayu had noted that she was an attractive medic with dark hair and eyes before she'd rushed out of the room, leaving a ruffled and annoyed Kiba sitting on his bed with a pillow on his lap.

 _"_ Knocking _,_ you should try it sometime," he'd grumbled, but she wasn't really listening and he had sighed when he noticed her studying him with familiar intensity.

"It's called making out,Mayu, I know you understand the mechanics." When she'd just blinked at him, he had paused and stared at her, then burst into laughter.

"Oh man, you  _don't._ All this time I thought Shikamaru was ahead of the rest of us, but it turns out he's suffering just as much as any other guy our age."

Mayu had scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I understand the mechanics just fine, thank you. And he's not suffering,he's perfectly happy with what we...do..." she trailed off at his skeptical look and bit her lip, suddenly uncertain. "I mean...you really think he's unhappy?"

"Aw, Mayu-chan, don't look like that. I was just kidding. I know for a fact he ain't - he's all content and annoying when you're around. You could probably make him wait another six years before letting him get a hand up your shirt and he'd still be stupidly happy."

"I'm not going to make him wait! He's just been...gone for months! We were working up to it!"

Kiba had shot her a look and she'd deflated. "I mean. Probably? I just don't really know..." she had drifted off and sent Kiba a pleading look and he had held his hands up and shook his head frantically, by now aware of how her mind worked.

"No way. No. I am not giving you kissing lessons. Mom always says not to mess with a Nara, because they'll kill you before you even realize they're there, and Shikamaru is learning from the Death Shroud, I am  _not -"_

"Ugh, Kiba, I don't want you to kiss me! Gross! Maybe just some...pointers?" It had taken some judicious wide-eyed pleading, but eventually, he'd given in and she'd ended up making out with an orange while Kiba gave her serious feedback about what was 'too much' tongue and what wasn't enough.

"If you suck at it and all else fails, just let him grope at your breasts," Kiba had finally said with a shrug, then yelped when she'd tackled him in rage.

Tsume came home to orange spattered across her walls and dripping off of Kiba and Mayu, who were both lying on the ground, panting. She had just given them a raised eyebrow and a, "I don't wanna know. I'll be in my office if ya need me."

Now, Mayu gathered up her bravery and tried to remember what Kiba had said. Right, no drooling, start slow...don't be too aggressive...he'd really driven that point home, apparently thinking she was absolutely incapable of subtlety.

Slowly, Mayu parted her lips just a little and let her tongue flick out against Shikamaru's bottom lip. His breath stuttered and his arms tightened around her waist. Taking it as an encouraging sign, she did it again. This time, he reciprocated, opening his own mouth and pushing his tongue against hers. She leaned into him more when his tongue slipped past her lips.

Curious, she pushed the tip of her tongue against his own and his whole body shuddered. The truth was, it was pretty awkward as they worked to find a rhythm, but it was also, well, kind of amazing. Especially once they both figured out what the other liked and didn't like fairly quickly. Perks of being a genius couple, probably.

Mayu had cringed away slightly when Shikamaru had gotten a little overly enthusiastic with the depth of his kiss and he'd pulled back, not doing the same thing again. He'd stiffened - not in a good way - when she ran her tongue along the top of his palate.  _Ticklish,_ she had thought to herself and made a mental note to avoid the area.

His scent had thickened and grown deeper and her whole body was starting to feel flushed by the time he pulled back. She stared up at him, taking in his red cheeks and dilated pupils with more than a little pride. His lips were swollen and slightly wet and she leaned forward to give him one last chaste kiss. She then pulled back and put her weight against the tree and he took a shaky breath and ran a hand over the top of his head.

"How did you..." he finally said and she cocked her head to the side, suddenly seeing all sorts of ways she could use her newfound skill to keep him off balance.

"Oh. Kiba taught me," she said happily, a path towards her revenge for the groping comment becoming clear. "But, for some reason, he rubbed a mushed up orange all over me...I think he likes the smell?" She widened her eyes up at him as his own narrowed at her.

"You're screwing with me," he grumbled, but from the calculating look in his eyes, she knew Kiba was probably going to have something unpleasant happen to him in the next few days.

She grabbed his flak jacket and tugged him closer. "Well, you'll never know, will you?" she said and then kissed him, succeeding in distracting him from digging any deeper.

000

They had spent the next few days hiding away in corners practicing their new favorite activity whenever they had a chance. It was still pretty mild compared to the groping session she'd caught Kiba doing with the medic - from what she'd seen there'd been some serious frotting and heavy breathing going on there - but Mayu still almost found it too overwhelming.

It seemed like every little movement of his hands or slide of his tongue was felt in minute detail. Her brain just amplified it all until it became  _too much._ The more they did it the less overwhelming it became, but for now, she wasn't ready to push their activities further. Luckily, Shikamaru always seemed to sense when she hit her limit and never pushed.

Mayu had also given him his latest birthday present since he'd been out of the village on his fourteenth birthday. Every year he still requested an animated wooden deer to add to his now fairly large herd that he kept on their own shelf in his room. The more recent ones she'd started weaponizing, to his amusement, and this year's would expel a poisoned powder into the air from its mouth if he hit the right activation points.

He'd opened it at the dinner they'd shared with his new team and Kankuro had spent half an hour peppering her with questions over the mechanics. Mayu still thought he was a weird guy, but it wasnice having somebody to talk to who loved gadgets and gears and puppetry just as much as she did. Also, she found Shikamaru's grumbling at the attention she paid Kankuro cute.

He wasn't  _really_ jealous, she could tell, he just had a weird possessive streak. She'd noticed Shikaku did the same thing at a more subtle level when they were training with Gai -  _Gai,_ for goodness sake, like Yoshino would suddenly decide to run off into the sunset with him. Ensui wasn't any better from what she could tell and she'd realized it was just a weird Nara man quirk that was fun to poke at and basically harmless.

Mayu's brand of jealousy was not quite so harmless, which was why she had decided to shut down any insecurities she  _may_ have felt, for just a moment, over the pretty, tough, smart, and diplomatic female member of Shikamaru's current team. Jealousy, she had decided after the Harumi Situation, was both useless and embarrassing. She was a chunin now, a member of the police force, and there just wasn't space in her life for something so immature. Or something.

Temari was actually pretty interesting. Her tough girl exterior wasn't a facade - she was extremely strong-willed and had the skill to back it up. She was also a good diplomat, probably borne from having to smooth ruffled feathers when Gaara was overly blunt or Kankuro overly weird. Well, and from years of trying to keep a homicidal maniac appeased before Naruto had talked him around.

They joined Shikamaru and Mayu at the festival the day after dinner and the last of Mayu's insecurities were laid to rest when his eyes didn't leave her figure for longer than a few minutes. She was wearing a dark red winter kimono Yoshino had helped her pick out and she'd spent time making her hair lay in loose, perfect waves that framed her face and fell to her collarbones. He kept an arm around her while they wandered the streets and she and Temari spent some time exchanging raised eyebrows when Kankuro succeeded in taunting Shikamaru into a contest of 'who can win the most booth games.'

"Um. Are they always like this?" Mayu finally asked while she watched Shikamaru fall into his thinking position before proceeding to knock down multiple pyramids of milk bottles with a ball.

"Pretty much," Temari said, arms crossed over her chest. Gaara was studying a large, bright pink bear with a rainbow on its stomach in the prizes section, brow slightly furrowed. With his generally expressionless face, he may as well have been yelling 'what the fuck is this?!'

"That's...huh," Mayu said. "I'm not sure he's ever had a rival before." She bit her lip to stop from smiling when Kankuro caught a goldfish before Shikamaru did and he slouched over with a grumpy expression. "It's kinda cute."

When Shikamaru shoved the pink rainbow bear into her arms a few minutes later, embarrassed scowl firmly in place, she couldn't resist pressing her lips against one of his slightly red cheeks. Sure, it was ugly as hell, but she was pretty sure a guy winning a prize for a girl he likes at a festival was some kind of macho right of passage or something, so she hugged it to her and made a show over how cute it was. Temari gave her a knowing look while Gaara regarded the bear with narrowed eyes. Shikamaru sent a smug look at Kankuro, who had given Temari the much smaller but cuter stuffed dog he'd gotten from the goldfish stand.

Later, when they were sitting on a blanket watching fireworks, Mayu relaxing with her back against Shikamaru's front, she decided the Sand Siblings weren't so bad. Shikamaru had tangled their hands together and rested them on her thigh and she felt like the whole evening was an unexpected gift.

The next day she was called for a meeting in the rooms that had been set aside in the Hokage tower for everything Akatsuki Response Force related. It wasn't as hush-hush as the internal investigations Fugaku, Mayu, and Shikaku were doing, so there was no need for secret investigation rooms, but the security clearance was still high enough that it was heavily warded with seals and guarded by ANBU at all times.

Ensui's team was already there and Mayu sidled up next to Shikamaru, who smiled at her. Fugaku glared at him when he saw how close they were standing and he gulped and shuffled over an inch. Also present were Inoichi, Shikaku, Itachi, and a blonde, mousy woman who was introduced as Kusakari Mizu, who worked in Intelligence and had been assigned to the Ito Kaede case.

"Alright," Fugaku said. "Inoichi-san has a report on what Torture and Interrogation were able to garner from our prisoner." Inoichi stepped forward and Mayu took Fugaku's distraction as an opportunity to lean against Shikamaru's arm.

Inoichi passed packets around to each of them. "These aren't to leave this room," he said gruffly.

Without waiting for a reply, he continued with his summary while they flipped open the files.

"The woman ART Three captured, Yoko, an orphan with no known surname, former chunin of Kumo, was part of a group tasked with gathering supplies for Ito Kaede's organization. When I mind walked her I discovered the following important facts: the group is named Kitaru Hikari. They are loosely affiliated with the Akatsuki, whom they consider to have similar goals to their own which can all be boiled down to the destruction of the shinobi system."

"They are also extremely adept at hiding. Yoko was not given the location of their headquarters. Instead, she would receive lists of needed supplies from drop points. Her team would pick up the supplies and then leave them where instructed to be retrieved by an unknown person later. All of the drop points she had a memory of are in the packet, along with members of Kitaru Hikari that she had interactions with in the past."

Mayu raised her eyebrows. Well, it wasn't the location of their base or a list of leaders, but it was certainly something. They spent the rest of the afternoon going through the packet, Mayu and Fugaku putting a large map on the wall and marking dropoff and pickup points going back for the past four years. Mizu had gone to see if they had any files in their archives from the list of agents of Kitaru Hikari that Inoichi had provided.

Shikamaru stuck close to Mayu, though he kept a good distance between himself and Fugaku. They'd worked through lunch, which Itachi had ordered and charged to the Hokage Office coffers before heading back to his paperwork. Mayu rubbed grit from her eyes while she looked at the map late that evening, tilting her head to the side.

"So, all of the supply drops happened in Grass, Wind, Hot Water, and Fire Country," she muttered.

They didn't seem to follow any particular pattern - obviously, they didn't want to leave a big sign that said 'we're right here in this bull's eye' for anybody who started looking into their organization. Though...

"Shishou...do you see," she pointed to a blank spot on the map.

"There's nothing in the Land of Rivers," Fugaku said, having already noticed the inconsistency.

"Why would they do drop points everywhere in this general geographical area  _except_ that one country? It's not like it's a more dangerous place to travel than Wind."

"Unless they decided they didn't want to make a mess where they live," Shikamaru said slowly.

Fugaku stepped between them to lay a finger on the northern corner of Rivers. "They wouldn't have a base here - it's too close to the shinobi village. They're good at keeping an eye on the area around them, even if they are small."

Shikaku had wandered over from where he was having a low conversation with Inoichi. "It'd be tough to have a viable base here," he said, tapping a finger in the middle of the country where three rivers converged. "It floods there at least three times a year."

"So..." Mayu picked up a red sharpie from the table and drew a circle in the southern side of the country. "We're looking for something here."

After some debate and a discussion involving everybody in the room, including Itachi, who had been called back, they crossed out a few places where a secret base would be difficult to hide, such as highly traveled areas through the waterlogged country, or places where there had recently been missions completed by Konoha ninja with no indication of enemy activity. What was left was an area of about fifty square miles.

"If ART One assists, Kakashi and I can use our summons to cover more area in the search without drawing too much attention with a large party. That should also provide enough firepower to deal with the base when we do find it," Ensui said.

It was decided that they would leave in the morning and Itachi sent one of his hawk summons with a message to Kakashi's team updating them on the situation and detailing the meetup point with Ensui's team.

The next morning Mayu snuck into Shikamaru's room an hour before his alarm was primed to go off. "You'll be careful?" she whispered, running a finger along the ridge of one of his eyebrows.

"Mmm-hmm," he said, pulling her against his sleep-warm and drowsy body.

Unimpressed with that lackluster response, she pushed him over and clambered on top of him, straddling his stomach and pressing her lips to his own. After a moment he responded, bringing one hand up to her hair and wrapping the other around her back. She sighed and opened her mouth and his hands tightened when he ran his tongue along hers. They really  _were_ getting better at the whole kissing thing.

Mayu's stomach clenched pleasantly and her chest warmed at his positive response and she pressed closer to him. His blankets formed a little cocoon around them and she moved one hand from his shoulder to cup his face, working her fingers into the hair at his temple. A few minutes later she pulled back, breath shallow and body tingling.

He made a sound that was probably supposed to be a protest but came out garbled and she giggled. Mayu slid to the side, fitting herself against him while he stared up at the blanket she'd pulled over their heads and took what looked like deep, calming breaths.

"I - was that okay?" she whispered. He turned and gave her a sardonic look, barely visible in the dim lighting. "It's just...Kiba said that you were probably miserable because we don't...and the girl  _he_ was with let her put his hand up her shirt -"

"Mayu," he cut her off. "I have no idea what that idiot said, or why you were watching him put a hand up some girl's shirt, but you make me the opposite of miserable. And yeah, I like when we...but I'd be fine without it, too. I just like being with you," he grumbled, obviously embarrassed by his speech.

Mayu snuggled closer to him. "He also said I should let you grope my chest to make up for being a bad kisser," she said mournfully. When Shikamaru stiffened and their little world under the blanket darkened, she allowed herself to feel smug. She still hadn't gotten the smell of orange out of her hitai-ate and Kiba needed to pay. She let Shikamaru brood for a while before deciding they could spend their last twenty minutes together doing more pleasant things.

"So," she said, tangling her legs in his. "You wanna kiss some more?" He huffed out a laugh but didn't waste any time rolling over and threading his hands in her hair.

"Yeah, Mayu," he said in a low voice that made her shiver, "I want to kiss some more." They didn't say anything else until his alarm went off.

000

She was maybe, possibly, in a bit of a bad mood for the rest of the week after Shikamaru left. That was her excuse for what happened a few days later.

Kiba wasn't talking to her. He'd come home from training the day Shikamaru's team left to find his room full of oranges that exploded in a shower of juice and sand when you touched them. Touching one had set off some sort of chain reaction that ended in him, Akamaru, and all his worldly possessions covered in orangey pulp and grains of sand. There was also a rumor going around that he had some sort of freaky fruit fetish and the fact that all of his things smelled of citrus wasn't helping his case.

Mayu was sitting on her desk waiting for Fugaku to finish his weekly meeting with his lieutenants two days later, sulky but cheering up due to the girl next to her. Hinata was sitting in Mayu's chair, giggling over her explanation of why, exactly, the Nara heir had targeted her teammate.

"He shouldn't have said that," Hinata said softly and reached out to pat her leg. "I'm sure Shikamaru-kun is happy with you even if you don't - don't -" She turned bright red and Mayu rolled her eyes.

"Don't let him put his hand down my pants?" she said and Hinata turned even redder.

"W-well, yes," she said and Mayu had to give her credit for not crumbling into a ball of embarrassment.

"You Hyuuga are so uptight," she teased.

"Along with being inferior," Tsuki sniped from where he was walking past them.

Mayu narrowed her eyes at him. He'd been getting increasingly bitter as Hinata continued to impress both Shisui and Dai, who weren't bothered by how shy she was or the fact that she was a Hyuuga. She learned quickly and tended to put witnesses at ease, along with being an incredible asset when tracking or scanning for threats.

"Interesting, coming from the guy who's lost every spar he fought against her," Mayu said lightly and glanced at the clock as a rough plan formed in her head to ditch the annoying Uchiha chunin once and for all. Fugaku would probably be out in less than a minute, she'd have to be fast. "I think you might be projecting."

Hinata's eyes were darting between them and she was chewing on her bottom lip. Tsuki spun on his heel and took a step towards Mayu that was probably supposed to be intimidating. He must have forgotten that she had  _Sasuke_ on her team for over a year.

"The Byakugan is naturally inferior to the Sharingan," he said, looking down his nose at her, and Mayu rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, it's the shinobi who makes the grade, not the doujutsu. For example," she said, straightening and crossing one leg over the other primly as she dropped into what she knew was an annoying lecture voice, "One could say, from empirical evidence, that Sasuke is a superior shinobi to Hinata since he beat her at the Chunin Exams. But, as Hinata keeps beating youon a regular basis, she would be considered superior in that case. Just like, if Hiashi-sama were to fight Sasuke, he'd probably win - making Sasuke the inferior fighter. But Itachi-sempa- uh, -sama, would probably beat Hiashi-sama in a fight...you can see where I'm going with this. The Byakugan and Sharingan don't actually have anything to do with who is better, it all comes down to individual skill and training."

She tilted her head at him while he blinked rapidly, probably parsing through what she'd said. "Funny, though, how in all of that, the person who always ends up at the bottom is...you."

She smiled sweetly, already knowing what his response would be. He'd been on edge and looking for an excuse to start a fight with the two 'outsiders' who seemed to be showing himself and his friend up on a regular basis. What he hadn't realized, of course, was that to get a position in the MPF as a non-Uchiha you kind of had to be exceptional, which wasn't the case if you were a member of the clan. So, of course, the 'outsiders' would be extremely talented and better than their peers...because if they weren't they just wouldn't be there in the first place.

Mayu didn't attempt to defend herself when his eyes bled into red and his face twisted in anger. He zipped forward and grabbed her by the throat, picking her up and slamming her against the wall behind the desk, sending the files that were on the surface she'd been perched on flying.

"You call meinferior," he growled, "yet you don't even belonghere -"

Mayu wrapped her hands around his wrist and kicked her legs in the air, but didn't try to escape his hold. Over his shoulder, she saw Hinata's doujutsu activating as she stood and moved towards him. Before she had more than step, however, Tsuki was pulled off of Mayu and dragged ten feet away by a blur of black and green. When he came to a stop, Shisui was holding him with an arm around his throat and had Tsuki's arm twisted behind him.

The meeting had ended right on time, just as it always did. Mayu's feet went out from under her and she fell to her knees, putting a hand to her throat and coughing while her body struggled to pull air in through bruised passageways. Hinata shook herself from her shock and raced to her side, gently pulling her hand away so she could replace it with her own greenlit one.

"What," a low, terrifying voice said, "is going on here?"

Mayu swallowed, then winced at the pain action sent stabbing through her damaged throat before looking up at Fugaku. He was standing by her desk, taking in the scattered paperwork and pens, before moving a dispassionate gaze to where she was still struggling to get her lungs to work. They lingered for a moment on Hinata's hand before he turned slowly to look at Tsuki, who was standing so still in Shisui's grip that he was barely breathing.

"Tsuki-san, is there a reason you decided to attack my student?" Mayu shivered a little at the coldness in his voice, suddenly regretting her slightly-rash plan to provoke Tsuki in front of Fugaku's office.

"She - she insulted the Uchiha clan," she boy finally said and Mayu couldn't help but roll her eyes. Before she could refute his statement, though, Hinata was jumping to her feet, hands clenched at her sides and shaking a bit from what Mayu assumed was the tail end of an adrenaline rush.

"That's a lie! M-Mayu-chan only said t-that strength is found within a shinobi, not his or her bloodline limits!"

Mayu blinked up at her. Well, that was a really pretty way of summarizing what she'd said. That's what she liked about Hinata - she was always surprising her.

"She said that I was at the bottom!" Tsuki yelled.

Hinata drew herself up. "She said compared to Hokage-sama, Sasuke-sama, Hiashi-sama, and myself you were the less talented. I hardly think that's g-grounds for activating your Sharingan and attacking her unprovoked!"

Tsuki opened his mouth to answer but Fugaku held up a hand. "Enough," he said in a low voice. "You have shamed me." Mayu sent Tsuki, who had lost all of the color in his face, a smug look. Then Fugaku turned to her.

"Both of you."

She sucked in a breath and flinched, knowing her skin had gone just as pale as Tsuki's. "Tsuki-san, you have attacked another officer without provocation. You are dismissed from your internship." Mayu bit her lip when the boy's face twisted.

"S-shishou, I don't think that's really necessary," she rasped, holding back the urge to wince. "He was just trying to scare m-"

Fugaku turned to look at her, disapproval written clearly on his face. "The rules are clear, Mayu. As an intern, there is no room for forgiveness for a breach this large. As officers of the Police Force, we must know that we can rely on one another. Nobody will trust him to comport himself with dignity and protect his partners - no matter who they are - after this." Mayu glanced around and saw that the officers who were standing around watching the drama unfold were wearing pinched expressions, but nobody disagreed with what he said.

"Your mentor will deal with the paperwork and advise you on next steps in your career. Everybody else, I believe you have jobs to do." Just like that, everyone went back to work as if nothing had happened.

Fugaku turned back towards his office but stopped when he was standing next to her. He didn't look over at her when he spoke and his profile looked like it had been carved in stone. "I hope you take this lesson to heart, Mayu. Your actions have consequences, for yourself and for others. As a kunoichi and future leader within the police force, yours will be more far reaching than some. Your intellect can be just as destructive as any blade, so use it with care." With that, he walked into his office and closed the door, leaving her kneeling on the floor, staring down at the ugly brown carpet.

"Alright, come on then," A kind voice said and she looked up to see Shisui standing above her, eyes warm. "Let's get you into my office before my cute little kohai explodes with worry."

Mayu glanced over at Hinata, who was wringing her hands and generally looking like she might burst into tears. Mayu could relate. She let Shisui help her up and followed him into his office, keeping her eyes on her feet.

He sat her down on the couch and Hinata took the seat next to her and placed a hand on her throat again. After a few minutes the pain faded and Mayu sighed in relief. "You're getting pretty good, Hinata-chan," she said with a watery smile and Hinata tried and failed to return it.

"I'm sorry you got in trouble with Fugaku-sama because of me," she whispered just as Shisui reappeared in the room with a glass of water and handed it to Mayu.

She took a drink, the cool liquid feeling nice on her battered throat, before speaking. "It wasn't your fault. I - I knew exactly what would happen if I pushed Tsuki," she said glumly. "And shishou is too smart not to realize I manipulated the situation."

"But I know you only did it because he'd been mean to me," Hinata said. She hesitated before continuing. "You're very kind, Mayu. Fugaku-sama shouldn't - he shouldn't have -"

Mayu shook her head. "He was right. I knew Tsuki would get kicked out when I decided to manipulate him - that was the point _-_ but I didn't care. Now the MPF has lost a future recruit and Tsuki and his whole family will be shamed."

"I think you're forgetting who holds the most blame here," Shisui said sardonically, pulling their attention to him. "Tsuki-san made the choice to attack you. Honestly, we can't have somebody that hotheaded in the force, so you did us a favor. Plus, don't worry about Tsuki. He'll just go into the general forces. Shinobi get into spats all the time, he won't be a pariah."

"Fugaku-shishou -"

"Tends to lose his temper at times. I'm guessing that seeing you being choked by a fellow clan member set him off, especially since he knew you provoked him on purpose. I don't envy the captains when they go in to give their weekly reports later, he's going to be such a grump," he said cheerfully and Mayu's lips quirked up in response, though her smile fell shortly after that and her shoulders slumped.

"He said I shamed him," she whispered and her eyes filled with tears. Hinata put an arm around her and Shisui knelt in front of her and ruffled her hair.

"Ah, don't make that face. I can't even count the number of times he said that to me while I was growing up and now I'm one of his lieutenants. I don't know if you're aware, but Uchiha tend to overreact  _just a little_ at times. He'll be fine in a few days, back to lecturing you on the proper way a kunoichi comports herself in no time."

Mayu peeked up at him. "Really?"

Shisui grinned. "Really." She brightened a little at that, though the stone that had taken up residence in her chest when Fugaku had scolded her was still firmly in place.

"Why do you worship him so much, anyway? I mean don't get me wrong, I know he's strong and everything, but you're a little...uh..."

Hinata giggled while Shisui struggled to find a word that wasn't insulting. Mayu sniffled, then smiled.

"Well, like you said, Fugaku-sama is really strong. He's listed as an S-ranked threat with a suggested flee on sight in most bingo books. When I was a kid, I did a lot of research into the police force because of...reasons," she said a little lamely.

"And when I looked up old articles, I noticed that Fugaku-shishou was different from past police chiefs. He - he cares about everybody.He's not a warm man or really even charismatic if you aren't an Uchiha. But he takes cases seriously whether they're in the lower civilian areas or where all the rich people live. Like - the Flower District Killer. At first, nobody even saw that there wasa serial killer running loose, because the police chief at the time - Mikoto-sama's father - didn't care enough to look into the deaths of a bunch of prostitutes.

"But Ensui-nii told me that Fugaku-shishou noticed and he looked into it on his own time. Once he figured out who it was and saw that it was a higher ranked official that most people wouldn't want to lead a raid against, he didn't even hold back! And that - that's just one example. Fugaku-shishou is really, really strong and the head of a prominent and noble clan, but he takes his duty as the protector and peace keeper of all of Konoha seriously, instead of treating his role like a simple way to gain political power."

She took a deep breath and finished with, "Plus, he's got a high solve rate because he's very intelligent. I mean, now that he's the Chief and can't look over everything that comes through stuff falls through the cracks, but for the most part, his policies are good for everyone. And he doesn't let people push him around when it comes to MPF policy." Mayu took in Shisui's blank expression and Hinata's slack-jawed one and shifted uncomfortably.

Yes, she knew some people found her hero-worship weird, but she was a  _genius,_ she saw things others didn't. And what she saw was that Uchiha Fugaku was the best Chief of Police that Konoha had ever had. She had a theory that it was part of why Danzo had set his sights on dismantling the clan. It was only a matter of time before Fugaku figured out what was happening and, worse than that,  _did something about it._

"Huh. I don't suppose you're taking applications for your fan club?" Shisui finally said and Mayu giggled.

No wonder Hinata liked him so much - he was funny and really very nice. Even if sometimes Mayu caught hints of a deep sadness and cynicism beneath it all, that didn't mean that everything else she saw wasn't true, as well. Who knew what the man had been through in his career to make him regard the world through those hopeless eyes? He had been part of Root when Danzo was running it, after all.

Shisui was correct in his assessment that Fugaku would get over his anger with Mayu. After a few days of icy silence, he seemed to thaw around her. Especially when they heard that the raid on Kitaru Hikari was a success. Ito Kaede was still at large, but they'd rounded up most of her lieutenants. It was a huge blow to the organization. All in all, a win for ARF and Konoha, which was now being regarded as  _the_ leading village in the hunt for the international threats.

Fugaku had begun randomly quizzing her on facts that she'd need to know to pass the exams to become a junior officer once he was speaking to her again and had upped their training schedule in preparation. Mayu could now perform three C-ranked and four B-ranked fire jutsu, three C-ranked and one B-ranked earth jutsu, and she had improved in leaps and bounds with her puppetry and taijutsu. Honestly, she'd thought Sasuke was a tough task-master, but he had nothing on his father. Fugaku was so cool.

He had also been working with her on capture techniques along with handling shuriken since it was one of his main weapons and something that would work well with her long-distance fighting techniques. With her ability to calculate angles and the force needed to achieve a certain amount of speed, she'd picked it up quickly. So quickly that he'd simply given her a look of approval and a gruff 'good.' Mayu had practically floated through the rest of her day.

Dai had shown her the ropes of the administrative side of the MPF and she could now book offenders, gather evidence, and secure scenes like a pro.

He and Shisui had started working together to create simulations of different situations that you could run into while on patrol. They had decided two minds were better than one when creating training plans. She and Hinata had pulled children out of 'burning' buildings, saved old women from being crushed by carts, and stopped fake robberies in their tracks, much to the amusement of the shop owners who had agreed to let Shisui use their stores as their 'set.' Mayu was always impressed with what Shisui could convince people to do.

The hardest thing about all of it was that Mayu had to work on subduing people or handling situations with the least possible amount of destruction to the world around her. Since most of her combat would be done in Konoha, surrounded by her citizens, she had to be delicate. Yeah, it was as horrible as it sounded. She couldn't wait to get back into her lab to create some gadgets that didn't cause explosions or start fires.

At least Sticky Situation worked well for a non-destructive capture technique, along with Bukimi's poisoned senbon and the Twin Terrors' small, poisoned blades. Her wire shooters were useful, too, and she had ended up gifting both Dai and Shisui a set when they'd expressed admiration for them.

Hinata's clan techniques, however, were perfect for subduing and tracking. Honestly, Mayu was almost a little jealous of how she moved through each simulation with ease. They quickly worked out a system where Hinata dealt with close-range combat and Mayu backed her up from a distance. There also hadn't been one tracking exercise that the two of them couldn't complete when together.

Hinata was the quintessential 'good cop' while Mayu got the much more interesting and less annoying role of 'bad cop' when they were given interrogation exercises. Simply put, they were a good team.

Mayu and Hinata took their exams to become junior officers the day before Mayu's fourteen birthday. Itachi and Shisui had petitioned to allow Hinata to apply for the promotion before becoming a jounin and their combined powers of persuasion, and, well, just their combined power in general, got her a concession. As long as Hinata passed with a ninety-five percent or higher, it would be allowed.

The first portion was a written exam that Mayu, Hinata, and Ataka took in seperate rooms to prevent cheating. Mayu sailed through it, having no issues remembering the laws, regulations, and procedures that the MPF was built upon. She spared a brief, worried thought for Hinata, but told herself she'd be fine. Mayu had studied with her for the past few months whenever they could, Hinata taking up a whole section of her little lab to work while Mayu did her projects. Other times they'd spread out on the Nara's kitchen table, having rapid-fire conversations about various 'what if' situations that Shisui and Dai had given them to work through for practice.

Shikaku would step into the kitchen, take one look at them and hear a phrase such as " - but if a suspect is just being reticent, Mayu-chan, and not aggressive, I don't know that using a large armored spider to intimidate him could be considered just and understandable force..." and turn right back around.

The second test was an obstacle course that involved people jumping out at them as they scaled walls and crawled under wire through mud and other uncomfortable things. They had only a split second to identify them as a threat or a civilian and act accordingly. Mayu sailed through this portion, as well - her mind took in details too quickly to be fooled by a little old woman who was hiding kunai in her shopping basket or a big burly man with a scarred face carrying an infant.

At one point they dropped a genjutsu over her - a good one - but she worked through the layers trying to tell her to go left when she should go right without faltering on her dash through trees that seemed determined to throw projectiles at her. At the end of it she was given a break and she bounced over to sit next to Hinata, who was chewing on her lower lip.

"Hinata-chan, hi. I bet you did so good on that obstacle course! Your Byakugan was probably super helpful."

Hinata blushed and Mayu beamed at the confirmation. Judging from Ataka's smug expression he'd done well, too. After Mayu's run-in with Tsuki, the boy had been avoiding her even more religiously than before, though, so she didn't ask him outright.

Individual combat came next and Mayu was pitted against a jounin-level Uchiha who seemed pretty neutral about the whole 'non-Uchiha entering the MPF' thing. He began the spar with fire - he  _was_ an Uchiha after all - and actually looked a little impressed when she stopped it with an Earth Wall. She could have dodged, of course, but the point was to showcase what she could do.

She threw a smoke bomb to cover her movements, then shunshined to the other side of the training grounds. She then sent a great fireball his way - mostly to show off the fact that Fugaku-shishou had taught her the Uchiha signature jutsu.

She eeped when her opponent appeared next to her, using her own jutsu to cover his movements, and unsheathed her daggers, lighting them up as he engaged her. He wasn't going all out - he was supposed to test her, not kill her - but he was still fighting at a pretty high level so she was forced to push as much speed as she could into her twists and kicks and slashes to keep him back.

Finally, she extended the flames playing across the surface of her daggers into short whips, forcing him to jump back to avoid them. She used it as a chance to sheath her daggers and then execute three perfect backflips. As she went into the third, she pushed off with more pressure on one hand so that she spun sideways to avoid an Exploding Flame Shot.

She reached into her belt and pulled out three shuriken. The Uchiha barely avoided the flying metal stars when they burst out of the flame he had sent her way and Mayu almost cheered when he activated his Sharingan and she heard murmurs of surprise and approval from the sidelines.

With a flick of her wrist, she opened one of the scrolls on her belt and fed chakra into it, grabbing Bukimi with her threads when he appeared. Taking a deep breath, she turned and ran to the left, sending Bukimi to flank the Uchiha from the right, who had drawn a short sword and gone into a ready position.

Mayu initiated Bukimi's Bladed Volley Technique and the Uchiha's sword was a blur while he blocked most of Bukimi's stabbing blades and dodged the others. Mayu controlled Bukimi's movements with one hand and grabbed out two more shuriken with the other and sent them at her opponent.

Her eyes widened when he bent his body to the side and almost all the way to the ground to avoid both attacks in a frankly gravity defying move.

"Awesome," she breathed but didn't waste the opportunity.

"Puppet Technique: Rolling Thunder!" she yelled after she re-engaged the chakra threads from the hand she'd used to throw the shuriken.

Bukimi retracted his blades and pushed forward into a rumbling roll, blurring at the Uchiha so quickly that it was impossible to make out the puppet's individual features. Mayu had improved her speed and control when executing this move by twenty-five percent since the chunin exams under the watchful eyes of Fugaku.

Her opponent pushed off of one foot and arm from where his body was still poised almost parallel to the ground, sending his body spinning sideways into the air so that Bukimi rolled under him instead of flattening him. A grin split over her face and she calculated where he'd land after noting the speed of his descent and angle of his movements. With a judicious push of chakra and a quirk of a finger, Bukimi changed direction and increased in momentum. Another result of Fugaku's training - she could change direction mid-jutsu.

When the Uchiha landed in a crouch, he only had time to widen his eyes and begin a dodge to the side and then Bukimi was on him. He clipped the shinobi's shoulder hard enough to send the man tumbling into a roll. Mayu sent Bukimi for a follow up, legs spread out as he leapt at the Uchiha, and initiated Sticky Situation. The Uchiha just smirked and disappeared from her sight, leaving the white substance to fall into a squishy mess on the dirt.

She only had a moment to think  _damn sneaky fast Uchiha_ before she was blinking into a layered genjutsu. She frantically dispelled it, already twisting down and out of the way of a jab he sent at her temple from behind. She parried with four punches that he easily avoided and blocked, then ducked down and spun, sending a sweeping kick at his legs. He jumped to avoid it and that was when Bukimi struck.

Mayu scowled and went into a backwards somersault when she saw the man stop Bukimi's blade's with his own about an inch from his face. He then kicked Bukimi and sent him flying. Mayu corrected his flailing, careening path with the flick of a wrist so that the puppet turned in the air to face them again and landed on his feet, crouched down low on his front legs as clumps of dirt and grass flew up behind him while he slid backwards with the momentum from the kick.

Mayu disengaged her chakra threads, then completed the hand signs needed to send a series of fire bullets at the Uchiha, throwing four shuriken with them, timing their trajectory so that they were nestled in the flames and it looked like she'd actually sent flaming shuriken his way. Then she reingaged her threads and sent Bukimi racing towards him. To her surprise the Uchiha had a small, fierce smile on his face as he dropped back into a ready position with his sword. He almost looked like he was having fun.

"Enough," Fugaku said and Mayu pulled Bukimi up short and her opponent knocked the shuriken out of the air with ease. "I believe this has been a thorough showcase of Nomaka-san's combat skills," he said formally and the rest of the committee who were there to decide who would make the cut as MPF officers simply nodded.

Fugaku bowed. "Thank you, Hayao-san, for agreeing to assist today."

Mayu perked up at the mention of the man's name - she was pretty sure she'd heard of him before. He wasn't part of the MPF, but instead ran village missions and was the son of one of the Uchiha Clan Elders.

"No problem. You've got a talented student," he said and sheathed his sword while Mayu preened. "I haven't fought against a puppet user in ages." He turned to her and inclined his head.

"Oh! Um, thank you very much Hayao-sama!" she said and bowed.

He chuckled when she had Bukimi skitter up and bow as well before busying herself with sealing him and shamelessly eavesdropping on Fugaku and Hayao's conversation.

"Perhaps joining the Military Police Force won't be as bad as I thought," Hayao was saying and Mayu twitched. Was he teasing Fugaku? Just who was this guy?

"Hmm, our newest recruits do tend to keep things interesting," Fugaku agreed and Mayu stared at him, wide-eyed. Was that humor? "I look forward to working with you, Hayao," he finished warmly.

Mayu realized that Hayao was Fugaku's friend. He had friends! She felt weirdly proud of him as she wandered over to where they were setting up tracking and capture runs.

She moved through the rest of the tests without trouble and couldn't help but feel a little proud when she noticed the impressed mutterings of the Uchiha who were there to watch and score possible new recruits. She was Uchiha Fugaku's apprentice, ward of Nara Yoshino and Shikaku, and the student of Hatake Kakashi - what did they expect?

000

The day after Mayu received her badge, she met Fugaku at the training fields at dawn. He was already there, moving through swirling, graceful patterns with his sword. She waited for him to finish before bouncing up to him, grinning up at him when his eyes lingered on the new badge on her shoulder, which now included the four dots around the star that labeled her as an officer instead of a simple employee.

"You did well yesterday," he said and she blushed at the praise. "Mikoto sent an invitation to your family to join us for dinner this evening to celebrate."

"Mm, mom told me," Mayu said and scuffed her foot in the dirt, looking down to hide her red cheeks. "She and papa are planning on being there."

He inclined his head, then motioned for her to stand in front of him. "I've decided to teach you a technique that is considered by some to be too dangerous to pass on. I trust that you will use it well and not injure yourself with it. Consider it a birthday present."

Mayu's eyes widened and she nodded frantically. "I promise, shishou."

His lip quirked up on one side for just a moment before he was back to complete solemnity. "You are already familiar with it - the Shadow Clone Technique, which is used frequently by your genin teammate, Uzumaki Naruto."

Mayu gasped. "Wait, really? Naruto said that the Godaime herself made him promise not to teach anybody else, because it was pretty dangerous for people without his, uh, chakra reserves and constitution."

Fugaku inclined his head. "This is true and I will explain why in a moment. But first, I need you to promise that you will not go out and teach somebody this technique unless it is an official student of your own that you deem ready in the future."

Mayu hummed and tilted her head to the side. "What about Sasuke?" she asked and Fugaku pierced her with a look.

"His teacher knows this jutsu and will teach him when or if he deems him ready," he said sternly. Mayu thought about that for a minute before nodding in agreement.

"Okay, I promise," she said.

"Alright. The first thing you need to remember, is that to create a Shadow Clone, you must split your chakra in half. That is part of why this is considered so dangerous - those with low chakra reserves could actually kill themselves if they create too many clones. When the clone dispels, the chakra returns to you."

"The other danger you must be aware of, is that any of the Shadow Clone's memories and experiences will be returned to the original when it dispels."

Mayu's jaw dropped. "Wait, that means -"

"That you can learn things much more quickly if you use a Shadow Clone in tandem with your own training, yes. However," here he sent her a stern look, "This can put a strain on the mind itself if you abuse this feature. Naruto, I know, somehow uses hundreds of clones without issue, but I believe that his lack of negative reaction has something to do with his extra...resources."

Mayu frowned and nodded seriously. The last thing she wanted to do was knock down her own mind cave. She'd do judicious testing of that feature before using it too much. After he finished giving an overview of the jutsu, she couldn't help but think it was more useful than she had expected, especially considering that only very advanced Sharingan users could tell the difference between a shadow clone and the original.

Finally, he walked her through the creation of the jutsu and when she did it for the first time she was treated to the very uncomfortable feeling of her chakra being pulled into two. She stared at the perfect replica of herself.

"Huh," she said, eyeing the chest region - since when had her breasts gotten that large? And did she really look that short next to Fugaku-shishou? She was a very respectable five feet seven inches, now! Also - her hair looked pretty good that day. Nice.

When Fugaku had her control her clone - and wasn't it weird that they had some strange connection where the clone just knewwhat she wanted her to do - she watched her clone self run Bukimi up and down the field with chakra threads. Then, Fugaku pulled clone-Mayu to the other side of the field, whispered something in her ear, then told her to disperse.

Mayu blinked when she felt the rush of information from her clone appear in her mind cave. A memory that wasn't hers but  _was_ hers of Fugaku telling her to grab them tea and some fruit for breakfast and then meet in his office was suddenly just there.This jutsu was going to take some getting used to.

000

Mayu and Hinata were placed in the general forces, which was where most of the officers ended up. Eventually they'd be on an investigative team, but for now they had to learn the ropes as a general beat cop.

She was given her very first patrol schedule and she and Hinata had exchanged excited smiles while comparing them. During normal days, patrols were done in two-person cells. At night, when most of the more nefarious things happened, patrols ran in four-person cells. Each officer had a partner that they almost always patrolled with.

As a junior officer her partner would be one of the jounin ranked shinobi on the force. She tilted her head to the side and mouthed  _Uchiha Yuhui._ Huh, so her partner was one of the few female officers. Uchiha were overly traditional and tended to pressure their female members into retirement once they married, so most of the force ended up being male.

Mayu had less patrols on her schedule than Hinata, as she was expected to follow Fugaku around doing apprenticey things and learning from him. She was going to spend two mornings, one evening, and one late night a week patrolling. Hinata had twice as many shifts on her schedule.

Hayao's first day on the force revealed that he was filling a new position as lieutenant of the Investigations Division, which had recently received more funding. Which meant that Hayao was now Dai's boss and Mayu's future boss.

Mayu was starting to realize as she spent more and more time among the clan that Uchiha weren't actually a bunch of stuck up jerks. They just liked to pretendthey were, but most of them would show actual emotions once they got used to you. If you looked hard enough. Hayao was one of those Uchiha that didn't hold himself quite as stiffly as most of the clan.

Mayu's fourteenth birthday was uneventful - she had dinner with Team Eight the day after the celebration dinner with her parents and Fugaku and Mikoto. She'd told her parents not to worry about a party until the week after, when Shikamaru and Ensui were due back for their off month from ARF.

She'd been looking forward to seeing them for weeks, which was probably why Shikaku looked like he'd rather cut off his own hand than be the one to inform her that they'd been pulled away from the village for another mission. "I'm sorry, Mayu-chan, but Suna requested our assistance with something and Itachi-sama felt that Ensui and Shikamaru's working relationship with the children of the last Kazekage made them the best choice. Things are still tense with Suna's council, so convincing them to let us help at all was tricky."

Mayu sat across from Shikaku, slumped over and miserable. "So they aren't coming home," she said and he sighed.

"No, probably not for another five months. That's not so long, really, though," he said. "You'll be busy at the MPF - it'll go by before you know it."

Mayu stood and walked around the table, then sat down in Shikaku's lap - which she hadn't done for months - and buried her face in his shoulder. "This sucks," she said petulantly and he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah, it does. But I'm damn proud of both of you," he said and she let herself bask in his praise before sighing and standing up.

"Well, there's obviously only one person to blame for this," Mayu said with a sniff.

A few days later she was staggering under the load of a pile of folders set for archives when suddenly most of the weight lifted and she glanced over to see Itachi, who was now carrying half of her pile and ignoring the interested looks he was garnering from the various Uchiha scattered around.

"Hokage-sama," she said with as much ice as she could inject into her tone and turned her nose up at him. From the corner of her eye she saw his lip twitch in what she knew was a show of amusement, which just sent her to fuming.

"Mayu-chan. Where are we headed?" He said lightly and she glared at him.

" _I_ am headed to archives. You can just put those back where you found them," she said primly.

"What sort of Hokage would I be if I watched one of my own struggle?"

"The kind that ruins birthdays and crushes spirits," she grumbled and he actually chuckled, causing a few people to double take at them.

"I see Shikaku-san wasn't kidding when he said you were holding a grudge." He followed her down a dusty-smelling hallway. She ignored him, sweeping past him with her nose in the air when he held the door open for her.

She set the files in her arms down on an empty table between rows of shelves. "You can put those right here, Hokage-sama. I'm sure you have tasks you need to get to.  _Missions to assign,_ that sort of thing."

Itachi sighed and she glowered when he picked up a file and glanced at the reference number before heading to the appropriate shelf and sliding it into place.

"You know I wouldn't have done it if it weren't important," he said and she jammed a case file with too much force into a spot across the aisle from him, causing him to wince as it crinkled.

"Oh, you don't need to explain your lofty reasons to a lowly chunin, Hokage-sama," she said with false sweetness, stomping over to grab another folder.

"Mayu-chan," he reprimanded and she turned away from him. He sighed again.

They filed in silence until the pile was gone and she huffed out of the room, annoyed because Itachi's silent amusement made it difficult to stay angry with him.

"I came to let you know that I've had space in the village R&D labs cleared for you," he said when they entered the bustling lobby and she tripped over her own feet. She had applied for space in the amazing, top of the line labs agesago, but it was generally set aside for people in the Science Corps.

Once she was done flailing she spun and stared at him. "Are you serious?" she squeaked.

He inclined his head. She narrowed her eyes. "This is a bribe." She shuffled a little closer when he held up a badge with her picture and the letters SCIENCE LAB LEVEL 2 ACCESS printed on the front.

"It's possible," he agreed.

"I'm still really, really mad at you," she announced and swiped it out of his hand.

She studied the badge and crowed in delight when she noticed the little red symbol in the corner that meant she had access to all of the deadliest chemicals and materials. Okay, so maybe she could forgive him. It was his job to put the welfare of Konoha first, after all.

"I have space in the Konoha R&D Labs! Itachi-sempai,  _thank you!"_ She lunged at him and gave him a quick hug around the middle before bouncing away and over to Hinata, who had just entered the building, to show off her prize. Mayu heard Shisui chuckle and say something to Itachi in a low voice, whose face was doing its 'I am smiling on the inside' twitch around his lips.

As Itachi passed Mayu and Hinata on his way out, he paused. "Mayu - would you be available for lunch tomorrow? I'd like to speak with you regarding a few small things that you may be able to help me with."

"Oh, sure! Um - I finish my patrol at one, so like fifteen after?" She asked, still distracted by her shiny new badge.

"That would be fine. I'll meet you out front at that time." Mayu waved goodbye at him, ignoring the thoughtful looks on the Uchiha and one Yamanaka who was there assisting in an interrogation surrounding them.

Of course, she didn't get a chance to use her shiny new badge to get into the labs. Instead, she ended up being kidnapped. Later, she blamed her distraction on the fact that she had just gotten access to the  _Konoha R &D Labs_.

She rushed into her house without stopping so that she could change out of her uniform before heading back into the village. To the  _labs,_ Itachi was so amazing, even if he did give out missions that kept her boyfriend out of the village during his only break between four month long -

Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. She knew immediately that it wasn't her parents. One, because they were both at work, and two, because her parents weren't in the habit of trying to punch her the moment she walked through the door.

She ducked and spun on instinct, snapping a leg out at a black-clad knee that came into her vision. She made contact but didn't have time to follow up because somebody hit her from behind, sending her flying into the family room and crashing into the couch, knocking it over onto its back and then rolling off of it across the floor.

She kicked out at the figure wearing a familiar plain white mask that sent her thoughts skittering in panic. The last time she'd seen a similarly dressed person she'd ended up with a sword through her chest. She flipped over one shoulder, pulling out shuriken as she stood and sending them at movement in the corner of the room.

 _There are three of them,_ she thought to herself and she sent fire bullets at one when they lunged towards her. They dodged and she internally winced when the jutsu crashed through the large windows facing the front of the house instead, resulting in a huge cracking sound and shattering glass exploding outwards onto the porch.

Yoshino would not be happy about that. "Quickly, before we gain the attention of her clan," one of them, who was standing to her right, hissed, and she realized the figure was a woman.

Another moved to flank her on the left while the third edged over to cut off her escape route to the windows. Mayu flipped her daggers out just in time as the two shinobi flanking her moved in tandem. She slashed at the woman, opening a wound on her arm and making her hiss.

"I thought you said she was a chunin,"she grumbled and Mayu launched into a jumping roundhouse kick and hit the one on her left.

The woman and the other figure moved in at the same time and Mayu blocked three rapid-fire punches from one. The other took the chance grab her and throw her with incredible force into the coffee table, which cracked and splintered under the pressure, leaving her struggling to remove herself from a pile of wood. She grabbed one of the legs from the broken table as she pushed herself into the air, spinning around and using the momentum to hit one of the grasping shinobi with a  _crack_ across their collar bone _,_ smirking in satisfaction when they gasped in pain.

The next three minutes were spent furiously fighting in hand-to-hand. She'd lost her daggers when she had hit the coffee table - it had  _hurt,_ okay? - and she didn't have time to unseal her puppets, since they kept pressing in on her every time she tried. Her opponents were good, really good, but then she was pretty sure they were ANBU as well as being part of the Root remnant group, so it wasn't surprising.

Mayu let out an  _oof_ of air when the largest figure grabbed her arm and slammed her into a shelf, causing it to buckle and send books and knick knacks tumbling to the floor. Despite the pain she lifted an arm in time to block a punch from the female, but then all three of them were on her, kicking and punching and eventually, they bore her down to the ground.

She gasped when she felt a pinch in her arm and immediately went drowsy, her body limp and refusing to respond to her commands.

"Okay, let's go, we only have a fifteen minute window..." a low voice started, but was cut off.

"No," the woman said in a low voice and pulled her mask up to rest on her forehead. Mayu stared at her, distantly shocked. It was Ito Kaede and she looked furious. Wasn't she only a chunin? She must have improved in the years she'd been gone from her village.

"I want them to suffer when they find out we took her. Those  _bastards."_ Her face disappeared and Mayu realized somebody was pulling off her shoes. Well, that wasn't good.

"Ito-san, we were instructed only to kidnap the girl and take her to a secure location. This is -"

Mayu would have screamed when she felt the sharp edge dig into her toe and then begin sawing,but all she could manage past the haze of drugs was a small whimper. A moment later, Ito's satisfied voice said, "There. See how they feel knowing somebody they love has suffered. Now, stop the bleeding and we'll go. No, leave the toe right there, where they'll see it -"

Mayu wasn't sure what happened next, because she fell into unconsciousness.

000

Yoshino had to hold back a yawn as she walked towards home. Shikaku was a warm presence at her side. He'd stopped by the hospital after his own extremely long day had ended to bully her into coming home with him.

She glanced up at his slouched figure and pressed her lips together to keep from smiling fondly at him. He noticed and flashed her a rare grin, which always made her heart beat a little faster.

Yoshino reached out and threaded her fingers through his after tugging his hand out of his pocket. They weren't usually ones for public displays of affection, but it was dark and the path was empty. He gave her hand a squeeze and she turned forward just as they came around a bend and caught sight of their house.

They both came to an abrupt halt. The front door was hanging open, which wouldn't actually be that strange - Mayu tended to do things like forget to close the door when she was excited. The situation became alarming, however, when they took in the rest of the scene. The light in the family room was on, illuminating the glass that littered the front porch and yard from the shattered and charred front windows.

"Mayu," Yoshino breathed and they were both moving forward, keeping low to the ground and circling around the lit up front yard.

Shikaku signaled that he would enter from the back door and she sent a response letting him know she'd come from above. She leapt silently onto the roof and unlocked her bedroom window, disabling the traps they had set up as she went.

The house was silent as she crept through the dark rooms and into the hall. When she established that the second floor was clear of threats, she leapt over the banner of the stairs and landed lightly on the balls of her feet in the hall. When she stepped into the family room, the world stilled around her.

In the back of her mind, she had half assumed that Mayu had accidentally blown something up and was now out rounding up unsuspecting victims to help her repair the house before she and Shikaku returned. One look at the room and that theory flew out the window. There had been a fight here - one that was brutal and short.

The shelf across the room was cracked down the middle so that the shelves fell in a 'V,' dumping the contents out across the floor. The couch was turned over and one of the walls had a person-sized indentation in it along with a few shuriken buried into the plaster. The window was completely destroyed, the curtains around it singed, and the coffee table was in pieces, as though somebody had been thrown into it - hard.

Shikaku was standing next to the shelf, staring down at something on the ground. His hands were clenched into fists and there were fine tremors running up and down his body. Yoshino couldn't see what he was looking at but she could smell the familiar tang of blood. For just a moment, she didn't want to move around the upended couch, afraid of what she'd find.

Then her medic training kicked in and she moved through the room quickly. Her gaze followed the trail of blood and skittered to a stop where Shikaku's had. Lying innocuously in the middle of the room was a small toe -  _separated from the body about two hours ago judging from the color -_ and, just to remove any doubt about whose it was, next to it was a hunk of blue hair.

For a moment the world around her swam. Somebody had broken into their home and attacked their daughter. They had mutilated her and left behind the evidence as some sort of taunt.  _Mayu,_ she thought and the world snapped back into focus. They didn't have time to stand around staring at appendages. They had to get her back.

"Shikaku," she snapped and his gaze darted over to her. Whatever he saw on her face must have galvanized him because he took a shuddering breath and then turned away from the grisly scene on the floor.

"I'll get somebody to send for Itachi-sama and Fugaku-san," he said in a raspy voice and Yoshino turned and left the room, then raced up to their bedroom, keeping her eyes firmly away from Mayu's door.

She went to her closet and tossed shoes and a few boxes out of the way until she found what she was looking for. When she entered the living room a few minutes later Shikaku had returned and was barking orders at a few of his clansmen, who darted off to look around the house and see if there were any other signs of the intruders. He took in her uniform and flak jacket and the med pouch on her hip. Her eyes dared him to say anything about her staying behind. He didn't. Maybe Nara really were as smart as everybody made them out to be.

A moment later there were three displacements of air and then Uchiha Fugaku was entering the room, eyes darting over the chaos, two officers on his heels.

"Hito-san, secure the scene. Dai-san, search the rest of the house," he snapped, then moved to stand between the two Nara.

"Shikaku-san, tell me what happened here," he said in a level tone. Yoshino listened while her husband told him in a clipped voice exactly when they'd come home and what they'd found.

Fugaku stared at the toe for a long moment, lips pursed, and Yoshino decided that they didn't have time for all of their manly angst.

"Right. I'm going to go get Tsume - she's in-village, right Itachi-sama?" Yoshino asked the man who had just entered the room. He started and nodded, a slight frown on his face as he took in the destruction. "Okay, I'm going to go get Tsume and then I'm going to track down my daughter. Are you coming?" The last bit was said to her husband.

She met his eyes squarely, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. He inclined his head. "Lead the way."

Fugaku stepped forward. "I will also be coming."

Yoshino looked at him and started when she realized that his eyes were red and swirling. It looked like Wicked Eye Fugaku would be making an appearance that evening. Itachi didn't try to stop them, instead motioning for an ANBU to hand him a blank missions scroll, which he filled out with efficient motions and handed to Yoshino.

"I expect this mission to be a success," he said, then turned back to the chaos in the living room. "Father, please allow me to assist in processing the scene. I believe I still remember how. I will keep everybody else out until Tsume-san and Kuromaru arrive to scent the area."

Fugaku nodded and then the three of them were darting out into the night. Yoshino clutched the mission scroll in her hand and told herself that her crazy, socially inept, brilliant daughter would be fine. She had to be.

000

They came for Mayu about three hours after she'd woken. Ito Kaede looked a little less insane than she had right before she sliced off Mayu's toe, but she figured the woman was only one or two pushes away from losing it again.

Mayu blinked rapidly when she was dragged out into a lit hallway and to a room with a metal chair and bright light bulb. Ugh, how embarrassing - she'd been kidnapped by the ultimate cliché. They tied her to the chair with metal chains and she refused to show how much it hurt due to her battered back and sensitive feet, which had socks and nothing else on them outside of the bandage over her toe-stump.

Ito Kaede stared at her. She stared back. The smiling, happy kunoichi from the photograph in the file Grass had given them no longer existed. This Ito Kaede had deep lines on her face and her hair had grey streaks in it. Her face was hard and her eyes didn't hold any mercy. Finally, the woman spoke.

"Nobody will find you here," she said and Mayu smirked.

"Oh? Like nobody could find your base of operations?" Ito stiffened, then leaned back, feigning relaxation and looking around the room.

"I have to admit, I didn't expect you to make a play for me."

Ito narrowed her eyes. "You're a central part of the investigation into Akatsuki and Kitaru Hikari. You're also the easiest target out of those who are in the inner circle of the Response Force. Chunin level and not constantly surrounded by a team or family."

Mayu rolled her eyes. "I don't know who told you I'm a 'central part of the investigation,' but I'm basically there to fetch tea and go on supply runs."

Ito smirked. "We both know that's just not true. You seem to be in the middle of a lot of things. You've grabbed the attention of some powerful people."

Mayu stilled when she remembered who Ito had been with when she attacked Mayu.  _Root._ She had been working with Root, that was how she got in and out of Konoha undetected. Which meant the mysterious leader had decided Mayu was a threat and helped Kitaru Hikari infiltrate the village and then kidnap her.

But who would know how deep Mayu's role was in the investigation? Only four people were aware that she was essentially a main investigator. Though, with Shikaku and Fugaku shaking people up and the amount of time she spent holed up at the MPF with both men, it wouldn't take a huge cognitive leap to assume she would be an easy means of gaining intel into the investigation. Looks like they really had somebody panicked if they made a play for Mayu - it was risky. Though with Kakashi and her genin team out of the village, along with Ensui and Shikamaru, her available allies had dwindled.

Whoever it was, they were close enough to her and Fugaku to put together how deeply she was involved. Which meant they were most likely a member of the MPF. The thought left a sour taste in her mouth. Mayu had come to love the organization and hated the thought of a traitor mucking about in it.

"I'm not going to torture you," Ito said, cutting into Mayu's thoughts.

"So, you captured me for information, but you're not going to interrogate me," she said flatly, not attempting to hide her disbelief.

Ito grinned, and it wasn't a nice one. "Oh, no. You see, we don't have to. When our ally comes, he's going to get the information out of you without us needing to lift a finger. I just wanted to give you a chance to talk without us turning your mind to mush, first."

Mayu sent her the most unimpressed look she could manage. "Right," she said, drawing the word out. "From what I can tell, you're just itching to get your hands on me, but for some reason you're holding back." Mayu tilted her head to the side, taking in the way the woman's fingers were twitching and how she was now leaning in towards Mayu.

"Somebody told you not to hurt me," she said slowly and grinned at the woman's flinch. "Somebody you're afraid of. Hmmm, I wonder what your 'ally' will think of my missing toe."

Yep, there was a bit of nervousness there. Why would somebody who planned on turning her into a vegetable be worried about her physical state? Unless...

"This person knows me," she said and Ito twitched. "He apparently has no compunctions with killing me, but doesn't want me to suffer. Huh."

Somebody who ostensibly could turn a person's brain to mush and retrieve information without the need for physical torture. Male, from the pronoun Ito had used, and close enough to her to realize just how active she was in the investigations into Root.

Yamanaka Inoichi fit that description, but she discarded that thought. He was one of the few people in the village who knew that she could repel attacks on her mind, so wouldn't bother. The only other Yamanaka she spent any amount of time with was Ino and Mayu may think she was annoying, but the girl was loyal.

So most likely not a Yamanaka, though she couldn't completely disregard the idea. Could the Sharingan do something similar? Perhaps a high level genjutsu would be able to do something like that. Mayu knew after looking through Root files that there were more than the three levels of Sharingan that she had originally assumed and that reaching them was...not a pleasant experience.

What she didn't have was information on what, exactly, people could do with those eyes outside of 'cheat death.' Ito once again pulled her from her musings, though this time with a slap across the face.  _Ouch._

"You're arrogant, aren't you? So secure in your little  _deductions,"_ she hissed and Mayu narrowed her eyes when she saw that the woman was back to looking a little unhinged.

"Well. Yes," she said.

Later, when she was back in her cell nursing her new bruises, she realized, in retrospect, that she probably should have tried to put those diplomacy lessons Mikoto was giving her to use. On second thought, she'd rather have the bruises.

When two guards - a man and a woman - had dragged her out of the room with the metal chair and back into her cell, she'd taken the time to look around. The long hallway was underground and she spotted stairs leading up to the right from the interrogation room. The guards went left and dragged her between them around a corner and back to her less-than-stellar accommodations.

Mayu didn't see or hear anybody else. She'd also noticed that the female, a woman with long brown hair pulled back into a bun, hated Mayu just as much as Ito did, if the way she gripped her arm firmly enough to bruise and pursed her lips so hard they turned white around edges were any indication. The male guard seemed to have a different sort of interest in her, with his assessing gaze and the way his hands lingered when they pushed her into her cell. Gross.

Mayu sat down and leaned against a dirt wall, breathing through the pain and taking stock of her situation. They'd removed her clothes and put her into a pair of simple cotton pants and a sweater while she was unconscious. She was only wearing socks on her feet, other than the bandages. She had some cracked ribs, major bruising, and probably minor blood loss. From the state of her body, she hadn't eaten or had liquid in over twenty four hours.

She also had a limited amount of time to escape. If their intel on Kitaru Hikari was correct, then it was made up of chunin and average jounin, unlike the Akatsuki, which were all S-ranked monsters. Mayu could probably handle her kidnappers if she was clever about it. Whoever the person was that would be coming to raid her brain, he was probably pretty strong - strong enough to have her kidnappers holding back from doing anything too terrible to her, even though they obviously wanted her blood. So she needed to escape before he arrived.

She had no weapons, no tools, and she was now being guarded by one person at all times. Angry Woman and Pervy Guy had set up a watch schedule, with Pervy Guy going first. She could hear him shuffling around outside her cell.

So what she had was her mind and her uncanny ability to piss people off. She needed someone to open the door. Okay, so her brilliant plan was to goad one of the guards. She immediately crossed off Pervy Guy. It would probably be easy to get him to enter her cell, but she didn't want to deal with the consequences if he overpowered her. No, Angry Woman, it was - Mayu could handle a beating better than what the other guard had in mind.

Mayu settled back and fell into a light doze while she waited for the shift change. When it came, she waited a few minutes to be sure they were alone before speaking. "So," she croaked and then cleared her throat. "You really don't like me, huh?"

A scuff of a shoe was the only sign that Angry Woman had heard her. "I'm guessing you have some tragic story that is the fault of one of the Great Shinobi Villages. Maybe...a dead lover?" There was no response and Mayu hummed thoughtfully. "No? A child? A family member. Yes," she said when she heard the sharp intake of breath. "Parent? Sibling. Ah. A sister, perhaps? Younger, probably." The guard's breathing had picked up. Jackpot.

"I bet it was a hard death, to make you so upset," Mayu said with faux-casualness. "Though really, you can only blame yourself. If you had been there, it never would have -"

She was cut off when the door to her cell flew upen, hitting the wall, and then the woman was on her, punching and screaming in her face.  _Woah,_ Mayu thought before she desperately began fighting back. She elbowed the woman in the face and brought a knee up into her stomach, flipping her onto her back and following her. Mayu gripped the hair on either side of the woman's head, half pulling it out of its bun, and slammed it back into the hard packed dirt.

"You little bitch!" the woman yelled, flipping them back over.

Mayu kept her grip on her hair, pulling it even further from its bun. Angry Woman got her hands around her throat and then her weight was suddenly lifted, wrenching Mayu's shoulder when she didn't release the hold on her hair on time.

"What the hell are you doing?" Pervy Guard hissed while he dragged the sobbing woman out of the cell and slammed the door behind them.

Mayu heard the lock click into place as the man continued to scold his partner and flopped over on to her side, gasping when her injuries made themselves known. She was pretty sure she could now safely add 'concussion' to her list of problems.

"You want Ito to kill you like she did that last guy that ignored her orders?"

Mayu sat up, ignoring the tears of pain running down her face, and grinned despite the fact that her whole body was throbbing.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up before she realizes..." their voices trailed off and Mayu pushed to her feet and stumbled to the door.

It took only a few seconds of carefully maneuvering the hairpin she'd taken from Angry Woman while they were fighting to pick the lock. She pulled it open a crack and peeked around the corner. When nobody came into view, she stepped out and shut it behind her quietly and then quickly relocked it. Hopefully, they wouldn't actually look inside to check if she was still in her cell, but then why would they?

Limping, she made her way down the hall towards the stairs she had seen earlier. They had just come into sight when she heard voices coming from them. "- alright, you can't really tell you got into a fight. You'll go back to guarding the door like nothin' happened," Pervy Guy was saying.

Mayu slipped into the now-dark interrogation room and plastered herself against the wall just inside of the open door, holding her breath as their footsteps came closer.

"She - she talked about my sister," the woman said in a shaky voice.

"I know," Pervy Guy said soothingly. "She was just trying to get a rise of out you. Come on, let's -"

They moved past her and around the corner and Mayu slipped back into the corridor and then up the stairs, which were carved directly into the stone, as quickly as she could without making noise.

The dampness in the air decreased the higher she went and she was a little surprised at how long it was. She caught sight of natural light at the top and slowed, straining her ears. Her chakra had returned to her about halfway up the stairs and she had actually shed a few tears of relief.

When no sounds came to her, Mayu looked around the simple wooden doorway and blinked. She was in what looked like a cellar, with shelves lining the walls and another staircase - this one wooden - directly across the room from her. She took in the scrape marks on the floor and two shelves that were standing empty against the far wall and realized that she had been locked in a hidden cellar beneath a cellar. Cute.

She jolted when shuffling footsteps sounded from the stairs behind her and darted over to a stack of barrels, contorting into a ball to hide herself behind them just as Pervy Guy appeared, whistling and looking generally happy for a man who had just been comforting his teammate over the death of her sister. Ugh, what a creep.

Mayu looked around and could have cried when she saw, sitting on a barrel directly across from her, her tool belts, complete with scrolls and kunai pouch. No shoes, but hey, a girl couldn't have everything. She waited for the man to move through the cellar and up the stairs, then stood, blinking back spots when they appeared in her vision. She snatched up her belt, breathing out a sigh of relief once it was attached.

She then looked around at the supplies in the cellar, resisting the urge to cheer when she found a bottle of water. She fumbled with the lid in her haste to open it and even though it was slightly warm and tasted a little stagnant, she was pretty sure it was the best thing she'd ever had. After she downed half of it, she snatched up a ration bar and opened it, shoving most of it into her mouth in her rush to eat and putting another in her pouch along with more water.

Once she had eaten her makeshift meal and washed it down with the remaining water, she eyed the stairs going up. With chakra enhancing her senses once more, she could barely make out the sound of voices from above. She heard...four, maybe? Add in Angry Woman below and that was five foes. Mayu sighed. She wished she had a few of her exploding beetles or Mayu cocktails. A grenade would be nice, too, but she hadn't been carrying any when they took her.

Her eyes fell on a dusty bottom shelf tucked into the corner and she blinked for a moment when she caught sight of the plastic bottles with various cleaning chemicals printed on faded labels. Slowly, she began to smile. Right, that would do just fine.

000

"Alright, the scent trail ends here, but I'm pretty sure she's close - it's not that old," Tsume said from where she was crouched and studying the ground. They were in the Land of Rivers and had been following Mayu's kidnappers' meandering, looping trail for almost a full day.

Whoever they were, they were good at hiding their trail - just not good enough to fool the combined skills of the Chief of Police and the head of the Inuzuka clan.

Tsume and Kuromaru had agreed to join their search party when Shikaku, Yoshino, and Fugaku had appeared on her front porch. Yoshino had felt a small twist in her chest when Kiba had appeared behind his mom after Shikaku explained in terse, clipped words why they were there. The look on his face was that of a kid who had never faced the loss of a friend before. He'd tried to come with them but Tsume had just shaken her head.

"You're not up to our level yet, Kiba. You'll slow us down." Yoshino hadn't had room to feel too much for him, though, because all she could think about was getting to Mayu before they did something worse than what already had happened.

Tsume had taken in the scene with the hardened eyes of a seasoned shinobi, though Kuromaru's bristling coat and her sharp movements gave away the fact that she was pissed off. "Alright. There were three people on top of Mayu involved - they tried to hide their scents, but not much gets past our noses," Tsume said in a distracted voice. Then she grinned. "Mayu's blood isn't the only one here. Your girl fought." Shikaku grunted from where he was standing next to Yoshino, face set in stone.

"Hmm...smells..." Tsume crouched down and breathed in directly over the blood. "Smells like they drugged 'er. Probably the only way to get her to come quietly." Yoshino didn't miss the way Tsume's eyes lingered on the toe before she stood abruptly.

"Right. I got it. Oh, and Itachi? One a' these scents is familiar - I've caught whiffs of it in your office, but I don't think I've ever actually seen the person."

The people in the room stiffened at that. One of Itachi's ANBU had been there. "I see," he said in a stilted tone. "Thank you for letting me know. I will take appropriate steps."

They hadn't bothered to reply to that, instead turning to follow Tsume when she set off on the trail, which she said was about three hours old. Three hours was a long time to be in enemy hands, especially enemies who had already shown that they were willing to be brutal.

A light touch on her shoulder had her glancing over to her husband, who was running next to her and scanning the area with sharp eyes. "She'll be fine. She's strong."

"Yeah," Yoshino had said after a moment, wondering who he was trying to convince - himself or her.

Now the trail had gone cold and Yoshino wanted to punch something in frustration. They were close,she knew they were, but now they would have to slowly search the area, which would take time, time that Mayu maybe didn't have.

Yoshino was tired and sore and terrified, and for the first time since she had come home to a crime scene she let herself imagine what could be happening to her daughter. Mayu was so full of life - shamelessly so - that it was hard to imagine that life being snuffed out. She had been a gift to their family, and the thing about those sorts of gifts, something that any shinobi would agree is true, is that they could be taken away just as quickly as they appeared.

Yoshino forced herself to take a deep breath and push those thoughts to the side - they weren't helpful at the moment and she knew that if she broke down her husband's already-tenuous control would snap. The last thing they needed was to announce their presence to anybody within three miles by destroying the landscape around them in a fit of temper.

"Alright," she said, voice calm, "We need to -"

She was cut off by the sound of an explosion and the appearance of a large cloud of smoke rising above the trees from a spot about a mile from their location.

"That's my girl," Shikaku said in a low, proud voice next to her.

She didn't waste any breath trying to respond as they all flashed through the trees and over the water towards the disturbance. They slowed when they neared a large stone estate tucked into a rocky hill and surrounded by the moss-covered, tall trees that were prominent in the Land of Rivers.

They heard the distinct sound of weapons clashing on the other side of a tall wall that spanned a large section to the right of the house and took off in that direction. A moment later, they had scaled the stone and Yoshino took in the scene in front of her.

Mayu was standing in the middle of the courtyard, the house behind her still billowing smoke from a section of the wall that was blown out behind her. Surrounding her were two shinobi who looked a little singed and a lot pissed off and...Shikaku sucked in a breath next to her. Two black clad figures in white masks. Yoshino assumed these were members of the remnants of Root that had been giving her family such a headache the past months.

Yoshino felt a bit of pride when she saw that two shinobi in standard gear were lying motionless on the ground and so was one of the fake-ANBU. Mayu's arms were held out in front of her and Yoshino caught the faint blue glint of chakra threads that were connecting to Bukimi, who was crouched in front of her in a guard position, and two of the cute little beetles that Kakashi seemed so terrified of bobbing around her head.

"Your leader took off," Mayu rasped at the Root members. "Guess he doesn't care much whether you live or die."

Their response was to move forward in a synchronized attack. Yoshino leapt forward, aware that her companions were doing the same thing, and blinked in shock when Fugaku reached their foes a full three seconds before she and Shikaku did, engaging one of the Root shinobi with the slide of blade against blade. Shikaku landed at his side, shadows already racing across the ground to wrap around the two others. Yoshino landed next to Mayu, who sent her a relieved look.

"Mom, hey, took you long enough," she said as Bukimi engaged one of the non-Root shinobi and her two Terrors dove at a blonde kunoichi who looked...well...enraged.

Tsume and Kuromaru joined the fray, cork screwing past them and slamming into the large shinobi who was distracted by Bukimi. Yoshino wrinkled her nose when an arm flew through the air and landed next to her.

"Give me a second and I'll heal you," Yoshino said when she caught Shikaku's gaze and zipped across the clearing to hit the people he'd captured in the back of the head with a green lit hand. They crumpled to the ground.

Shikaku then turned and stalked towards the one kunoichi still standing. She was blonde and was actually shaking in rage, staring at Mayu.

"You - you'll pay for this," she said through gritted teeth. "I don't care what that man says, next time I'm killing you immediately."

"There won't be a next time, Ito," Shikaku said in a low, deadly voice and Yoshino had to force herself not to grin when the woman was lifted off the ground by dark bands of shadow.

"Sure about that?" The woman hissed and Yoshino had to admit that she was impressed she could even still speak past the combined killing intent that Shikaku, Fugaku, and herself were emitting. "I already cut off a toe, it wouldn't take much to -"

She cut off on a garbled scream when Shikaku snapped her femur with the twist of a shadow. Before he could kill their prisoner, Yoshino blurred forward and knocked her out. She would have liked to torture her, but they had bigger things to worry about at the moment.

Fugaku had finished with his own opponent and Tsume was moving around tying up their prisoners.

"So that's Ito Kaede," Fugaku said.

"Yep. Kinda a let down, huh?" Mayu said in a slurred voice.

Yoshino turned concerned eyes on her just in time to see her sway and crumple towards the ground. Fugaku, who had always been the fastest of his peers, flashed to her side and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Shishou, you're really cool, you know?" Mayu mumbled up at him and for a moment his face softened.

"And you continue to be trying," he said, but it sounded more fond than anything. Mayu must have thought so, too, because she beamed up at him, then winced when it cracked open her split lip.

Yoshino and Shikaku were already kneeling at her side, trusting Tsume and Kuromaru to keep an eye out for more trouble. Yoshino began running field diagnostics while Shikaku ran a shaky hand through Mayu's hair.

Yoshino had to bite back a smile when Mayu widened her eyes and proceeded to look pathetic until Shikaku sat down, crossed his legs, and tugged her out of Fugaku's grip so she was sprawled across his lap, head resting on his shoulder and cradled in his arms. Yoshino flashed her a knowing look when a familiar smug expression made an appearance.

"Sweetheart," he said, "don't ever do that again."

Fugaku cleared his throat and stood. "I'll look through the house for information or any remaining enemies."

"I'll go with you and watch your back. Kuromaru will stay out here so he can call if there's any trouble," Tsume said and Fugaku inclined his head.

Kuromaru settled next to them and side-eyed Mayu when she reached out and ran her fingers through his fur, but must have decided she was too out of it to take offense to her actions and went back to scanning their surroundings. Yoshino bit her lip at Mayu's self satisfied smile and wondered just how long she'd been wanting to pet the ninken. God, she couldn't believe she'd been so close to losing her.

"Don't worry, mom, it takes more than a few crazy extremists to take me out," she said as confidently as she could with unfocused and dilated eyes, still managing to deduce Yoshino's thoughts while concussed.

Yoshino raised her eyebrow at her. "Oh? And how did you escape, anyway?" she asked, mostly to distract her when she got to her left foot, which was wrapped liberally at the end in dirty, bloodied bandages. If there was one thing that could distract Mayu, it was the chance to explain her own brilliance.

"Mm, provoked a guard with long hair into attacking me," she said a little dreamily. "Stole a hair pin while she was distracted and used it to pick the lock to my cell. Found my belts and puppets in the cellar, along with some chemicals. I whipped up a little mixture that would explode with the addition of heat.

"Then I made a shadow clone and sent her upstairs with it. Idiots surrounded her and when she did a fire jutsu -" Mayu brought her hands together and mimed an explosion. "-boom. Killed one and knocked out another I think. Then I ran out of the huge hole in the wall while they were screaming and freaking out. They followed me and I took a few out with my puppets. Would have been fine, but then they," she pointed a thumb to the side where the Root members were still lying unconscious, or dead in the case of Fugaku's opponent, "showed up. I think their leader was with them. Like  _the_ leader, Papa." She looked up at him, attempting to hide her wince when Yoshino got the last of the bandages off.

"He was in a cloak with one of those stupid masks. He must have heard you coming, because he signed something at his team and then disappeared. You showed up a minute later, right after their first rush. I took one of them out," she said a little proudly and Shikaku tightened his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"You did well, Mayu-chan," he said in a rough voice. "I'm proud of you."

She beamed up at him and Yoshino had to blink back tears. Obviously, she was more tired than she thought.

"Well, you won't ever be a foot model after all of this, but the cut was clean and it should heal just fine," she said in a brisk voice.

Mayu craned her neck to look down at where Yoshino was holding a glowing hand to the wound, focusing on chasing out the bits of infection that had started to take root.

"Gross," she said cheerfully and Yoshino rolled her eyes while Shikaku chuckled.

"You should start to wear sandals instead of those boots," he teased. "Then everybody will know how fierce and battle hardened you are."

Mayu actually looked thoughtful at the suggestion and Yoshino huffed in a combination of disbelief and amusement.

000

Mayu snuck out of the hospital the day after they returned. After some judicious raiding of the nurses' station, she found a pair of scrubs and some stolen footwear, then climbed out the window after making sure Yoshino was nowhere in sight. Mayu had things to do - very important things that involved the badge, just as shiny as she remembered, that had been sitting on her bedside table when she awoke.

It's not like she  _needed_ to be in the hospital, Yoshino was just being overprotective. Probably. Mayu entered the R&D building, ignoring the dubious looks that her scrubs and borrowed shoes were getting, along with the bruises that were still fading on her face and the slight limp she was sporting. Walking around with one less toe was hard,she was still getting used to it. Though...hadn't Yoshino said something about using crutches for a few weeks? Oops.

The chunin at the front desk spent what Mayu felt was a ridiculous amount of time studying her badge before sighing and waving her through. She hobbled up to the second floor, having to go through a second guard, who did a double take but let her in.

When she finally located her little lab, she stopped and stared at the gleaming surfaces and shiny new equipment. She swayed as she actually went light headed with giddiness before grabbing a pair of goggles and a lab coat hanging inside the door and putting them on. She ran her hand along the surface of her lab table -  _in her real, live lab! -_ before rubbing her hands together.

"This," she breathed, "is going to be awesome."

When Shikaku finally located his wayward daughter after receiving an urgent summons from the hospital that boiled down to: Sorry We Lost Your Recently Kidnapped Daughter, he had to stop and pinch the bridge of his nose.

A large beaker of green liquid was bubbling away on one side of the small room. Next to it was a mostly-taken-apart Tiny Terror that had somehow been halfway melted. On the other side of the work area was a long dish that had multiple black, crumbling craters in it as though something had burned so hot that it destroyed the ceramic surrounding it.

In the middle of all the chaos, sitting on a stool and flopped over what looked like a box of eye droppers, was a lightly snoring Mayu. With a sigh, he moved over and scooped her up.

She mumbled something that sounded a lot like "Splurgk Blarm" and snuggled against him, happily resuming her drooling, this time on his flak jacket. When he passed a small woman in a lab coat in the hall, he pointed her in the direction of Mayu's lab.

"There's a bubbling green solution in there that looks like it might do something dramatic soon," he drawled, ignoring the alarmed look she shot Mayu. "You might want to do something about that."

The woman squeaked and took off for Mayu's lab and Shikaku continued on his ambling way out of the building.

 _This girl,_ he thought to himself with too much fondness,  _is such a pain._


	14. Mayu Nine-toes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi asks for a favor, Mayu gets benched, and ARF makes some headway!

Itachi stopped and tilted his head to the side when he heard somebody call his name. He turned and resisted the urge to react when he saw his jounin commander walking towards him, customary deadly slouch in place and...a large pink bear tucked under one arm.

"Shikaku-san, hello," he said. "I assume you're here to see Mayu-chan?"

Shikaku nodded and ignored the double-takes he was receiving from a group of high-level shinobi who were exiting the hospital as they approached it. "Yeah. She asked me to bring this to her since Yoshino decided to extend her stay in the hospital after yesterday's great escape."

Itachi ignored his pointed look. Like he had any way of knowing that returning the girl's badge to her while she was asleep would result in her stealing a nurse's clothes and sneaking out of her hospital room. In retrospect, though, it  _did_ seem like an obviously Mayu thing to do.

Before Itachi could reply, Shouta appeared in front of Shikaku, face serious. "Shikaku-sama, an urgent matter has come up that requires your atte - is that a  _care bear?"_

Shikaku sighed. Itachi held out his hands. "It seems as if duty calls. Since I am on my way to see her to discuss the news we received this morning, I would be happy to deliver the care bear to Mayu."

Itachi raised an eyebrow when Shikaku slumped into a pout. "...fine," he said and Itachi allowed a small smile to flit across his face as he took the stuffed animal from one of the village's greatest minds to date. So this is where Mayu got her ridiculous propensity for sulking. Interesting, and unexpected.

"I'll be sure to let her know that you were the one who brought it to the hospital and I'll send your regards."

Shikaku shrugged like it didn't matter before turning to follow his assistant towards the administration building, but Itachi didn't miss the pleased quirk of his lips. Itachi allowed himself a small sigh as he entered the hospital lobby. He had never quite realized just how  _human_ the shinobi around him were until he'd become nominated for Hokage.

His father had taught him to be stoic and dignified. A self-contained shinobi that put duty above all else. For a long time, he'd assumed that's how all shinobi were. Shells of men and women filled to the brim with obligation and service, leaving no room for anything else. Finding out otherwise had been a relief, and he strove to preserve those bits of humanity still left in his shinobi. To do anything else would be to admit defeat to all the Danzos of the world.

He wasn't unaware of the looks of disbelief he was garnering, walking through the hospital in his Hokage robes and hat while carrying a bright pink bear that was probably half as tall as he was. He made sure to look as solemn and dignified as he could, keeping his steps graceful and light and the bubbling laughter that wanted to escape him firmly tamped down.

When he arrived at Mayu's room, he stopped to take in the scene in front of him. She was sitting on the bed, arms crossed and an annoyed scowl on her face, fierce countenance completely ruined thanks to the yellow knitted duck hat on her head. A nurse was checking the bandages on her left foot, obviously trying to hold back laughter.

Mayu glanced up and brightened. "Itachi-sempai! You brought my love bear!" she held her hands out in a 'gimme' motion. The nurse jumped and turned wide eyes to Itachi, eyes lingering on the bear before darting back and forth between the two of them.

"Hokage-sama," she finally said in a low voice and bowed her head at him as she put the blanket back over Mayu's bare feet and edged around him to exit as he entered the room.

"I assume that everything is healing as it should?" he asked as she passed him and she paused.

"I'm not a doctor, but, as far as I can tell, everything seems to be progressing well, Hokage-sama," she said in a low soothing tone.

"I am glad to hear it." She inclined her head before darting out of the room and closing the door behind her.

He ignored Mayu's desperate straining towards the bear in his hands and turned to apply a silencing seal to the door. He then walked past her, unable to quite stop all of the amusement from showing on his face as he did so, and placed another on the window before shutting the blinds.

"Mean," she muttered when he finally sat next to her and handed the monstrosity over. She hugged it to her chest and he chuckled at how ridiculous she looked with the bright yellow duck hat and the pink bear. She scowled at him.

"Don't you dare say anything mean about Pink Bear," she said, clutching it defensively. "Shikamaru gave it to me."

Her face fell and he ignored the guilt that moved through him. Shikamaru and Ensui were needed for the mission in Sand. A shinobi's duty must come first.

"I saw Shikaku-san on my way up. He was called away on urgent business and asked me to deliver...Pink Bear to you."

Mayu brightened. "Papa's the best." She hugged the bear to her more firmly.

"How are you?" he asked and she flopped back on her pillows.

"Terrible," she grumbled and his eyes widened slightly in alarm when hers filled with tears. "Fugaku-shishou was here this morning. He said - he said that he was pulling me from the Root and Akatsuki investigations because they're too dangerousfor a weak little chunin like me." She let out a pathetic little sniffle.

Itachi sighed. "It is true that we would not have involved you if we realized the extent of the risk."

Mayu scoffed and looked away. "I'm assuming he didn't tell you why we came to that decision only this morning?" he asked. She slouched over and avoided his gaze, focusing on petting one of Pink Bear's ears.

Itachi leaned back and studied her. "We sent ART Four, led by Sato Nanako, to look through the base that Ito Kaede held you in to collect the information father found there when they arrived to rescue you. They ran into some trouble."

Mayu straightened and looked at him, suddenly serious. "What kind of trouble? Are they okay?"

"They are. Two Akatsuki members were there when they arrived, scouring the base. Hidan and his partner Kakuzu. They engaged and were able to defeat them, though it was...not easy."

Mayu breathed out a sigh of relief. "When you say defeated them..."

"Kakuzu is dead. Hidan is...not dead, but dismembered and on his way to the ARF headquarters. One of Nanako's partners was injured badly, and we've sent Shizune out to help with his recovery."

"Oh," Mayu said. She studied him before sighing and looking down. "They were there for me, weren't they?" she said in a glum tone. "That's why Fugaku-shishou looked all twitchy and murdery this morning."

Itachi inclined his head. "They'd heard that an important member of the Akatsuki Response Force had been taken by Kitaru Hikari and were...interested. They got there too late, obviously, but we've decided that it's just not a good idea to have so much attention drawn to you. Not until you're a jounin. Especially since the neo-Root leader seems to also have taken an interest in you, and you spend so much time on your own.

Mayu," he said, leaning forward and taking her hand in his own, "the threat assessment profiles you developed with my father and Shikaku-san have already helped us identify four members of the organization - two of them high ranking - and we're still investigating others that have been flagged. You were also a large part of the dismantling of Kitaru Hikari. It is us who have failed you, putting so much onto the shoulders of one so young, and then failing to protect you."

Mayu was staring at Pink Bear again, looking altogether depressed and not at all comforted.

"One of the shinobi that assisted in your capture was a personal friend of mine. One of my inner circle of ANBU. I presume another that I would count as a friend assisted in the planning, at the very least." Mayu's head whipped up and he sent her a pained smile. "Now you understand the depth of how much we let you down."

Mayu rolled her eyes and he wasn't sure why he was still capable of being shocked by her complete lack of filter. "Ugh, why are Uchiha men so dramatic,"she groaned, and Itachi wondered if she even realized the irony of that statement. "You should have all become writers for soap operas instead of shinobi."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at her. She remained unmoved and sent him a look that said  _yeah, we both know I'm right, deal with it._ "You didn't let me down because your friends were assholes. Who are they, anyway?" she said with a faux-casualness that he didn't buy for a second.

"The man that assisted with your capture was a civilian born boy who went by the name Han. He has disappeared, along with his ANBU partner, an ex-root member named Yamanaka Fu," he said and raised an eyebrow at the way her back stiffened.

"Wow, Inoichi-sama must be pretty upset, huh?" she finally said.

"He is. When Danzo was killed, Fu was one of the Root members that were chosen for rehabilitation. Inoichi personally oversaw his therapy. He is...distraught by his disappearance."

"Disappearance?" she squeaked. "You mean he - he wasn't one of the guys that we -"

Itachi shook his head. "No. He was not in the group of Root agents that your rescue team defeated. Neither was Han." It was too bad, really, Itachi would have liked to speak with them. Itachi was not an easy man to fool and he had truly valued Yu's friendship and Han's steady presence, and believed that he was valued in turn. It had been a blow to his heart when he discovered the familiar scent Tsume had picked up belonged to Han. "They have disappeared, probably realizing that their covers are blown."

"Do you think Fu could be the leader?" she asked.

"I don't know. He's intelligent and does have some leadership skills." Itachi shrugged and looked out the window. "But I suppose didn't know him as well as I thought."

Mayu sighed sadly and hugged Pink Bear to her. He assumed she was wishing Shikamaru was there. After a moment, he spoke again.

"I think I'm going to dissolve ANBU." He was rewarded when she gaped at him. He always found it satisfying when he caught her off guard - it was very rare that she didn't know exactly what a person was going to do before they did it.

"But - but! Don't they serve a real purpose? You know, outside of being a convenient place to hide secret organizations bent on subverting the village and apparently being a really great smoke screen for traitorous activity...yeah, okay, I see your point," she said, then kissed Pink Bear on its nose.

Itachi leaned back and allowed a wry smile to come across his face. "They do play an important role in protecting the village. It has, however, become increasingly clear that it has rotted from the inside, and I can no longer trust it to do more than hide away those who wish to harm Konoha."

Mayu narrowed her eyes at her bear in thought. "So I guess you'll need to come up with an alternative." She brightened. "Do you want some help, because I have some thoughts -"

"Ah, no Mayu-chan. This is going to be something that takes a light touch and a good deal of subtlety and political maneuvering." She pulled Pink Bear back into a hug and her face fell. She looked so dejected in her duck hat, clinging to her bear, that he moved to quickly change the subject.

"How are you feeling?" She turned wide grey eyes at him.

"...Okay. Nobody will let me out of here to go to my new lab -"

"I believe they're currently repairing the damage you did yesterday -"

" - I was just removed from two of the coolest investigations ever to hit Konoha because Fugaku-shishou thinks I'm too weak to be his partner -"

"Mayu, I really don't think that's what he -"

"And I'm missing a toe." She slouched over, staring down at her feet. "People are starting to call me Mayu Nine-toes," she finished mournfully and her lower lip trembled.

His lip quirked. "I highly doubt that."

"It's true," she insisted.

Right, another change in subject was in order. "Do you remember that I asked if we could have lunch to discuss something I needed your help with?"

Mayu put her nose in the air. "I'm surprised anybody in this village thinks that I'm still capable of doing more than drooling and picking my nose at this point."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, wondering how on earth his brother had made it through a full year on her team without developing a perpetual eye twitch. "Well, if you're not interested..."

Mayu narrowed her eyes at him. "You're the Hokage. It hardly matters whether I'm interested or not. You can just make me do it."

 _And have you throw a huge fit and snark and whine all over everything within fifty feet of you._ "Well, as it's a personal matter, that's not exactly true," he said instead. Her eyes lit up with interest, though she was still looking a little put-out.

"What kind of personal matter?" she asked suspiciously.

Itachi resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably under her stare, though he doubted she missed his reticence to bring up the subject. Part of being a good leader was recognizing his own weaknesses, however, and just as Mayu had trusted him to help her after her run-in with the Curse Mark, so he would trust her in turn. 

"The council has recently expressed some...concern...over my familial status."

Mayu's brow furrowed and she studied him, and he forced himself not to squirm. Then her face cleared. "Oh! They want you to find a first lady!"

"A what?" he asked, but of course she kept talking.

"Hmm, I bet you were all prepared for your stuffy elders to find you an Uchiha wife, but now you've got all these village politics to worry about, especially with your long-term goal of integrating the Uchiha more into the village..." she trailed off and stared at the rainbow on Pink Bear's stomach in thought. Itachi forced himself not to sigh at how she picked up most of the nuances of his situation after one vague sentence from him.

"How long?" she said and he frowned.

"Excuse me?"

Mayu made an impatient noise. "How long do you have to find your own match before they start throwing a bunch of women at you?"

Itachi closed his eyes at her phrasing as he was once again reminded why Mayu should never go into politics. Ever. "Six months," he admitted. He held himself still while she studied him.

"Okay...so you want me to help you pick somebody? You're kind of a political genius, so..."

Itachi gave his head one firm shake and thanked everything holy that he'd learned to suppress his blush when he was ten and surrounded by older ninja who loved to tease the stoic Uchiha. Some of his discomfort must have shown, however, because her mouth dropped open in surprise and she leaned forward.

"Holy shit, you're totally in love with somebody!"

Itachi twitched and she crowed in victory. Why in the world had he come to this ridiculous creature for advice?

"I...do have somebody in mind," he admitted.

"Whoa." She sat back, looking completely floored by the revelation. He was almost a little insulted. He knew how people saw him, but he thought Mayu at the very least could see past his calm, ruthless facade. Well, not a facade, exactly, but that was just the surface, really.

"Oh, no, I totally think you're capable of love," Mayu interrupted his thoughts and when he looked over she was leaning forward, face earnest, duck hat slipping to the side. "I'm just surprised I never noticed it before. You're hard to read." Itachi hated to think what it would be like to be easy to read.

"So, what do you need me to do? Want me to investigate her and make sure she's, you know, not a horrible person in disguise?"

"No, Mayu-chan," he said, voice showing just a bit of exasperation. "I'm only here for...advice."

"Like...dating advice?" she scrunched her face up and he resisted the urge to smile.

"Yes. I don't have many female friends. In fact, you may be the only one that I can trust to be discreet about this."

Mayu stared at him, mouth dropped open in shock. "Me? You want me to help you get the girl of your dreams?  _Me?"_

"If you'd rather not assist me in this endeavor, you need only say so," Itachi said a little stiffly, surprised at how much her rejection bothered him.

"What! No! I'll help, of course, I will. I just. I mean, I'm not exactly...sensitive?"

Itachi relaxed. "You are intelligent and possess a forthright nature. I believe this is what I need. Plus, you are experienced in the area of love."

Mayu made a strange expression at that. "I...guess that's true." They sat in contemplative silence. Then, Mayu straightened, face brightening.

"You know, this might be fun. Project: Get Itachi Hitched to the Girl of His Dreams is officially a go!" He raised a brow and she bit her lip. "We could shorten it to Project: Hitched for now," she conceded, then carefully set Pink Bear aside. Itachi suddenly regretted his decision to come to her with all of his being.

She leaned forward, face flushed with excitement. "First things first, I need to get some background information. Who is this girl? How do you know her? What kind of interactions do you currently have?" Itachi twitched when a notebook appeared out of seemingly nowhere in her hands and cleared his throat.

"You know her," he said and Mayu sent him a look of alarm.

"Please tell me it's not Hinata. I mean, she's awesome, but I can just tell you right now that she's in love with somebody else. It won't be impossibleto sway her, just more difficult -"

"No, Mayu," he said, again resisting the urge to sigh. "She's older than Hinata. I believe she is the same age as I am. We met when I was fifteen. We went on a three-month information-gathering mission to Kiri with two other team members. She was both the medic and the tracker on our team. It is then that I fell in love with her."

"Oh thank god, I would not wish Hiashi-sama as a father-in-law on anybody. Well, maybe on an Akatsuki member...holy crap, you're in love with an Inuzuka. That is awesome!Wait, you said I know her. The only two female medics from the Inuzuka clan I know are Megu and Hana. Megu I've only met a few times...it's Hana! Oh!"

Itachi took a deep breath to quell his anxiety. It was a mystery how he could face down S-ranked threats without breaking a sweat, but revealing this long-held secret crush made him want to look for the nearest dark room to hide in.

"Well, I guess I can't blame you. Hana's super strong and nice and really pretty. Politically...is it okay that she's a future clan head?" Mayu asked.

"She has expressed disinterest in the position. I believe it will go to Kiba or one of their cousins."

Mayu bit her lip. "Okay...if she doesn't want to be clan head, why do you think she'd want to marry the most prominent political figure in the village?"

Always blunt, this girl. Itachi gave a small, graceful shrug. "I don't. That is why I've asked you for assistance."

Mayu side-eyed him but didn't comment. "Okay. Well, you've been in love with her for like, five years. So, you two must interact sometimes. What does she say when you do? Does she seem happy?"

"..."

"Right," Mayu said at his pointed silence. "Are you telling me you two haven't spoken at all since you decided she's the love of your life?"

"I believed that I would not be available to marry outside of the clan," he said a little stiffly.

"That...actually makes sense," Mayu conceded. "But you've known for over a year that you'd be able to pursue her, so why...?"

"I wasn't sure how to approach her," he admitted after a moment, embarrassed, and ignored her snort of laughter.

"Oh man, Uchiha Itachi is shy. I...okay. Well. Huh," she said and narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, how do you know you'll even still like her?"

"I know. I've...kept an eye on her."

Mayu's eyes widened. "You've been  _stalking her?_ Sempai! Girls do not find that adorable! You - you! Does she know?"

He straightened and sent a disapproving look her way, which she ignored. "I have not been stalking her." He bit the words out, lips twisting on the word stalking.

Mayu gave him a look so full of disbelief that he almost looked away. "So when you say 'keeping an eye on her' you don't mean watching her from afar when she doesn't know you're looking?"

Itachi cleared his throat and glanced at the clock on the wall. Mayu snickered. "Oh, please tell me you haven't been watching her undress or like, gathering strands of her hair to keep in your pocket."

"Of course not," he said, appalled at the thought.

"And you're positive she doesn't know you've been creeping on her?" Mayu pressed.

"Yes, since I haven't been, as you so colloquially put it, 'creeping on her' at all," he said with as much dignity as he could gather.

"Uh huh. I'm only asking because Inuzuka are really, really hard to sneak up on. And Hana especially so - she's got one of the strongest noses in their clan, plus three ninken."

"I am...reasonably sure that she has not noted my presence," he said, suddenly nervous.

"Alright." Mayu sighed and leaned back. "Well, obviously we need to put a 'no stalking' rule in place," she muttered and scribbled something on her notebook.

"I don't think you need to write that down," he said and she flapped a hand at him.

"So, since you can't get your fix by being a Peeping Tom, we'll need to set up some sort of - of - meet-cute! Yes. Hmm." She narrowed her eyes and sat back, tapping her lip thoughtfully. After a few minutes, she smiled. It was more terrifying than Itachi thought it had any right to be, coming from somebody with a knitted duck hat on her head.

"Hey, sempai, how do you feel about dogs?"

000

Shikamaru pulled Mayu down into another kiss, a familiar, itchy heat building beneath his skin when she opened her mouth and let him lick in it. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and he groaned when her hips moved against his.

"Shikamaru," she said.

"Mayu," he said and she pressed up against him again, warm and soft and perfect -

"Shikamaru!" she yelled in his face and he jolted awake when cool air hit him.

He blinked up at a snickering Kankuro, gritting his teeth in annoyance. He sat up quickly when he saw Temari's eyes fall on his lap then skitter away, tugging his bedroll from Kankuro's hands and draping it across his lower half.

His cheeks heated in embarrassment and the annoying boy continued to laugh at him. He hated being fourteen. He just really, really did, especially when he had wet dreams about his girlfriend while camping with his team.

"I'd ask what has you so worked up, but you talk in your sleep. Man, you're getting desperate after so long, huh?" Kankuro said and waggled his eyebrows.

"Yeah, well, you're just jealous because you don't have a girlfriend to dream about," he snapped, then stood and started rolling up his bed with jerky, annoyed movements, Kankuro's face more than enough to kill his arousal.

He'd been in a foul mood for weeks - ever since Itachi had sent Ensui a message telling him that their month off was to be spent assassinating dissenters in Suna who were attempting to incite war between the Wind and Earth by raiding villages. They would then disappear into what seemed like thin air, leaving destruction and political nightmares in their wake.

On top of not being able to go home and see his family and Mayu, he'd gotten his first taste of assassination. It was both harder and easier than he anticipated. Difficult in practice because he'd never had a chance to use the assassination techniques Ensui had taught him to their full extent since he couldn't exactly practice assassinating people. It had been trickier to control than he'd thought it would be though, in the end, he'd managed it.

The actual taking of a life in such a cold-hearted manner, however, was a lot less traumatizing than he'd assumed it would be. Though that might have been because the people he killed were the type of humans that the world was better without. They'd finished the job Suna had thought would take at least three weeks in one, because, well, they were Nara on a mission. Both of them just wanted to get the hell home. Then they'd received anothermessage.

ART Four had been in an altercation with Akatsuki and Jiraiya needed them to report in for duty. So, he wouldn't be seeing his Mayu for another four months, at the least. He was starting to wonder if he'd made a mistake joining ARF, especially since they hadn't actually had any run-ins with the group he'd been so eager to hunt.

His team had basically run around the Elemental Nations saving random people and cities and clearing out criminal organizations. They had collected whispers and hints of information on the Akatsuki and destroyed a major Kitari Hikaru base, though they still hadn't found Ito Kaede. The work he was doing was useful and satisfying - who didn't like saving people? - but it wasn't getting him any closer to Akatsuki.

Shikamaru had also picked up some skills that were useful at the least, and deadly at the most from Ensui. He'd been peripherally aware of his uncle's reputation, of course. The Death Shroud, a man who couldn't perhaps cause as much widespread damage as Shikamaru's father, but who was much more ruthless, just as intelligent, and had honed his shadows into assassination techniques that were as devastating as they were effective.

Shikamaru had turned down the summons contract - tracking would be such a pain, so much chasing, ugh - but he didn't really need it for his plans. He wanted to be an advisor to the Hokage while still being deadly in his own right. Ensui's techniques, used in close quarters, were insidious and difficult to escape if somebody wasn't expecting them.

The next time somebody tried to kidnap, kill, blow up, or otherwise hurt a person he loved, they wouldn't live to regret it. So, perhaps it was worth it, even if he hadn't gotten the revenge he'd been hoping for against the Akatsuki. Yet.

Shikamaru gritted his teeth when Kankuro smirked. He knew it meant the boy was about to say something completely obnoxious. "Why would I need a girlfriend to dream about when I can dream about yours?"

Behind them, Temari and Gaara gave identical sighs as Shikamaru's hands stilled on his blankets. He suddenly felt very, very cold in a way that meant he was furious.The last time he'd been this angry was...well, it had been awhile. For a split second, he considered his options.

He could use what Ensui had taught him to kill Kankuro before the Sand shinobi even knew what was happening. But then Temari and Gaara would probably retaliate. He was sure he could take on Temari, and possibly Gaara if he wasn't expecting it and he had plenty of time to plan...but not both when they were on the offensive.

So. Fists it was. He didn't bother telegraphing his movements or intentions. One moment he was kneeling over his bedroll, then next his shadows pulled Kankuro's feet from under him and wrapped around his torso and arms to hold him in place while Shikamaru descended on him in a flurry of fists and cold rage. Kankuro's eyes widened and Shikamaru got in three good punches before he released him to give him a fighting chance.

The next three minutes were actually somewhat satisfying since Shikamaru was able to knee Kankuro in the stomach, deliver a vicious jab to his shoulder, and break his nose with a headbutt. In exchange, he received a black eye and a few bruises on his torso.

"Dammit, that's enough!"Ensui's irritated voice said and a hand appeared in Shikamaru's vision, pulling Kankuro off of him while another latched into Shikamaru's collar and tugged him to his feet.

Shikamaru continued to glare at Kankuro. He was holding a hand to his nose to try and stop the bleeding and Ensui stared them down. "You wanna tell me what the hell is wrong with you two?"

Shikamaru clenched his fists and didn't answer. He shook off Ensui's hand and turned back to his bedroll. Ensui sighed and moved over to Kankuro, hand lighting green before it hovered over his broken nose. His uncle knew enough medical jutsu to fix a broken nose at the very least and had actually insisted that Shikamaru learn enough for field healing, too. The knowledge had saved Ensui's life on multiple occasions.

Shikamaru refused to feel guilty when Kankuro whimpered in pain. He had been making innuendos about Mayu for months _,_ thinking it was hilarious to rile his teammate. Shikamaru was aware that he was only doing it to get under his skin - it had become just another competition between the two. Shikamaru figured he had probably just lost, but he also knew that he'd made his point. He was done listening to anybody talk about Mayu that way.

"What the hell, you guys just watched him go crazy!" Kankuro yelled at his siblings.

"You deserved it," Temari said, voice flat and unimpressed. "Gaara told you to stop pushing him."

Kankuro sputtered and Shikamaru finished packing up his bedroll. He was just glad that they'd be arriving at Grass soon. He knew that Ensui would probably end up rooming with Kakashi and hopefully, that would give Shikamaru a much-needed break from his team.

He didn't mind the Sand siblings - he was honestly kind of fond of them. Gaara was socially awkward, lacking in understanding of people or any emotion other than bloodlust, but he was actively trying to improve. Temari was smart, even if she did have a sharp tongue, which reminded Shikamaru of his mother so it didn't bother him.

Kankuro was an idiot, but Shikamaru knew that the stupid shit he said came from the same core issue that Gaara had. He'd been sequestered in his childhood, they all had, from what he could garner. Kankuro was trying to make his overtures of friendship by engaging in teasing and competitive behavior. Kind of like a boy who tugged on the pigtails of the girl they liked.

Shikamaru generally had more patience for it, even if he didn't like it. He mostly ignored it, though once Kankuro had figured out Mayu was one of his sore spots he'd continued to poke at him like the child Shikamaru suspected he was at heart. No matter that he was actually the oldest of the siblings at seventeen.

Shikamaru's well of patience had run dry for just about everything when they'd been forced to head back to Grass instead of Konoha, however. He mostly spent his time in brooding silence, giving one-word answers when his team tried to talk to him. Gaara and Temari had taken the hint and given him space, but Kankuro...well.

"Kid, you gotta pull yourself together," Ensui said, pulling him to a stop and letting the other three pull ahead before speaking. "I get it, he deserved it, he's been pushing your buttons for days now. But becoming my apprentice and joining the response force is something you chose to do, Shikamaru. The skills and experience you've gained the past six months don't come free. You can either wallow or accept that it is what it is." Shikamaru clenched his fists and stared at the ground, annoyed because Ensui was right.

"You know she's still gonna be there when you get back," Ensui said. "What you've been doing...it's actually good for her in the long run. That girl is always going to be falling face first into trouble. She needs you around to watch her back."

He clapped him on the shoulder, then cleared his throat when they began walking after their team. "As for your...dreams...they're normal, you know." Shikamaru's jaw dropped open in horror when he realized what was happening. "Sex is natural, and as long as you're safe and both parties are consenting -"

"Please stop," Shikamaru finally said in a garbled voice. "I promise, I won't beat up Kankuro again, I'll quit with the bad mood, just stop _."_

Ensui chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. "Well, if you ever need to talk about it or if you have any questions, I'm here. Please, for the love of all that is holy, do not ask your father."

Shikamaru snickered, mood lifting. He pointedly ignored all of Kankuro's attempts at conversation. He seemed genuinely remorseful, but Shikamaru wasn't really in a forgiving mood.

They arrived at Grass as the sun was setting, shuffling into the village on tired feet. The villagers had gotten used to ninja from different nations moving in and out and they didn't get more than a second look. Some people even sent them friendly waves.

"Alright," Ensui said after they'd collected room keys. "I'll report in to Jiraiya. Meet back here first thing in the morning unless you hear otherwise from me."

Shikamaru turned and started towards the stairs, not bothering to say goodbye to his team while Ensui asked the clerk at the front desk in a low tone if Kakashi had checked in yet. Yeah, he wouldn't be seeing his uncle again until morning.

He made it to his room and slumped against the door after it closed behind him, relief making him weak. Shikamaru knew Ensui was right. He had to suck it up and deal, but he was homesick. _H_ e missed his mom's fussing and his dad's silent amusement and Mayu's manic energy and Chouji's quiet unwavering support. He even missed Ino's nagging.

He sighed, dropping his pack to the floor and moving into the bathroom, almost moaning with relief once he was under the hot spray of the shower. Four and a half more months. He could handle that.

His mind wandered back to the embarrassing scene from that morning. He wasn't used to having zero personal space, not for an extended period of time. It had made him close to his team in a way he hadn't been with Team Ten, but it was mostly just a huge pain.

Shikamaru couldn't help but focus on the dream Kakuro had interrupted. He sighed and leaned his head against the shower wall when his body once again showed interest in the images. Luckily, this time he was alone and could deal with it without an audience.

The next morning, he entered the lobby in a marginally better mood than he left it.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto called, waving his hand frantically where he was standing with the rest of ART One and Ensui.

"Hey, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei, Kento-san."

"Hey, what are you doing here - I thought you'd be in Konoha?" Sakura asked.

Shikamaru scowled. "No, we had to go to Suna for a different mission and then we got called back here."

Naruto deflated and Sasuke frowned. "Oh no, poor Mayu," Sakura said, wringing her hands. Shikamaru slumped over at the reminder that he'd missed her birthday. "Hey, you should send her something - you can use one of Naruto's frogs."

"They're toads!" Naruto protested and Shikamaru sent him an interested look.

"Can I?" He was doing his best to ignore the way Ensui was standing just a little too close to Kakashi...and the suspiciously high collar his uncle was wearing that day. Nope, he was not going there.

"Sure. Hey, we can all send her something, since we missed her birthday -"

"Alright, let's go, Jiraiya-sama's waiting," Ensui grumbled, slapping at one of Kakashi's hands when it moved a little too close to his butt. Shikamaru quickly averted his eyes.

Ten minutes later they were sitting in a conference room large enough to hold all of the teams. Sato Nanako and her team all looked a little beat up and Shikamaru frowned when he saw one of her large partners - Goto - wasn't there. Nanako was glowering at the table and her arms probably would have been crossed if one of them wasn't in a sling. At the front of the room, Jiraiya was conversing quietly with Shizune. Shikamaru exchanged looks with Ensui - whatever went down, it was serious if Tsunade's student was there.

"Alright," Jiraiya said, clapping his hands to pull the room's attention to him. The quiet murmur of voices cut off and they all straightened.

"Hey, hey, pervy sage, what's this about?" Naruto called and Shikamaru resisted the urge to tell him to sit down and shut up so that Jiraiya could actually speak.

"I'm getting to it. Alright, so, the good news is, Konoha nin captured or killed the last of the leadership of Kitari Hikaru this week. They are officially out of business. The other good news is that two Akatsuki members have been taken out of commission by ART Four."

Nanako inclined her head at Jiraiya, whose smile dropped off his face. "The bad news is that Goto was seriously injured in the altercation. Shizune is overseeing his care. He'll recover, but it will take a few weeks. ART Three will be filling in while they wait for him or her to get here."

"So, you want to go into some details?" Ensui drawled, eyes sharp.

"Ah, yes, right," Jiraiya said with a nervous laugh. "First of all, can I just say that everything turned out just fine - nobody died, even if they're missing a body part or two -" Shizune cleared her throat and Jiraiya abruptly stopped talking. "Right, that's not important."

Shikamaru frowned when Jiraiya gave ART One and then Ensui and Shikamaru steady looks. "I ask that you remain calm. Like I said, everybody was fine in the end."

Shikamaru looked over at Sasuke, who must be having the same thoughts he was - this would effect them personally. He inclined his head before they both turned to Jiraiya, who had straightened, an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.

"Five days ago, Nomaka Mayu was kidnapped by the remaining members of Kitaru Hikari."

Shikamaru stood so fast his chair toppled over, adrenaline flowing into his system and his pulse sounding in his ears, almost but not quite covering Naruto's sudden yelling and the sounds of a few other chairs hitting the ground.

"Sit down!" Jiraiya yelled and the room was suddenly filled with his chakra, making the air so thick that it was difficult to breathe. Somebody grabbed the back of Shikamaru's shirt and forcefully pulled him back into his chair - he wondered distantly who had picked it up for him.

"I told you," Jiraiya said in a softer tone once the flurry of voices cut off. "She's fine. Alive, and back in Konoha."

Shikamaru stared down at a spot on the table, back stiff and face stony.

"What happened? Did they hurt her? How long was she gone?" Naruto's demanded and Shikamaru pulled his gaze up with serious effort.

Naruto was leaning forward, face twisted in worry. Sasuke was sitting next to him, expression stony. Sakura was tugging on one of her gloves, and Kakashi was stiff in his seat, grey eye trained on Jiraiya, looking ready to kill at the slightest provocation. Shikamaru didn't need to look over at Ensui - he already knew what he'd see. The Death Shroud would be sitting where his uncle had been just a few minutes ago. Shikamaru knew his quiet, icy fury would be reflected in the other Nara's expression and bearing.

"Jesus," he heard one of the Hot Water twins say. "I thought Konoha nin were supposed to be the nice ones."

Nanako let out a humorless laugh. "Only somebody who's never fought in a war against them would believe that."

Jiraiya breathed out and pinched the bridge of his nose, grumbling about over dramatic shinobi. "As I said, she was recovered by a team consisting of Uchiha Fugaku, Nara Shikaku, Nara Yoshino, and Inuzuka Tsume."

Genma, who had been silent but didn't look any happier about the news than the other Konoha shinobi in the room, let out a low whistle. "No wonder Kitaru Hikari is finished. That's quite the line up for a rescue mission."

Jiraiya smirked. "According to the report, Mayu-chan had already escaped when they were there by blowing up part of the building she was being held in. She'd taken out half the opposing force by the time her rescue team arrived. They just had to clean house a bit."

Kakashi smiled and leaned back, relaxing. "Sounds like Mayu," he said and Sasuke smirked while Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, you can't keep a member of Team Seven down for long!"

"They sent a message letting us know that there was some information that we might want to look through at the base they were holding Mayu-chan at. ART Four was closest, so I sent them to check it out. I'll let Nanako tell you what happened," Jiraiya finished.

Nanako inclined her head, looking put together despite her obvious injuries. "When we arrived at the base, it wasn't empty. The two Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu were there. They had heard that somebody central to ARF had been captured and had been sent to collect her. From the short conversation we had before they attacked, they didn't know who it was, exactly." Some of the tension that had been building in Shikamaru's body relaxed at the knowledge that Mayu's name wouldn't be on a list of Akatsuki's most wanted.

"We fought and Goto was injured badly before I figured out that Hidan's pointy little stick and ritual had some actual real-world applications. Eventually, we killed Kakuzu. Hidan seems to be immortal, so the best we could do was chop him into itty bitty pieces and bring him back here."

Jiraiya grimaced though Nanako actually looked a little delighted about the whole thing. It seemed she was holding a grudge. "So, that's the gist of what happened -"

"You're hiding something," Ensui said bluntly from next to Shikamaru, who gave a short nod.

"Something about Mayu," he continued for his uncle, a little surprised at how low and threatening it came out.

Jiraiya sighed and looked at the ceiling. "I was going to wait until after the meeting to tell you, but I guess it'll come out eventually anyway. Mayu was taken from Shikaku-san and Yoshino-san's house. She was the only one there at the time. When they returned, the kidnappers had left something behind." Jiraiya sighed and Shikamaru's heartbeat picked up, already knowing he wasn't going to like what he heard.

"They cut off one of her toes," Jiraiya said bluntly. Shikamaru was suddenly glad he was sitting down because he swayed, vision tunneling before exploding back into sharp focus.

"What," he rasped, aware that everybody had frozen in shock. Him speaking seemed to break the spell, because suddenly everybody was yelling again. 

 _She was taken from the house while she was alone._ The thought kept chasing itself around in his brain and soon guilt was replacing his rage. He had left herand she'd been kidnapped and tortured and who knew what else. Shikamaru stood, ignoring Temari and Kankuro calling his name, and with deliberate steps, left the room.

Eventually, he found himself sitting on his hotel bed with no real memory of how he'd gotten there.  _I left her,_ he thought and buried his face in his hands. A few minutes later there was a light knock on the door. He didn't move to answer it, already having a good idea of who it was.

When the bed dipped next to him, a familiar sigh reached his ears. "I talked to Jiraiya. She really is okay. The toe was the worst of it," Ensui said. Shikamaru scoffed and lowered his hands.

"That's bad enough."

"Agreed," Ensui said. "But she's okay, Shikamaru. Your parents went out and got her. These things -"

"Don't," Shikamaru said. "Don't say these things are just part of being a shinobi. She was - she was  _at home._ Where she should have been safe. If I had been there -"

"Then you might have saved her, or you might have died. There's no way of knowing and beating yourself up won't change anything."

Ensui stood and started pacing and Shikamaru realized he was probably trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince Shikamaru. "The Akatsuki are dangerous, we all knew that when we joined the response team. The best we can do to keep our people safe is to eliminate them."

Shikamaru gave one sharp nod. "Sure, I'd love to. The only problem with that is that we can't actually find the assholes," he grumbled, tension bleeding from his shoulders.

He pushed his guilt away and let himself fall into his thinking stance. He could request to transfer off of the team, it was true. He'd be back in the village where he could keep an eye on Mayu. Ensui had a point, though. If he did that, he wouldn't be able to actually do anything against the threat to her and the village. So, he'd stay. At least for a little while longer.

When he lifted his head, Ensui was watching him closely. His decision must have been clear because his uncle relaxed. "Come on, kid. Kakashi's team wants to burn off a little steam on the training field. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro went with them. Let's join them and see what kind of trouble we can cause, huh?"

Shikamaru quirked a lip up and stood to follow his uncle out the door. When they ran into the Akatsuki again, it wouldn't be Shikamaru that ended up running this time.

Two mornings later he was woken up by a messenger just before dawn. "Jiraiya-sama has called an emergency meeting," the Grass chunin said.

Shikamaru filed in just as Kakashi's team arrived, looking just as groggy as he felt. They sat down and Shikamaru let Naruto's exclamations of how he was going to 'kick ass' flow over him. As soon as the last of the three uninjured teams and Nanako's team minus Goto sat down, Jiraiya was speaking. He was standing in front of a map of the Elemental Nations and his expression was serious.

"I just got word from one of my contacts. Four Akatsuki members were seen crossing into Kumo yesterday morning." He pointed to the map. "They entered here, in a little-known pass that's generally only useful for small groups of travelers on foot. The assumption is that, as soon as they've done whatever it is they're there for, they'll exit the same way."

Ensui sat forward and Shikamaru felt adrenaline and anticipation flow through him. "Let me guess, we'll be waiting there for them."

Jiraiya grinned and pointed at the man. "Got it in one. According to my intelligence, it is most likely Hoshigaki Kisame, Suigetsu, Deidara, and Sasori."

Shikamaru glanced over at ART One and saw that Mayu's old teammates were looking just as pleased as he felt at the lineup.

"Team leaders, stay here with me. The rest of you - be ready to leave in an hour."

Shikamaru stood and made his way to the door, getting there before anybody else since he had been sitting closest to it. He then leaned against the wall, nodding as people passed and waving his own team on.

"Naruto," he said when he bounced out of the door. He turned his blue eyes on him and beamed.

"Hey, hey, Shikamaru! Are you ready to show the Akatsuki what happens when they mess with Konoha?"

Shikamaru's lips curved up into a. "Yep. I'm looking forward to it. I wanted to ask - is the offer still open to send Mayu a package?"

Naruto beamed. "Sure! I can summon a toad whenever."

Shikamaru reached into his pocket and pulled out a lumpy envelope. "Here. Whenever you get a chance would be great. Thanks," he said a little awkwardly when Naruto took it.

The boy felt one of the lumps and then grinned mischievously. "Hey, is this what I think it is, Shikamaru?"

He glared and ignored the heat on his cheeks. "None of your business," he mumbled before straightening from where he'd been leaning against the wall and heading towards the motel.

"Is that any way to treat somebody who's doing you a favor?" Naruto yelled, but Shikamaru could tell he was teasing, so he just lifted his hand in a wave.

000

Shikamaru dove to the side to avoid being caught in an explosion, then flipped back so that he wouldn't be skewered on a puppet's blade. He was never more grateful than in that particular moment that he'd trained with his mother and Mayu in the Hashino Deadly Dance Technique. Even if he only made it through stage three, it was great for dodging.

From the corner of his eye he saw a huge wave of water connect with some sort of large-scale wind jutsu and the earth shook beneath his feet. A plume of fire followed it, sending steam wafting into the air.

Shikamaru regained his footing and took off into a sprint across the dry, rocky ground and he couldn't help but wonder how their carefully laid plans had gone to hell so quickly. He twisted to the side and did a handless cartwheel between two puppets, barely flinching when a pink and red blur moved to flank him on one side, sending pieces of another humanoid puppet that had come at him from above sailing across the clearing with a single punch.

He didn't have time to thank Sakura before she was zipping across the field to cover Nanako while the woman engaged in bladed combat with three more puppets that were blocking her path to her team. Shikamaru leapt high into the air when he caught sight of a spot of white on the ground. It exploded, knocking him off balance so that he landed in a roll instead of on his feet. He ignored the new cuts littering his body and pulled himself up, then started running again towards his target.

The twins had promised they would bring Deidara back down to earth as soon as ART Three was in place. Shikamaru was about ten feet from his assigned spot when he caught sight of the rest of his team converging from opposite directions. Temari was swinging her fan, creating a path for herself through bombs and puppets alike.

Kankuro was using his puppet to dodge and distract his opponents. Ensui had somehow faded into the shadows that the brush and rock formed on the ground, invisible to the naked eye, though Shikamaru was sure he was there. He really needed to learn how his uncle did that.

The plan had been to split the Akatsuki members up when they appeared. Jiraiya and Kakashi were going to take on Kisame, since he was the biggest player and, frankly, would probably crush most of the other members of ARF if he fought seriously. The rest of ART One, with backup from Nanako and her team (still minus poor Goto) were responsible for Suigetsu, since Sasuke's lightning and Sakura's and Nanako's teams' Earth style would be useful against his water jutsu. Ensui's team was supposed to neutralize Deidara while Baki's team took on Sasori.

They had laid in wait for the four Akatsuki members and had been met with a surprise when they appeared. Thrown over Kisame's shoulder, unconscious and looking worse for wear, was the Raikage's brother and Kumo's jinchuuriki, B.

"Oh, shit," Jiraiya had breathed. "Okay, new main objective: free the jinchuuriki at all costs."

At some point during the confrontation, Nanako and Sakura had been separated from the rest of their formation, B had woken up and was now fighting Kisame with Jiraiya and Kakashi, if the tentacles and heavy, deadly chakra flowing from that area were any indication, and the Hot Water Twins had ended up as part of their plan to ground Deidara, who was flying around on that big stupid bird again.

Baki, Yamato, and Baru were currently keeping Sasori as distracted as they could. From what Shikamaru had been able to see while running for his life, the three of them were more than keeping the puppet master on his toes, and Sakura and Nanako had finally made their way over to Sasuke, Naruto, Ishii Kento, and the rest of ART Four.

Once Deidara was grounded, Ensui and Shikamaru would be attempting to coordinate an attack they'd only just developed in theory after their last mission. The Sand Siblings would be responsible for keeping all the other hostiles off of them, most likely with assistance from Baki and his team, since Sasori was the closest enemy.

Shikamaru finally arrived at the small boulder that marked his position, crouching down and removing two chakra pills from his pouch - the most that he could take without falling into a coma - and slipped them between his lips at the corner of his mouth, holding them there.

He raised his eyebrow when Koji and Toma rolled into the middle of the diamond his team had formed and multiple spears of steaming water shot out of the ground just as Deidara flew overhead. The bird banked right to avoid one, but couldn't dodge all of them. One tore straight through a wing and the two brothers sprinted out of the way, diving behind Temari, who was breathing hard and covered in dirt and her own blood.

The bird hit the ground with a tremendous crash, sending rocks and debris flying. "I'm tired of you ripping up my art, yeah," Diedara said after landing lightly on his feet, stalking towards Temari and the twins. Temari held her ground and raised an eyebrow at him, leaning casually on her fan.

"Art? That looked like a pretty plain jane bird to me," she said and smiled sharply.

Deidara bristled, but Shikamaru stopped paying attention to what he was saying when he spotted the shadows slowly sliding across the ground, looking like an inky puddle. This was the technique that had earned his uncle his nickname. Shikamaru made the appropriate signs and sent his own smaller puddle of shadows towards the enemy. He had just about reached Deidara's foot when the man spotted Shikamaru's dark, creeping shade and jumped backward - right into Ensui's jutsu.

He was immediately engulfed in shadows from head to toe. They clung to him like a second skin, making him look like some kind of macabre umbra that had just risen from the ground. Shikamaru knew from experience what it felt like to be caught in that jutsu - Ensui had put him under it for two full minutes before teaching it to him so that he could understand exactly how it worked. It was one of the most horrible things he'd ever felt (the worst still being hit by Samehada).

The shadows completely engulfed and surrounded you, sticking against your skin, making small movements outside of spasming in panic nearly impossible. They cut off your air and when you tried to breathe in you just pulled more shadows into yourself. It was probably what drowning in a vat of extremely thick tar would feel like.

Shikamaru had killed two people using the technique last week. The weakness was the same as the Shadow Bind Technique. It was chakra intensive, and if the victim had a lot of chakra they could flare it and fight you - which meant that the user of the Death Shroud Technique burned through theirs even faster.

After Shikamaru's one attempt at the Shadow Bind Technique on Deidara, he knew the man had large reserves. That was why they were going to use him as a lab rat for the Double Death Shroud Technique - it was also the reason behind the chakra pills that Shikamaru and Ensui both had at the ready.

It was risky since afterward, both Nara would probably be completely useless, but they trusted their team to protect them and get them out of danger. This would also keep anybody from having to get too close to the missing-nin - they didn't want a repeat of what happened to Asuma.

Narrowing his eyes, Shikamaru pushed his own shadows to layer over Ensui's, wincing at the immediate drop in his reserves. He could feel Deidara flaring his chakra, pushing against their barriers. He took a deep breath, then allowed his shadows to meld into Ensui's, flowing into the same shape and then knitting them together, strengthening both of their techniques exponentially. Something inside him relaxed when he realized that their new jutsu had worked just the way they theorized it would. Sure, they had backup plans to deal with Deidara, but all of them held a much higher chance of injury to themselves and their team.

Deidara must have sensed his prison strengthening because he was struggling even more now. Shikamaru wrinkled his nose. It was pretty gross feeling his chakra settle into the man's orifices,  _especially_ the ones on his hands.

He breathed in slowly, hands held up in front of him in the Rat sign, focusing on keeping the chakra flow steady so he didn't leave any weaknesses. They had agreed that they'd probably need to hold it for at least five minutes after Deidara stopped struggling, just to be sure of his death. They couldn't afford to lose their concentration, even for a moment.

Shikamaru didn't flinch when Temari appeared in front of him and sliced a puppet in half with her fan that had been heading straight for him. He didn't move his eyes from the struggling figure that was now writhing on the ground when Sasori himself came speeding towards their group, intent on freeing his partner.

Sand rose up to spear at the living puppet, aiming for the 'heart,' as Mayu and Kankuro had told them to all those months ago. Steaming water tore apart three puppets when they came up behind Ensui, hunkered down in an identical position to Shikamaru's next to a larger pile of boulders, face devoid of emotion, even when some of the scalding water splashed onto his hand.

Shikamaru slowly brought the tip of his tongue forward at the four-minute mark and touched it to one of the pills between his lips, tugging it into his mouth. Just as his chakra was close to critical, he bit down on it, shivering at the feeling of energy rushing back into him.

He forced himself to remain upright instead of swaying. He doubted he would last more than another three minutes with the artificial energy before he'd have to use the next one. They'd be cutting it close - really close. Deidara's struggles were slowing, though he was still flaring his chakra intermittently. He was testing the defenses, pushing randomly with different amounts of power and at different areas.

By the time Shikamaru's reserves were almost gone, the missing nin's physical struggles had ceased. He bit down on the second pill.

"Two!" he yelled at Ensui, to let him know that he was now on his last leg of reserves. The man just grunted in response, but the strain of holding the jutsu was reflected on his face and in the slight tremors running through his body.

Sweat was beading on Shikamaru's forehead and dripping down his face and he was so focused on keeping his jutsu in place that he wasn't really aware of the fight going on around him anymore, outside of the occasional shuddering of the earth and the flare of jutsu. Shikamaru was down to half his remaining reserves when Deidara stopped flaring his chakra. He wasn't going to make it the full five minutes, but if he pushed himself all the way to chakra exhaustion he could probably do three.

"Two," Ensui grunted a minute later, letting Shikamaru know he'd used his last chakra pill.

His reserves were higher than Shikamaru's. Chances were, he at least would be able to continue for five more minutes. Shikamaru frowned when Deidara's chakra flared again. It wasn't like the last few times - it wasn't pushing against their jutsu. It felt more like it was moving inward.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. Ensui must have felt what he did because he yelled out a warning just before rolling behind the large group of boulders to his right, though he kept his hands where they were and didn't drop the jutsu. "Get to cover!"

After a quick glance to make sure his team had heard - Gaara's sand was already rushing to surround his siblings - Shikamaru rolled behind the rock he was crouched next to, already aware that it wouldn't protect him as well as Ensui's large boulders.

 _Please don't die,_ he'd barely finished the thought when he was hit from the side and wrapped in what smelled like a shell of wood. There was the sound of an explosion just as his Death Shroud was ripped apart by a gigantic force and he felt his wooden cage lift off the ground.

It flipped through the air, the feeling of weightlessness undeniable even while wrapped in a...box? Shikamaru was already halfway to unconscious when he hit the ground, the shell he'd been in splintering around him. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was fire.

000

Shikamaru woke up to the smell of antiseptic and soft voices. He groaned when the various aches and pains he was feeling made themselves known. His head was the worst - it felt like Sakura had punched him in the temple with her super strength. His arm was aching beneath what felt like a layer of bandages and he was pretty sure his whole body was one big bruise.

"Shikamaru-kun?" A soft voice that he placed as Sakura's said from above him.

He pried his eyes open and was relieved that the room he was in was dimly lit. Sakura was smiling down at him. He took in the white bandage on her forehead with a frown. Before he could say anything she held a glass of water to his lips and he drank without complaint, knowing better than to argue with a medic. He took the time to search his memories and by the time she pulled the glass away, he had recalled the fight with Deidara and the events leading up to it.

"Everyone else?" he rasped and Sakura's smile grew.

"Fine. Ensui's a little beat up - he was hit with shrapnel when a few of the smaller boulders he was behind came apart with the force of the explosion, but nothing that won't heal within a week. The rest of your team was protected by Gaara's sand and ART Two got clear in time. Everybody else sustained injuries, but are also okay."

Shikamaru relaxed. He was about to ask what happened to their enemies when the door opened and Jiraiya entered the room. He looked exhausted but otherwise unhurt.

"Jiraiya-sama," Shikamaru said and didn't bother trying to sit up since he knew he'd end up either passing out or throwing up on somebody's shoes.

"I was just about to give Shikamaru a rundown of his injuries," Sakura said. Jiraiya waved a hand to let her know she could continue and sat heavily in the chair next to his bed.

"Okay, Shikamaru-kun. You've got a concussion, a few torn muscles around your ribs, and a second-degree burn on your arm. You suffered major chakra depletion, which means you shouldn't try to use any chakra for at least a week. You can leave the hospital in the morning, but no training or missions for seven days. After that, as long as you pass a physical, you'll be fine."

Shikamaru grunted in acknowledgment. "Thanks, Sakura."

"You're welcome. I'll be back with some food later, okay? You only get half an hour, Jiraiya-sama," Sakura chided gently before leaving the room, ignoring the man's grumbling about who the general of ARF was.

"Don't you know, the medic is always in charge when it comes to her patient," Shikamaru said sardonically and Jiraiya huffed.

"That sounds like a quote."

"Yep. I'm sure you can guess by who." He closed his eyes against a headache throbbing in his temples and cursed how weak he felt. Chakra depletion was such a drag.

"Yeah, your mother is terrifying," Jiraiya said. That was an understatement.

"I suppose you want a report?" Shikamaru asked.

"Please. I've got three Kages and two village leaders on me for full reports. Yours is the last I need."

"Will verbal do?"

"For now, though I'll need a written one in a couple of days."

"Alright." Shikamaru fought the urge to drop into sleep while he gave Jiraiya as detailed an account of his fight as he could with what felt like a couple of mallets banging around on the inside of his head. Jiraiya asked a few questions for clarification, but in the end seemed satisfied.

"Well, I guess you want a report of your own," Jiraiya said and Shikamaru slit his eyes open and turned to study the man.

"Please," he said and Jiraiya grinned.

"Well, the crazy Iwa nin you were fighting is dead. That explosion was a suicide jutsu, one that's usually used by the explosion corps. If Ensui hadn't called out a warning, it probably would have taken out your whole team," Jiraiya said, face going somber, and Shikamaru shuddered.

"How did I survive?" Shikamaru asked. "Something covered me at the last minute, but I'm not sure what it was."

"Kankuro sent his puppet - the lizard one - to cover you. Shoulda seen him crying over the pieces. You'd think it was his damn pet that got blown up. Anyway, it protected you from the worst of it."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Salamander? He sacrificed Salamander for me?" Kankuro loved that thing, despite it being a creation of the very enemy they were fighting - Sasori. He was always talking about how it was a work of art, designed for defense. Shikamaru swallowed back the emotions that sent through him. He supposed that was a good enough reason to forgive the idiot for his comment a few days ago.

"What about the other Akatsuki members?"

"Sasori also died - Baki skewered his heart with that sword of his. His team all ended up getting poisoned, but thanks to Tsunade and her students we had plenty of the antidote on hand. Kakashi's team captured Suigetsu alive."

"How'd they manage that?" Shikamaru asked. The guy turned into water, after all.

Jiraiya's chest puffed out with pride. "Sasuke knocked him out of his water transformation with a lightning jutsu. Then Naruto slapped a few seals he made to put him into stasis and drain his chakra."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows, then wished he hadn't when it sent spikes of pain through his head. He wasn't a seal master by any stretch of the imagination, but he knew enough from learning the basics from Ensui that creating those seals - especially in the heat of battle - would be no easy thing.

"Impressive," he said and Jiraiya hummed.

"He's got a knack for seals, that's for sure."

"Hoshigaki?" Shikamaru gritted out, knowing his body was about to succumb to sleep.

"He got away," Jiraiya said grimly. "We were distracted by the explosion. All in all, though, this was a success - we saved the Raikage's brother and took three members of Akatsuki out of play."

Shikamaru hummed his agreement even as he dropped back into sleep. His last thought was one of vicious satisfaction - let the mysterious leader of Akatsuki chew on the blows his organization had suffered.

000

Mayu moved up the stairs as quickly as her crutches would allow, body vibrating with excitement. She was bored and tired of sitting around the house while her mother fussed and Shikaku slouched into whatever room she happened to be in at the time to hover over her. Didn't they have jobs they were supposed to be doing?

She still had three more days on crutches, but Fugaku had allowed her to come into the MPF to sit around his office doing paperwork and to learn how to be awesome at leadership like he was. She struggled to open the door while keeping her balance, finally flinging it open and making her way inside before it could close on her.

Her attention was pulled to Hinata and Shisui, who were talking about twenty feet away, probably catching up before Hinata left for patrol. Mayu had memorized her friend's schedule and had made sure to time her arrival before Hinata left the station.

"Hinata!" she yelled. "Shisui-san!" They looked over and she attempted to wave and walk forward at the same time as she passed a chunin carrying a large stack of files. The crutch she had let go of to execute the motion flew out to the side and she staggered, wincing when she put all of her weight on her injured foot.

She stumbled and tried to redistribute her weight to the other foot - Yoshino would probably put the stupid hat back on her if she reopened the wound - and ended up running into the edge of an empty desk. She  _meeped_ and flailed, the crutch she still had a grip on whipping out to the side and taking the chunin with the files out at the knees.

Her eyes widened when he fell back into her, sending her stumbling back into the desk chair that was tucked under the desk. As her own feet came out from under her, she tracked the stack of files as they flew in an arc through the air, the papers inside of them fanning out while they did so.

Mayu cringed, already knowing that her bruised ribs were not going to enjoy their inevitable meeting with the ground. Before she hit, there was a displacement of air that sent the floating papers and folders scattering even further out across the room and she  _oofed_ when she collided with a chest instead of the ground, two arms wrapping gently around her.

"Are you okay, Mayu-chan?" Hinata's worried voice said while Shisui, her savior, lowered her gently the rest of the way to the ground.

"Wow, Shisui-san, you're so fast." Mayu beamed up at him. He grinned back and Hinata knelt next to her, face worried and hands fluttering.

"Mayu," a stern voice said and Mayu quailed when she looked up (and up) at the person who had come to stand next to her.

"Oh, hey, Fugaku-shishou," she said with a nervous laugh as she followed his gaze to the chunin who was staring at the folders and papers spread out across the floor, looking close to tears.

"What happened here?" Fugaku asked.

More out of habit than anything, as she'd spent the past three days trying to convince Shikaku to spoil her rotten (he was there, she was bored, she liked hugs), she widened her eyes and stuck out her lower lip, slumping her shoulders. "Sorry, shishou. I guess I'm still getting used to walking with nine toes."

She panicked after she'd finished speaking. Fugaku neverfell for The Eyes - if anything they made him angrier. So when his expression softened minutely and he turned to the chunin and told him to clean up the mess, her jaw dropped open in shock.

She'd barely gotten herself back together and put the sad puppy face back on when Fugaku turned back to her. He frowned when Hinata held her hand over Mayu's foot, brow furrowed in concentration.

"I don't think you hurt yourself, Mayu-chan," she finally said.

"Uh, thanks Hinata," she said, eyes darting to Fugaku, who had relaxed at the proclamation.

"Mayu, if you still feel up to it, I've had a small desk moved into my office so you can work directly with me." She perked up at that, coming out of her surprise at somehow avoiding punishment even though she'd set somebody back on what was probably hours of work and then tried to use The Eyes on Fugaku.

"I do! I'm up to it!" she blurted and took Fugaku's hand when he held it out to help her up, ignoring the now-glaring chunin. Her progress on her goal of getting the Uchiha officers to not hate her guts had probably taken a bit of a hit that day. Oh, well.

Hinata and Shisui each handed her a crutch, which she took with a mumbled thanks. Hinata's partner, a gruff older Uchiha named Farui that didn't seem to care one way or another about which clan Hinata was from, was waiting by the door, looking bored.

"Um, I have to go patrol now, Mayu-chan. I'll come to check on you when I'm done, alright?"

Mayu waved her off and scrambled to follow Fugaku, shrugging at Shisui's raised eyebrow when she passed him. She had no idea why Fugaku was being so lenient - it was just a toe, in the end. If Mayu had already moved on, she kinda figured everyone else would, too.

Though it had only been a week, so maybe everybody else was still catching up. Still, seeing no reason to test Fugaku's patience twice, she kept her movements slow and careful while she moved across the open bullpen.

To her surprise, a few of the officers that weren't on Dai's team (the only ones that really liked her at all outside of Shisui and Hinata) waved or grunted out a 'Welcome Back.' Huh, maybe getting kidnapped and having a body part removed really hadupped her street cred. She spent some time trying to decide if it was worth the loss of her toe and finally settled on 'probably.'

She bustled into the office behind Fugaku and barely kept her happy squeals under control when she saw the desk set up in the corner for her. She got to sit  _in his office_ and watch him do his work. It was going to be amazing.

Fugaku sighed and she jerked her head up from where she'd been staring at the desk, imagining her and Fugaku running around Konoha solving cases together, wondering idly if she'd look good in an open fronted apron. He was wearing his practiced blank expression again and she brought her shoulders up to her ears. She'd probably been making her creepy face again.

"Please sit, Mayu. Are you in pain?" he asked and glided over to his own desk.

"Nope! Well, I mean, it hurts a little, but it doesn't feel like I made it worse," she amended when he gave her a flat, unimpressed stare at her first answer. He relaxed and she clunked over to her desk, vibrating with excitement.

"I've put a pile of cold case files on your desk," Fugaku said once she was situated and Mayu eyed the folders with interest. "I want you to go through them. Take careful notes of patterns, leads, or other things that you notice that you believe would be useful. Then, I want you to outline what your next steps in the case would be. We will go over your work after lunch."

He looked down at his own massive pile of paperwork in an obvious dismissal. Finally, she got to do actual casework with her detective hero.

 _Okay, Mayu, this is it! Your chance to make him proud._ She reached out and grabbed the first folder, shoulders slumping when she opened it. Ugh, a series of bank robberies across villages in Fire Country. Since it was being done by shinobi who showed traits of being from Konoha, it had been kicked to them instead of the Daimyo. Boring - she was hoping for a nice murder or at least a drug trafficking ring.

She listlessly read through the details. There had been six robberies in as many months. Three perpetrators - they wore fox masks under a black cowl and modulated their own voices. Not one bit of skin had been shown and the victims couldn't even identify if they were male or female under the cloaks. Their speed and use of fire jutsu to get into the vaults were the reason behind the main investigator declaring them shinobi.

All of the robberies, when put onto a map, formed a semi-circle around the village and were within a day's easy run from Konoha. The robberies had stopped abruptly about four months ago and the case had been declared cold only three weeks before due to lack of new incoming evidence.

Mayu read through the witness reports quickly, then went through the pictures that had been taken of the vault doors after they'd been melted open. She frowned and quickly scribbled a few things down before outlining her suggested next steps. She barely refrained from including a few disparaging comments about the investigator in charge.

Mood lifted from her internal commentary on idiots, she moved onto the next case file, Fugaku's steady writing and the flipping of pages at his desk soothing her into a bit of a trance.

Ugh, another boring case - somebody had beaten up an accountant who had gone to the Flower District for some happy fun times and stolen his father's very expensive pocket watch. It was the only thing he had left of his father, he was so sad, please find it, blah blah blah. That had been seven months ago. It only took Mayu about five minutes to figure out what happened.

A small sigh and she reached for the next folder. She was distracted from her task when a knock sounded on the side of the open door. She glanced over and saw Hayao standing there, a serious expression on his face.

"Yes, Hayao-san, come in," Fugaku said, voice warm.

He inclined his head and sent Mayu a small quirk of a smile when she waved at him. "Fugaku-sama, forgive me for the interruption. I thought you'd want to know that councilman Goku's nephew was the newest overdose victim of Pepper."

Pepper was the designer drug that had poor Dai's team running around in circles. The group or person that was manufacturing the drug was the picture of elusive. The drug itself was named for the spicy aftertaste and red color and was becoming more and more popular due to its euphoric side effects. It also tended to kill about ten percent of the people stupid enough to take it. Mayu had been trying to sneak a peek at the files for weeks.

Fugaku sighed, then stood. "Alright. Catch me up on your progress before the councilman comes in yelling for answers. Mayu, come," he said and she leaped up in glee at being included.

Then promptly tumbled over when she stubbed where she used to have a toe on the table leg. She could hear Fugaku's put-upon sigh and Hayao's sound of concern from her spot on the floor. She winced when one of her crutches, which had been leaning against the wall, fell and smacked her on the cheek.

"Ow," she said more than a little pitifully.

It took them ten minutes to make it to the conference room after that, Mayu having to practically beg Fugaku to let her come instead of heading for a medic. His weird overprotectiveness had surfaced at an annoying time.

"Alright," Dai said, looking a little nervous from where he was standing in front of pictures of about twenty dead people. Mayu narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, taking in the foam at the mouth of a few of them and the black lines that had moved, vine-like, from the middle of their chests and out in a sunburst pattern.

"So far we've got eighteen deaths from overdose. We've got information on each of them in those folders." He nodded towards the files in the middle of the table. Fugaku reached out and grabbed half and then pushed the other half over to Mayu. Her chest warmed at his inclusion and she stared up at him, thinking adoring thoughts until he cleared his throat and tilted his head towards Dai, a clear order to pay attention.

"There's no real pattern between them, so we don't believe that the deaths are intentional. As you can see, some of them are long-time drug addicts, others do it sometimes recreationally, and we've also got two first-time drug users, as far as we could glean from friends and family.

Some of the vics had also tried Pepper before without any trouble. This has led us to believe that the product is inconsistent, either from lack of resources or an unreliable supplier."

Mayu cut in. "Do you have a report on the compound?" When she got a blank look, she tried again. "You know, the chemical composition of the drug?"

"Oh, yes. Here," Dai said and handed her a file. She opened it and raised an eyebrow at what she saw.

"What is it?" Fugaku asked.

"Hmm, this is just...pretty impressive, actually. And all of the samples came out with this identical composition?"

Dai frowned. "We've only had three done, but yes."

"You didn't have the product that you found on the victims tested each time?"

Dai scowled. "We don't have a lot of resources in the Science Corps," he said, voice clipped, and Fugaku sent her a quelling look.

"Well, you don't need them. You've got me. Get me the samples, and I'll do the work," she said.

Dai glanced at Fugaku, who was watching her closely. "Your skill level is that high?"

Mayu sniffed and put her nose in the air. "Of course."

"Alright. Dai-san, this afternoon I want you to accompany Mayu to her lab with the samples."

Dai inclined his head before continuing his report. "We haven't been able to catch up to any dealers. Both of the leads we had on possible sellers were too little, too late. By the time we got their details, they had disappeared. Our working theory is that they were killed by whoever the leader is.

None of our contacts know who the manufacturer is, so we're guessing that it's a new player, though they'd have to have some contacts in the underground to have picked up the people selling their drugs. Honestly, we're running out of leads. Whoever this person is, they know how to cover their tracks."

Mayu frowned and tapped her fingers on the table, taking the files of the two missing dealers. She tilted her head to the side while she studied the first one. He was a skinny man who seemed to be missing one of his front teeth. He'd been arrested twice for theft and had spent some time in the civilian prison in the capital. He'd been released six months ago and had been doing odd jobs ever since - on top of dealing drugs, it seemed.

She opened the second folder and paused. "I know him," she blurted and the hum of conversation stopped around her. "Well, I don't  _know him,_ know him. But I've seen him before. When I went to meet with a, um, informant. During the whole...you know, missing girls case." She cringed when Fugaku put on his disapproving face.

"Are you saying," he started, voice low and dangerous, "that on top of everything else, you were running around talking to criminals?"

"...no?" she said and sunk down in her chair. "I mean, he wasn't a criminal  _then._ Well, he probably was, but I didn't know that, obviously."

Fugaku sighed. "Alright. Take Dai-san with you to talk to your...informants and see if you can get information on him."

"Uh, no offense Fugaku-sama, but I don't think they'll be too happy if I show up with an Uchiha officer."

He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. "...fine. But we need to change into, you know, civilian clothes. And, Dai-sempai, you need avoid looking all disapproving. Yes, that look, there, you need to not do that." Every officer in the room was looking at her like she should be put in time out, including the usually semi-laid-back (for an Uchiha) Dai.

Fugaku cleared his throat and she brightened when she saw he was actually looking a little amused. She had to look really, really hard to see it, but she liked to think she was starting to understand his micro-expressions.

000

Mayu clumped along next to Dai on her crutches, who had done as she'd asked and changed into a simple pair of pants and a button-up shirt. Mayu was in a pair of blue shorts and a black tank top.

"...and I already have a theory on why some people are dying. I'll need to test those samples today to know for sure, but once I confirm it, that should help, right Dai-san?"

Dai's lip quirked up on one side. "Right," he confirmed, then looked around the area they were in with more than a little judgment. They'd crossed over into the less savory parts of the Flower District and were garnering more than a few unfriendly looks.

"You checked out all of the chemical supply stores, and checked the inventory at the labs around town, right?" Mayu asked and Dai nodded.

"We did, and so far none of the chemicals listed in the report have been bought in alarming amounts of bulk or disappeared from storage," he confirmed. "Though apparently, the labs did discover some other missing chemicals while they did the inventory for us."

"Huh, weird," Mayu said, eyes darting to the side.

"Not quite their reaction. Some of those chemicals can be pretty unstable. Fugaku has taken over that investigation himself since there's worry of them being used in some sort of terrorist attack."

"Really?" Mayu made an odd squeaking sound, then cleared her throat. "That - that's not good."

"Mmm-hmm," Dai said, noncommittal. To Mayu's relief, they were approaching the park and the conversation came to an end.

"Oh! Do you have any money on you, Dai-sempai?" She stared up at him with wide eyes until he sighed and gave in, reaching into a pocket and handing over a small stack of money.

"Yay," she said under her breath, then added it to a larger stack that she'd grabbed from her room when she went to change.

"You realize that there is petty cash set aside for informants at the MPF, right?" Dai asked and Mayu blinked up at him.

"...No." She looked down at the stack of money mournfully.

"Just fill out an expense report and you'll get the money back along with your next paycheck. I'll show you how when we get back."

"Thanks, Dai-sempai," she chirped before lowering her voice and leaning into him as they stepped into the park. "Let me do the talking, okay? And don't seriously maim anybody, even if they attack. It's just their way of saying hello, really."

She ignored his alarmed look as she straightened and concentrated on navigating through the garbage littering the ground and the uneven landscape on her crutches. She ignored the suspicious looks they were getting and headed deeper into the park.

After about fifteen minutes she caught sight of a familiar face stepping out from behind a tree, looking generally unhappy that Mayu was there. She waved cheerfully at her. "Hey, Finchi-san, long time no see -" she cut herself off when she tripped over a root. Dai's arm wrapped around her middle, straightening her and giving her an exasperated look before helping her straighten her crutches.

For some reason, she felt her cheeks heating and moved her eyes from his face back to Finchi and the three men and two women who were huddled behind her. She looked a little less annoyed than she had at first, obviously enjoying Mayu's clumsiness.

"What are you doing here, brat? And with a goddamn police officer?"

Mayu shrugged. "They wouldn't let me come alone, what with," she waved a vague hand down at her foot. Finchi snorted, unimpressed.

"Yeah, heard you got yourself kidnapped and lost a body part. That's what you get for sticking your nose in things you shouldn't."

Dai stiffened next to her. "How did you know about that?"

Finchi turned her full attention to Dai, her pale, thin face twisted into a disdainful expression. "You think you're the only one who knows things, copper?"

Mayu cleared her throat to pull their attention back to her. "Right. Well, thanks so much for the concern," she said sarcastically, then reached into a pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and the wad of money. Finchi's and her entourage's attention was immediately focused on her hands.

"Don't even think about it," Mayu said, voice dry. "Dai here is a jounin level Uchiha and probably less inclined to be nice than me. You want the money, you give me information. Easy."

Finchi tilted her head to the side. "What information you after?"

"Pepper," Mayu said simply and watched as Finchi's face twitched and the men and women behind her went silent and still. "Ah. Yes, I thought you might react that way. See, when I was looking over the dead bodies left in this person's wake, I recognized one of the dealers that went missing. I'm betting you'll recognize both."

Mayu held out the folded piece of paper and Finchi signaled to one of the women next to her, who stepped forward cautiously, keeping an eye on Dai while she reached out and snatched the paper from Mayu, then hurried back to Finchi's side. She handed over the paper and Finchi opened it slowly before looking down.

Mayu tilted her head to the side. "I know one of them used to be in your crew, and I'm guessing his friend was also from around here," Mayu said, sweeping her hand out to encompass the area around her. "What I wanna know is, how many others have disappeared?"

Finchi's lip pursed in obvious displeasure and the woman folded the paper back up and tossed it with a flick of her wrist so that it fluttered to the ground between them. "Half the money now, half after I give you information."

Mayu shrugged, then counted out exactly half of the money and held it out, Dai shifting uncomfortably next to her. He didn't say anything, though, content to let her continue to run the show. The same woman as before darted forward and grabbed the money, giving it one longing look before handing it over to her leader.

"Alright," Finchi said, tucking the money into a dirty pocket. "You're right, Bo was in my crew. The other wasn't, but I recognize him from around here, too. A few months ago, Bo just stopped comin' around. I sent one a' my kids out to find him. Turns out he'd gotten a gig - fairly cushy by the sounds of it. Had shelter and food and a percentage of the take when he sold the inventory."

"Pepper," Mayu mumbled and Finchi huffed.

"He claimed that he never saw the person in charge, everything was done through a middleman." Finchi shrugged. "That was the last I heard of 'em. Till now. Figured he'd end up dead, was too good to be true."

"I'm guessing there's more than just the two?" Mayu pushed and Finchi studied her before turning to her crew and engaging in a whispered conversation. When she turned back, her face was twisted in annoyance.

"Yeah. Looks like we've had about five people that found a mysterious job that got them off the streets. I think the other three are still alive - at least, we seen 'em around recently. Before you ask, no, I don't know where they are. I got a kid that's good at drawin,' you pay me and I'll send him around with sketches."

"Alright," Mayu said and held out the rest of the money, which was swiped up quickly by the girl again. "You hear anything else, you know I'm good for it."

Finchi inclined her head. "I'll have my kids keep an eye out."

"Thanks," Mayu said, then hesitated before leaving. "Pepper - it's inconsistent. I think the manufacturer is using impure components. Spread the word to your people to stay away from it - it's killed a lot of people."

Finchi narrowed her eyes, studying Mayu, who just stood, letting the woman finish her perusal. Eventually, she snorted. "Look at that, a copper who gives a damn 'bout the dirty masses. Fine. I'll tell 'em. I catch anybody with Pepper, they'll wish it had killed them by the time I'm done with 'em."

"Ah, right, okay. You know, positive reinforcement has also been shown to be a -"

She was cut off when Dai wrapped a hand around her arm and tugged her around. "Uh, bye Finchi-san!"

"You and I are going to have a talk about safety procedures when dealing with informants," Dai gritted out as soon as they left the park.

Mayu huffed. "Please, they weren't going to hurt me. Finchi actually kind of likes me," she said a little proudly.

"I know those types, Mayu. Just because she likes you doesn't mean she won't gut you if she thinks it'll get her what she wants," he said, disdain obvious, and Mayu was surprised that she was annoyed and a little defensive on Finchi's behalf.

"Yeah, sounds kind of like something a shinobi would do, huh?" When Dai sent her a disapproving look, she shrugged. "I'm just saying, we've been trained to kill, lie, and steal. We don't exactly have a moral leg to stand on."

"We do those things for the good of the village," he said stiffly and Mayu rolled her eyes.

"And she does those things to survive, and for the survival of the people under her protection. People that the village shouldbe taking care of along with the politicians and rich merchants. Which is a better reason? And who's really at fault for her situation and the things she's forced to do to survive?"

Dai didn't reply, but he remained angry throughout the afternoon, sitting in the corner of her lab and pointedly ignoring her while she carefully ran her tests on the samples. When she finished it was well past five pm, her foot was throbbing, and she was starving, but it was worth it.

They went back to the MPF and of course, Fugaku was still there, calmly looking over the notes she'd made on the cold cases that morning. He looked up when they entered, Mayu buzzing with excited energy and Dai still looking a little annoyed.

"Fugaku-shishou, I figured out what's killing people!" she said cheerfully, ignoring the double take a witness that was being led past her in cuffs did at her declaration.

Dai sighed and closed the door while Mayu hobbled over to the desk and held out her hands impatiently for the printed results, which she laid across Fugaku's desk after Dai handed them over.

"Okay, look. You see this chemical composition here?" She pointed at a formula halfway down the page and Fugaku hummed his agreement.

"Look here at sample four," Mayu said. 

"It's different," Fugaku said after a moment.

"Yep! It looks like this chemical - " she sorted through the papers until she found the list of components she'd put together in the beginning, "- is getting mixed with a few impure batches. Probably because our perp's not getting their chemicals from legitimate sources."

Fugaku sat back and gave her his full attention. "We assumed they weren't since there were no records of these chemicals going missing or being bought in large quantities from any of the stores or labs. We haven't been able to identify where the black market is for chemicals like this, though. It's fairly niche."

Mayu shifted uncomfortably and rubbed the back of her neck. "Actually...I might have an idea on that."

The room fell into ominous silence. "Oh?" Fugaku finally said, voice mild.

Mayu cleared her throat. She had bought a few supplies from the place that the apothecary owner had sent her to all those months ago, the day that she had met Harumi. She had stopped going when she realized the product was shitty, though.

"Yeah, I've heard of someone who sells chemicals under the radar. Um. I've also heard that a lot of his stuff isn't pure."

"And where did you hear this from, Mayu-chan?" Fugaku asked.

"Here and there," she squeaked. "You know, I've always got my ear to the ground..." she cleared her throat and concentrated on going to her desk to scribble down instructions on how to find the black market merchant.

She handed it over to Dai, who studied the address with a blank face. "The manufacturer...there's no way this person hasn't received formal training. I'd look at the upper echelon of the chemists in the Science Corps."

"Mayu's contacts confirmed that the manufacturer is finding their dealers from the homeless and criminal population. Looks like there have been five total, the other three are most likely still alive, though we only got first names and rough sketches. I think the other two were killed when they got made to prevent them from talking. Sounds like we've also got a middle man."

Fugaku leaned his elbows on his desk and threaded his hands together, face thoughtful. "Okay. Dai-san, I want you to set up surveillance outside of this merchant's operations. If we've got a middleman, that means you'll probably need to do additional surveillance on anybody who goes in and purchases. The moment anybody with extensive enough experience in chemistry enters the scene, we'll detain them."

Dai nodded once, then left the room, presumably to gather his team. Mayu was still standing, shifting uncomfortably, when Fugaku spoke. "I looked through your notes on the cold cases. Talk me through them."

Mayu slumped. "Why can't I help Dai-sempai?"

Fugaku frowned, disapproval clear. "You did the part you were best suited for in the investigation, Mayu. It's time to let the team trained in surveillance and experienced in arrests take over." She slumped, annoyed at being taken off yet anothercase after doing a bunch of the legwork, but knowing better than to argue with Fugaku if she wanted to keep being included at all.

"Let's go over the bank case first. You seem to think that the perpetrators are academy students. Please explain."

Mayu huffed but did as he asked. "Well, first of all, the damage done to the vault was obviously not a jutsu. It was done with a blow torch. Most likely the hostages weren't actually there for that part and just assumed it was a jutsu because of the robbers' increased speed and reflexes. The fact that all of them had the speed but were forced to use civilian tools to actually break in tells me that they're low level.

I deduced that they were still students at the time of the robberies because of the timeframe of the crimes and also the days that they took place. Each robbery was running distance from the village, even if the person making the trip hadn't yet learned tree walking. They also happened late Saturday, which tells us that the perps had only weekends free. That just wouldn't be true for an active duty ninja - our schedules aren't generally Monday through Friday. An academy student's, however, is. They also wouldn't be missed as easily, if they found a way to get around their guardians.

"As for the time frame - well, they started up in January, but the last robbery happened the weekend before graduation. I'm guessing they didn't want to take the chance of continuing the robberies once they were officially shinobi since their movements in and out of the village would be more closely monitored."

Fugaku hummed. "So that's why you wanted to look into those slated to graduate this past spring as next steps."

Mayu nodded and puffed up a little when he inclined his head. "Good. Tell me why you claim that the business man was lying about being robbed."

Mayu blinked, surprised at the change of subject. "Well, I think it's pretty obvious he was robbed by one of the prostitutes and then beaten up by her and her friends when he tried to get it back. Then he was too embarrassed to admit what had really happened, so made up some muggers so he could collect insurance. The fact that a lot of his wounds were scratches and his bruises were made with what looks like a cane instead of fists made it kind of obvious."

Fugaku's lips twitched. "Very well. Take tomorrow off, today was difficult."

Mayu scowled. "But what about the cases? I need to follow up -"

"They've already been solved," Fugaku said, then looked back at his paperwork. Mayu's mouth worked before she let out an affronted gasp.

"This was just a test!" she said and he looked up and raised an eyebrow. "You had already figured them out."

"Yes - I look over all of the cold case files before I sign off on them. I came to the same conclusions you did."

Mayu stuck out her lower lip. She had thought she was the only one clever enough to figure them out. "I guess it makes sense that those were too easy to fool you," she finally said.

"Indeed," he drawled and she stared at him, impressed. It wasn't very often somebody got one over on her.

He sighed when he looked up and saw her looking at him in blatant admiration. He opened his mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it. She yawned and shifted her weight, annoyed at the bruised feeling she was starting to get in her armpits.

"Take tomorrow off," Fugaku said. "Actually, take the next day off, as well. Come back when you're off your crutches."

"What? No! Please Fugaku-shishou, don't make me live through another day at home with papa and mom fussing at me!"

Fugaku lifted his head and stared at her until she slumped. Well, she needed to get Project: Hitched off the ground, anyway. Considering Itachi spent the last four and a half years simply staring at Hana from afar instead of making a move, they were going to need every moment of those six months to woo her.

Mayu had also decided that since she had been kicked out of the Root investigation, she would be focusing on a side project she'd been meaning to get to for a while. Actually, she'd been scared shitless into remembering by something that didn't happen to her very often - a nightmare. She might have consciously put the project on the backburner, but her subconscious didn't agree.

Mayu had been in her shed, which she'd decided to repurpose as an investigation room (just like Fugaku's!) now that she had a state of the art lab elsewhere, courtesy of Itachi. She'd put together all of the information she thought was relevant to attempting to find the Root leader from the files she'd spent the past months pouring over, having decided to continue the investigation on her own in secret. Even with her memory and mind cave, it was quite the project to sort through all of the data without having the physical copies.

Somehow she had fallen asleep, only to 'wake up' to a pounding on her door. When she had opened it, Sasuke had been standing there. Except she had taken in the way he'd held himself, how he leaned forward into her space and looked her up and down like she was an object he was thinking about purchasing. The cruel smile on his face and hissing laugh had clued her in. This wasn't Sasuke.

Mayu had stepped back, suddenly so afraid that she was shaking, and he followed her inside. "Oh, Mayu-chan, are you not happy to see me? Is this how you say hello to your beloved teammate?"

"Y-You're not Sasuke," she had said as he backed her against a workbench.

He had leaned in close and to her complete disgust, a long, familiar-looking tongue extended and licked up the side of her neck. "Oh, but I  _am._ Or, at least, this body was once his."

"No," she was annoyed when she whimpered, but couldn't help it. Orochimaru had just effectively told her that he'd killed one of her closest friends and taken his body for himself.

"Oh, yes. Now, I am curious about how you managed to avoid my gift. I think I'd like to study that, hm?" The last thing she'd seen before she had woken up were his fangs, extended and heading for her neck.

Mayu shivered a bit at the remembered nightmare. Well, it wasn't going to happen. She had time now, plus a whole lot of extra information from the files she'd been given unfettered access to. Since Itachi and Tsunade had been concerned that some of the Root members might still have contact with the Sannin, any and all information on the missing-nin, including rumors or sightings over the years, had been included with the Root files.

She just had to put everything together into a comprehensive picture. Then, when the rest of Team Seven came back for their month-long break, they could go and destroy him. Mayu ignored the weird looks she received from the few people still out and about when she let out an evil little  _fufufufu._

She made a quick stop to buy five large poster boards, string, paper, colored markers and pins, two maps of the elemental nations, and some dango (she was hungry, okay?). Then, she made sad eyes at a passing Nara she was semi-familiar with from the few Nara clan get-togethers Yoshino had made her attend before her mother realized that all she was accomplishing was making the elders hate Mayu more.

Well, it wasn't her fault they looked down their noses at her, or that one was addicted to opiates and the other liked to wear women's underwear. The third, a woman named Miko, was actually okay and had looked slightly amused after Mayu had deduced her fellow elders' deepest secrets. The other two had only tried to maim Mayu a little bit before Yoshino had come to her rescue.

The Nara she flagged down to help her carry her supplies home was a man in his mid-twenties with burn scars that started at his neck and most likely extended down the right side of his body, if his scarred hand and the way he favored that side was any indication. He looked put out at the extra work but knew better than to outright refuse to help Shikaku's Brat. Yes, she knew what the rest of the clan called her, though it didn't really bother her.

"Thank you so much, Torii!" she chirped when he picked up the huge poster boards and side-eyed her, probably not expecting her to remember his name.

"You're welcome," he settled on.

She studied him while he slouched along next to her and frowned. He seemed...kind of sad, actually. Narrowing her eyes, she let them dart across him, ignoring his uncomfortable shifting.

"Don't worry, you're a catch, and if he couldn't see that, he just sucks," she finally announced and he stumbled. "I mean, anybody should feel lucky to land a Nara!" Uptight elders notwithstanding, Nara were clearly superior due to their high intelligence and generally laid back outlook.

"Not that it's any of your business," he finally grumbled and she beamed at him. He didn't seem overly annoyed or intimidated by her, but that could be the depression putting a damper on all of his other emotions.

"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" she asked, and he sighed deeply. She kept talking. "Want to help me figure out where a crazy S-ranked missing-nin is hiding out so that my team can kill him? It'll be fun!"

He stopped and slowly turned towards her and she wobbled to a stop, returning his stare with one of her own. Finally, he spoke. "You really are as weird as they all say."

Mayu slumped and widened her eyes up at him. "People think I'm weird?" she said in a small voice and wobbled her lip. To her surprise, he just snorted and started walking again. Huh.

"...I have a little sister," he finally said, face softening. "Sad expressions just won't work on me."

"...so is that a no?" They had made it to the front of her house, and she turned to go up the sidewalk, swinging her crutches.

"Eh, what else am I going to do?" he said, just as she knew he would. She had already figured out that he was off rotation while his body finished healing from whatever trauma it had sustained, his boyfriend had just dumped him, and he was tired of listening to his family fuss.

Mayu resisted the urge to cheer out her victory. She had been trying to figure out who to force into assisting her while she was still crutch bound. Hinata would have done it, but her father hated it when Mayu kept her out late. Kiba would last an hour before getting bored. Shino would tattle on her (Shikaku was really, very determined to keep her out of trouble) and Itachi was too busy. Harumi still looked at Mayu like she was a tragic backstory to her life, and Dai was mad at her. So. New blood it was.

000

"Jesus, kid," Torii said when he put in the last pin. It was probably three in the morning and both of them were looking a little ragged around the edges. Mayu had spent the first few hours going in and out of her mind cave, jotting down relevant information and handing them over to Torii before pointing imperiously at where it needed to be hung from where she was perched on a stool.

The man had hung up the posters and maps without complaint, though he looked extremely bored for the first few hours. He had become more and more interested as they wrote down dates, marked sightings and possible deaths Orochimaru or his underlings had been the perpetrators of, and started stringing together things to form a pattern.

Mayu yawned, then smiled over at him. "Pretty cool, huh?" She blinked rapidly and swayed and he sighed.

"Alright, come on. Break time. Go take a nap, this will still be here tomorrow."

Mayu slumped over. "But, I can't sleep! I have to find Orochimaru, and tomorrow I have to go dog shopping with the Hokage!"

"...Right. You're obviously extremely tired and slightly delusional. Come on, up."

She let him herd her out of the shed and watched while he closed it and put the padlock on. "Well," he said, "I should head home -"

She scoffed. "Please, we both know you don't want to go back there. You can sleep in Shika's room. The sheets should be clean."

He frowned and shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think -"

"Blah blah blah, let's skip the part where we argue, I'm tired. Come on, mom will feed you when we wake up, she makes awesome breakfast." Mayu turned and toddled towards the house, unsurprised when he followed.

The next morning Yoshino did, indeed, feed them breakfast, though Mayu could have done without the part where she beamed at Torii and gushed about how great it was that Mayu had made a 'new friend.'

She made friends all the time now! Well, Hinata was her friend, and Kiba, and all of Team Seven. What more did her mother want from her? She picked half-heartedly at her breakfast, slumped over in a pout while Shikaku tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile.

"Fugaku-san sent me a message letting me know you have the next few days off, Mayu-chan. What are you going to spend your time doing?" Shikaku asked with faux-casualness after he was done chatting with Torii about boring clan stuff.

Mayu knew what he was really asking was  _who will be your bodyguard?_ She wasn't an idiot, she knew Itachi had jounin following her around - which was probably why Fugaku hadn't let her do any more of the footwork on the Pepper case, now that she thought about it.

"Itachi-sempai is taking me to lunch, and then we're going dog shopping," she said cheerfully.

Torii choked on his water. "Wait, you were serious about that?"

Mayu frowned at him. "Well, yes. Why would I say it otherwise?"

"Huh," he finally said and she realized he was looking a little dejected, while Shikaku looked pleased, most likely because it didn't get any safer than hanging out with a Hokage.

"Well, I could use your help with some other projects afterwards if you're around," she said to Torii and he just shrugged before yawning. Practically a Nara thumbs up.

"Great! I'll be home around three," she said. "If you feel like it, you can meet me in my investigation room."

Shikaku looked up at the ceiling but didn't say anything. Most fathers would feel weird about their daughter locking herself up in a shed with a strange man, but once again, he probably thought an extra person hanging around ready to defend her against evil kidnappers was a good thing. Plus, she was obviously not going to get busy with the only openly gay Nara man in the clan outside of Ensui. Shikaku probably thought he'd hit paydirt with Mayu's new assistant. Or, you know, friend. To-may-to, to-mah-to.

"Well that sounds fun," Yoshino said as she spooned more food onto an alarmed-looking Torii's plate. "I'll make you guys a nice snack."

Mayu escaped the clutches of her family a few hours later after a nap and check up by Yoshino. Hinata had stopped by to say hello before she needed to head out to do her patrol and they had spent the time huddled together in the investigation room.

"U-um. You should take this one down," Hinata had finally said, pointing at a slip of paper detailing a branch member from her clan going missing. "We could never prove it, but father knew that it was a Kumo sanctioned kidnapping."

Mayu had frowned but knew better than to ask for more. Hinata was already breaking about three clan rules by saying that much. She took it down and they discussed a few other missing pieces and timelines before Hinata had to head out.

She wasn't surprised when Shikaku appeared at their house, slouched with his hands in his pockets, to walk her to the tower, where she was meeting Itachi. "You do realize that there are two high level jounin following me around," she mumbled, tilting her head towards some trees.

"Can't a father just want to spend some time with his little girl?"

Mayu rolled her eyes but was cut off from answering when her crutch slipped on a loose rock. She didn't even have to ask before Shikaku was swinging her onto his back and tucking her crutches under one arm.

Mayu wrapped her arms around him and shoved her face into the side of his neck. "Papa, you're the best," she said happily and didn't miss his pleased half smile.

Itachi appeared in front of them when they reached the tower, eyes flicking over Mayu's position perched on Shikaku's back. "Is your foot bothering you, Mayu-chan?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No, it's just a long way to walk on crutches." Itachi took the crutches from Shikaku while he slowly lowered Mayu to the ground. "I can't wait until Yoshino lets me ditch them," she grumbled.

Shikaku pulled her in for a hug. "Just another day, squirt. Have fun with Itachi, and do  _not_ bring home any more pets," he said firmly.

"I wasn't gonna!" she yelled at his retreating back. "Beaker doesn't like dogs unless they're Akamaru," she grumbled while Itachi handed her the crutches.

"I have reserved us a back room at my favorite restaurant for privacy. Is that okay?" he asked, ignoring her commentary on pets, and she flapped a hand at him.

The restaurant was understated but obviously still very expensive. A polite but carefully uninterested hostess showed them to a back room and Mayu was relieved to see that, unlike the tables out in the main dining room, this one was non-traditional, with chairs and everything. Sitting in seiza would be difficult with her injury. Itachi must have foreseen the potential problem and requested a dining room table with chairs. Hana was going to be so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband.

After they were seated and had their tea and Itachi had asked again about her health, she got right down to it. "Okay. So today is Hana's day at the clinic. You know that they take in homeless dogs, so that's the reason we're going to give for being there. While we're there, you should, you know, talk to her."

Itachi's cheek twitched and Mayu sighed, realizing he was going to need some pointers. "Ask her about the clinic, why she became a medic for people and animals, uh...oh! Kiba hates it when people pretend that Akamaru isn't there, so greet the Haimaru brothers, too. Maybe compliment them. But, like, don't lie! You know they can tell. Well, maybe not with a shinobi of your level..."

They ate a very yummy meal of sushi and noodles before Itachi paid and then headed for the Inuzuka compound. Mayu could tell that Itachi was nervous - so cute - so she spent the walk complaining about the cold case test that Fugaku had given her the day before. By the time they arrived at the clinic, Itachi's lips were twitching up into a smile.

"My father did the same thing to me," he said as he opened the door so she could swing in on her crutches.

"Really?" she asked as a desk came into view. As expected, Hana was sitting there, looking bored and reading a magazine, while the Haimaru brothers slept in the corner, though they lifted their heads at their entrance. Hana was wearing the beige medic uniform and her hair was pulled back in its usual tail.

"Mayu-chan! And, Hokage-sama, hello." Hana stood, looking uncharacteristically nervous, though Mayu couldn't tell yet if it was just Itachi's status as Hokage or because it was Itachi. Hopefully, it wasn't because she knew Itachi was a stalker.

"Hi, Hana-san. Hi Haimaru." They yipped at her lazily but didn't move from their spots. "Hana, do you know Itachi-sempai?"

"We've been on a mission together before," Itachi said smoothly. "It's good to see you again, Hana-san, Haimaru," he said and Hana looked pleased at his inclusion of her ninken. Mayu internally cheered.

"How are feeling, Mayu-chan?" Hana asked and walked out from behind the counter. Mayu leaned back, recognizing the look of a medic that was about to start poking at your injuries.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said. "Healing up well, only a day longer on the crutches."

Hana relaxed. "That's good. Kiba was so worried about you, and mom was really...well, I'm glad that you're okay."

Mayu rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. "Oh, well. I'm fine. As you can see. Actually," she straightened, excited. "Itachi and I are here to get a dog."

"You're getting a dog, Mayu-chan?"

She flapped a hand. "No, no, Itachi-sempai is. I'm just here for moral support," she said cheerfully and didn't have to look at Itachi to know he was fighting the urge to sigh at her.

"Oh! Well, that's really nice," Hana said after taking a moment to recover from her surprise. "We have a few rescues here, but no puppies."

"That won't be a problem," Itachi said. "I think I would prefer a grown dog."

"Okay," Hana said obviously flustered. "Let me grab my keys and we can go look at them."

They ended up out back in some kennels and Mayu was immediately enamored with a medium sized white dog with big brown eyes. She plopped down in front of the cage, partly to let Itachi and Hana have some time alone, and mostly because she just really, really, liked the dog.

"That one's not a rescue, he actually belongs to a friend of mine," Hana said. "He ate something he shouldn't have and I'm keeping him here overnight just in case."

"Aw, did you get into the garbage?" Mayu crooned, letting the dog lick her fingers through the mesh fencing and wondering how angry Shikaku would  _really_ be if she came home with a dog.

She enhanced her hearing so that she could shamelessly eavesdrop on Itachi and Hana as they went to meet the rescues. "What kind of dog are you looking for?"

"A companion, mostly," Itachi said after a moment of hesitation. "One that is calm enough to spend hours in the office with me and that won't be bothered by strangers."

"Hmm, okay. I think Aki might be a good fit. He's very quiet and sweet. He's a mutt and belonged to a woman who was killed on a mission two months ago. Since he's older, there haven't been a lot of interested people, but he's really just a sweetheart. Plus, he doesn't mind being stationary."

Mayu tuned them out while they discussed the other dogs and was unsurprised when Itachi ended up with Aki in the end. He was large, and was indeed some amalgamation of breeds that was difficult to decipher. He had a large, rounded head and a shaggy, brown coat. His nose was long and his tail curled up over his rump.

"Oh, look at you!" Mayu said and awkwardly dropped to her knees to hug him, making his curled tail flop around. "He's so soft! Hey, Hana, when do you get off? Maybe we can go get some ice cream and you can give Itachi pointers on dog ownership. And afterward, we can go shopping for dog supplies."

Itachi's eyes widened before he smoothed his expression out, thankfully before Hana glanced up at him, unsure but obviously wanting to say yes. Mayu wasn't exactly surprised - Itachi was a handsome guy and had just proven himself a dog lover. She wanted to cackle at how well her brilliant plan was coming together.

"I get off in ten minutes," Hana said, which, yes, Mayu already knew that from peeking at the schedule when she had visited Kiba while he was working the front desk a few days ago. "If Itachi-sama wouldn't mind me tagging along..."

"He doesn't!" Mayu said quickly and struggled to her feet. "He's super nervous about being a first-time dog owner. I don't want to watch him twitch anymore, so you'd be doing me a favor."

Hana covered a laugh with her hand and Mayu smiled up at an annoyed-looking Itachi. They did end up going out to ice cream, but then Mayu faked a cramp in her foot and insisted they drop her off at Shikaku's office so he could take her home.

"Hana-san, do you mind going with Itachi-sempai? He's just so nervous about making sure Aki is well taken care of..." she said and widened her eyes up at the woman. Itachi was paying for their ice cream and was hopefully distracted enough to not hear her painting him as a sensitive, delicate flower.

"Of course I will," Hana said and patted Mayu's leg, which was in her lap so that she could lightly massage to help with the non-existent cramps.

Hana was formidable and tough, like most women in her clan, but Mayu had spent enough time around her growing up that she knew she was also a born caretaker. No way would she say no to a request like that.

Mayu ignored Itachi's look of betrayal when she slid off Hana's back and let Shikaku fuss over her when Hana told him why they'd shown up at his office carrying Mayu. Her parents would be impossible to deal with that evening, but sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.

Itachi having cute little babies with Hana counted as the greater good. She waved goodbye, ignoring Itachi's panicked, pleading expression, before letting Shikaku lift her up onto his back and tell a cranky Shouta he was taking the rest of the day off. Mayu sent Shouta her smuggest look as they passed him and he glared at her.

A few minutes after they arrived at the house, a puff of smoke appeared next to Mayu on the couch, and she relaxed from where she'd leaped back when she saw it was just one of Naruto's toads. Shikaku grumbled before putting his kunai away, but Mayu was too busy catching a small box as the toad regurgitated it.

"Yay. Thank you," she said and the toad just shrugged before disappearing. She tore the box open and grinned when she took out a card that said _Happy Birthday, Mayu! Love, everybody,_ in Naruto's messy scrawl.

Shikaku sank down on the couch next to her and watched while she pulled out a stack of seals that Naruto had made her. She read through his description - stasis seals. One of them would knock a full grown man out and keep him that way until it was removed.

"Awesome," she breathed and wondered if he would teach her how to make them when he was in the village.

Ensui and Kakashi had sent her a book on Grass Country poisons (how cute was it that they sent joint presents now?) and Sakura had made her some healing salve. Sasuke had sent a short note letting her know that he had ordered her some shuriken from the same supplier his father and Itachi used and she had to go pick them up.

When she tugged out the envelope with her name written on the front in Shikamaru's scrawling handwriting, Shikaku rolled his eyes and wandered off into the kitchen to make tea.

She opened it, smiling when she saw what the lumps had been. Two black hairpins in the shape of fans, with tiny glittering stones peppered throughout. They were beautiful, and obviously handmade and fairly expensive. At the end of each fan rib was a tiny round knob, and after some inspection, she discovered that if she pulled on it, a sharp throwing needle was revealed.

"Oh," she breathed. If she poisoned these...well, they could be a good last defense. She carefully put the needle back and set the fans aside. There was also a small ring made of a glimmering luminescent stone that was the color of a pearl. She studied the way the light played across it for a few moments before setting it on the table next to the hair clips.

She then pulled out the letter, smiling a little at the greeting.

_My Mayu,_

_Sorry, I couldn't be there for your birthday - you know I would if I could. I'm sure you already figured out the trick to the hair clips, but they have hidden needles. Next time somebody kidnaps you, I hope they'll come in handy._

She grinned, imagining exactly the tone of voice he would have said that in before continuing on with her reading.

_The ring is for your right hand - I have something else planned for the left, once we're a little older._

_Love,_

_Shikamaru_

She sighed and picked up the ring before sliding it onto the finger of her right hand, smiling a little.

"It's pretty," Shikaku said from the doorway and she looked up when he approached her with the tea tray and sat down next to her, bumping her shoulder with his own and nodding at the ring.

"Yeah. Look at the hair clips he got me." She picked them up and handed them over before carefully folding up the note and putting it back in its envelope.

"Nice," Shikaku said, turning one around in his hands. "And deadly," he added after pulling out one of the needles.

She hummed her agreement, picking up her tea and leaning back on the couch before taking a sip. Shikaku sensed that she was feeling a little down - presents were nice, but she missed her friends, and Shikamaru most of all - and put an arm around her, letting her lean into his side.

"So," he finally said. "You wanna tell me why you're playing matchmaker?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said airily, hiding her smile behind a sip of tea.

"Uh huh," he said, obviously not believing her, but didn't push it.

She spent the rest of the day and most of the next holed up in her Investigation Room, Torii joining her when he could. He wasn't half bad at helping her put together patterns. He was the one that figured out that supplies going missing in multiple labs across the Elemental Nations seemed to coincide with people going missing in other areas.

Orochimaru was still going strong with his experiments, it seemed, though Mayu wasn't surprised by the revelation. She was even less surprised that most of them weren't exactly volunteering for the honor.

She returned to work with a clean bill of health and Fugaku wasted no time putting her through her paces that morning and then giving her a long lecture about needing to find her new center of balance. Mayu probably shouldn't have been as surprised as she was over the difference losing even the smallest toe could make.

Uchiha Yuhui, Mayu's patrol partner, was like a really young, really gorgeous female version of Fugaku. She was stern, focused, and completely unmoved by Mayu's usual manipulations. Mayu was stuck somewhere between being in love with her and hating her with everything she had.

It only took one shift of patrolling for Mayu to realize it was terribly dull. They walked around their assigned area, watching out for any trouble and generally just intimidating the general populace into behaving. Konoha was, for the most part, a fairly calm village, so there just weren't very many opportunities for excitement as a beat cop.

"Hey, Yuhui-sempai, is this really what you do all day every day?" Mayu asked as she dragged her feet across the cobblestone.

Yuhui sent her an unimpressed look. "It's an honor to keep my village safe," she finally said and Mayu mimed gagging when she turned away.

On her second shift of patrol, a middle-aged merchant woman with a pinched face and severe bun stomped up to them. "Officer-san, there are two young people... _fornicating_ behind the fountain."

Mayu was awed when Yuhui's face didn't even twitch. "Thank you for letting us know, ma'am. We'll take care of it immediately."

The woman sniffed and Mayu decided she probably shouldn't point out that the woman actually looked a little turned on by the whole thing, despite her affront. "Please do. It's disgusting, the way youth acts these days..."

Mayu smiled sweetly when the woman eyed her with distrust as she said the last line. Yuhui turned and headed for the fountain, Mayu bouncing along next to her.

"Are we going to arrest them? Can I take the statements?" She asked, mood lifting at the prospect of something exciting happening.

Yuuhi shrugged. "It depends. If they're actually...fornicating," she seemed to be fighting smile at that before continuing, "then yes. I have a feeling it's not quite that severe, so we'll probably just give them a warning.

When they found the miscreants behind the trees that were planted behind the fountain, Mayu wasn't even sure why she was surprised that it was Kiba. He had a blonde girl - civilian from the looks of it - backed up against a tree. Her hands were stuffed down the front of his pants and moving in an up and down motion that was unmistakable, even to Mayu. He was nibbling on her neck and had his hand up her shirt and Mayu made frantic plans to delete the memory later.

"Kiba!" she hissed. "What the hell!"

He yelped and jumped back and Mayu screamed and covered her eyes when his pants gaped open.

"No, why does this keep happening to me," she moaned. She waited a moment and then peeked out from behind her hand. Kiba's face was bright red and he was buttoning up his pants.

"Hey, is that average sized, do you think?" she asked the girl, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. She just stared at her in disbelief and Kiba sputtered.

"Nomaka-san, you know them?" Yuhui cut in and when Mayu looked over she saw that the woman actually looked amused.

"Yeah, the idiot that just flashed you is Inuzuka Kiba. Don't ask me why, but we've been friends since we were kids." She turned her attention back to said friend. "Where's Akamaru, anyway? Usually, he keeps you from doing stupid stuff like fornicating in public."

"We weren't fornicating!" he yelled, face going somehow redder. "And what the hell is it with you and walking in on me and girls, anyway?"

"Girls?" the blonde squeaked and Mayu winced. Well, that was awkward.

"That happened once before, and it's not my fault you don't know how to lock a door! And this is hardly my fault, I'm doing my job. You know, as a  _police officer?"_

Kiba lost all the color in his face when he took in the badge on her shoulder and the Uchiha at her side. The blonde burst into noisy tears.

"Oh no, my dad will kill me," she wailed.

Mayu rolled her eyes and sent Kiba a judging look. He just gave her a  _what can you do_ shrug.

"Alright, that's enough," Yuhui cut in. "We'll give you a warning this time, but if I catch you doing something like this in a public place again, I'll arrest you," she said sternly.

"I'll walk you home," Kiba said but the girl, who had stopped crying after being told she wasn't going to jail, stuck her nose in the air.

"I can get home on my own. I think it's best if you don't come around anymore, Kiba-kun," she said and spun on her heel and walked away with the last shreds of her dignity. Mayu burst out laughing and Kiba glared at her.

"Why are we friends," he grumbled and she flapped a hand at him.

"Alright, Nomaka-san, let's go," Yuhui said.

"Fine," she grumbled. She turned to follow her partner and called over her shoulder, "Thanks for the entertainment, Kiba-kun! Can't wait to tell your mom about it!"

"Don't you dare!" he yelled and she cackled. It took her a while to calm her laughter, though Yuhui seemed to bear it with more patience than Mayu thought she would.

"Hey, you can call me Mayu, you know," she finally said and Yuhui looked over at her.

"Alright," she said simply. Mayu was already calling her by her first name, mostly because otherwise things would get confusing at the station, but also because she had no shame.

"So why did you let them off with just a warning?" she asked after a moment, honestly curious. She knew that if it had been Fugaku with her, Mayu would be sending Anzu with a message to Hana to come bail her brother out of jail.

Yuhui shrugged. "You'll find that depending on the clan, people have different viewpoints on things. The Inuzuka are less shy about things like sex, though I admit they don't generally take it that far in public," Yuhui said sardonically. "It's not worth taking him in for something I doubt he'll do again if only to avoid embarrassment, and possibly create bad blood between the MPF and the Inuzuka."

Mayu frowned. "You mean the Uchiha and the Inuzuka," she said and Yuhui inclined her head, not trying to deny it.

"It was kinda dumb to have the Uchiha be the sole police force," Mayu grumbled. "It's like asking to create a divide in the village."

Yuhui shrugged. "Well, I think that's why Fugaku-sama and Itachi-sama are working so hard to integrate other clans into the MPF."

Mayu studied her partner, feeling a little off balance. She hadn't really expected the woman - who couldn't be older than seventeen - to have an outlook like that. She'd kind of thought she would be just another uptight Uchiha.

"Huh," she said. Maybe this whole patrolling thing wouldn't be so horrible after all. Mayu could probably learn a lot from Yuhui.

When she wasn't patrolling, she was following Fugaku around, learning the very frustrating and not-fun-at-all political side of running the MPF. Within the first week, Mayu had decided that she would never, ever be the Chief of Police. It was horrible.

After Mayu told off the head of the Kurama clan when he commented on the 'declining quality of the village's police work' in a council meeting, Fugaku had given her a scathing lecture on her inability to control herself.

She'd then been given two overnight patrol shifts and spent two whole days filing paperwork until he deigned to let her back into his office - on top of being forced to run five laps around Konoha every morning for a week. Suffice it to say, she learned to control her temper while she was in his office or sitting behind him taking notes in meetings.

Mayu watched in fascination while he met with his captains and lieutenants during their weekly meetings. Fugaku was an incredible leader. It showed in the way people paid attention when he talked, sure, but it was also the small things that made him so successful. He prodded and led his team into reaching conclusions that she knew he had come to way before everybody else, in a way that ensured they would remember the lesson next time a similar problem came up without needing his help.

His rules and boundaries were clear and when people crossed them they knew exactly what to expect (never anything fun, Mayu could attest to that). Fugaku also showed his pleasure in small ways that were, nonetheless, incredibly effective in boosting morale. Mayu couldn't help but wonder how he was so good at being a parental figure at work and so crap at it at home.

No wonder Sasuke had a complex. Next time she saw him, she was giving him some serious hugs. She had to keep herself from snickering out loud when she imagined the distasteful expression he would make when she did so.

Dai's team made an arrest for the Pepper case three days after she spoke to Finchi. They had followed somebody who made a large purchase at the black market distributor and he had ended up taking them straight to the source. It was a woman in the Science Corps who had been trying to get enough money together to pay for a medical treatment her son needed and didn't seem to care who died in the process. It was altogether a depressing end to the case.

After she'd told Yoshino and Shikaku about it her mother had convinced Tsunade to do the medical procedure pro bono. The kid had lost his mother to prison and had technically become a ward of the village anyway, so it wasn't that difficult to get it approved.

Throughout all of this, in the back of her mind was always a small, prodding creature that would not let her forget the problem of Orochimaru. When she wasn't at work, training with Fugaku, or sleeping, she was in her investigation room. Torii and Hinata both spent time with her there when they could, though Hinata had her father to appease (he had expected her to give up on her 'ridiculous goal' as soon as she made junior officer. When she hadn't, he'd really started to put on the pressure) and Torii had physical therapy.

Mayu had convinced Itachi at their now-weekly lunches to give her more information on Orochimaru. She could tell that he didn't think she'd be able to find him and so had allowed her to go through tips and reports as they came into intelligence to see if any of them were relevant.

Most of those lunches, however, were spent getting updates on how things were going with Hana. Aki was a now-recognizable fixture at Itachi's side, and there had been a flurry of gossip around the Hokage's new best friend that had died out after a week or so. It was, after all, only a dog.

Of course, outside of vet visits Itachi hadn't seen Hana since the day he got Aki, which he admitted had gone well. Mayu had dragged him and Aki to the Inuzuka compound the next evening.

"Hana-san! I'm so glad you're here. Can you look at Aki? I could have sworn he made a weird coughing noise when I walked him for Itachi earlier -" It wasn't a lie, he'd coughed and sneezed when they passed a spice stand, "-oh, Tsume-san, what is that? It smells so yummy! Yoshino's been working evenings, so papa and I have had to fend for ourselves..."

Itachi had ended up seated between Mayu and Hana at the Inuzuka dinner table, looking a little like somebody had pulled the rug from under him. If he would just grow a pair and ask Hana out, Mayu wouldn't have to resort to these underhanded tactics.

Mayu, of course, launched into a story of Kiba's brush with the law, sending both Inuzuka women into raucous laughter while Kiba hit his head against the table. Itachi looked like he was trying to decide whether to be amused or disapproving.

When they left, Mayu convinced the family to come over to her house for dinner that weekend, a dinner that she had every intention of dragging Itachi to. From the longing glances they kept giving each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, Mayu guessed that Itachi and Hana would be engaged within five months, with the right push.

When she left the house that evening, Tsume gave her a high five while Kiba looked on in confusion and Hana and Itachi awkwardly said goodbye to each other at the door. Mayu seriously loved that family.

000

Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had just finished their very long debrief with Itachi and all of them wanted nothing more than to go back to their houses and sleep for at least a day.

The aftermath of the fight had been exhausting. They'd had to come up with a prison that could keep Suigetsu in place and Naruto had spent the last few weeks working with Jiraiya on seals that would keep a room secure even if its prisoner could turn into water.

Kakashi, Ensui and Ishii Kento had been in charge of the interrogation, but it seemed as that Suigetsu didn't have much knowledge to offer. He'd given up the location of the last base they had been at, but when ART One and Three, accompanied by Nanako and B, who had refused to leave after they saved him, went to check it out it had been reduced to rubble. It seemed the Akatsuki were covering their tracks.

Suigetsu had been able to tell them what happened to the two jinchuuriki that Akatsuki had successfully captured. They'd performed some sort of ritual that pulled the Bijuu from them to store into what sounded like a large statue. The jinchuuriki had died, unable to live without their prisoner.

The why, how, and what they planned to do with them weren't known to Suigetsu, though he  _was_ able to tell them that there were now three members left - the strongest members - and gave them as much information as he could on them, which wasn't a lot. Pein, Konan, and Kisame. There was also a leader whom he knew nothing about but was probably the mysterious masked man that had turned Ito Kaede all those years ago.

The whole thing was more than a little concerning. On the bright side, B's kidnapping had proven to Kumo that the threat of Akatsuki was real, and A had agreed to send some of his own shinobi to help them fill the ranks. B had insisted that he wanted to be one of them, especially once he realized there were two other jinchuuriki in ARF.

Naruto, of course, had made fast friends with him and dragged Gaara along with him. It was hard to believe while watching the three of them interact - Naruto and B goofy and loud, Gaara quiet and watchful and confused - that they were all weapons of mass destruction that struck fear into the hearts of shinobi.

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand down his face. It was good to be back in the village after so long, and he could tell that his students were even more affected than he was. They'd never been on such a long-term, stress-filled assignment before, after all.

"Alright, take a few days to -"

"Excuse me, Hatake-san?" Kakashi sighed and turned to the Nara that had sidled up next to him.

"Yes?" he asked, fighting the urge to snap at him. The man must have sensed his ire, though, because he shifted and stuck a heavily scarred hand into a pocket.

"Ah, Nomaku Mayu asked me to come and get your team. She has something important to talk to you about," he said a little apologetically.

"Mayu-chan? Is she okay?" Naruto asked, his loud voice making Kakashi wince and Sakura bop him on the head.

"No need to yell, idiot!" she said and Kakashi decided not to point out how jarring her own tone was.

"She's fine," the Nara said.

"Take us to her," Sasuke said, voice flat, and the Nara nodded, then turned and ambled away, trusting them to follow.

"Hey hey, are you Mayu's friend? We're her teammates. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, that's Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke and our pervy sensei Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi sighed at Naruto's description. No respect.

"Yeah. Mayu's told me about you. I'm Nara Torii."

Kakashi let Naruto lead the conversation, tiredness forgotten in lieu of worry for his trouble-magnet of a student. He somehow wasn't surprised when Torii led them around the house to the shed, though he was a little taken aback when Tsunade appeared next to them, looking more annoyed than usual, with a terrified Anzu on her heels.

"What the hell is that brat thinking, sending one of her summons to get me. I'm a former Hokage, I'm hardly at her beck and call - Sakura!"

"Tsunade-shishou!" The two women embraced and Kakashi had to admit it was nice to see Tsunade soften up at the sight of her apprentice.

Kakashi knew that Itachi planned on sending a replacement for Sakura at the end of the month so she could continue training with Tsunade, though the rest of the team wasn't aware of the upcoming change yet. He wondered now how much the change had to do with Tsunade pressuring Itachi to return her student to her.

"Come on, let's see what the little twerp wants," Tsunade grumbled. Torii opened the door to the shed, ignoring a few choked off warnings as he did so. They all knew better than to just walk into Mayu's lab without making sure they wouldn't die via explosion first. Their protests died in their throats, however, when they took in what used to be a lab with wide eyes.

Every wall was covered with posters, which had paper, pictures, maps, and pins scattered throughout. Over the top were lengths of multiple colors of string connecting certain pieces of information. Kakashi caught sight of the words 'village disappears overnight' connected to another one that read 'equipment stolen from civilian labs.'

In the middle of it all, hair messy and clothes wrinkled, stood Mayu, who had spun around when she heard the door open. Kakashi frowned a little at the frantic quality to her movements. Before any of them could get out a greeting, she bounded to the door and blurted, "I found Orochimaru!"


	15. Explosions and Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orochimaru gets his, and Shikamaru comes home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some talk of human experimentation in this chapter, because Orochimaru.

Itachi stood in the middle of Mayu's Investigation Room, taking in the chaos around him with a calm look on his face. Eventually, his gaze landed on a map of the elemental nations, which had multiple pins pushed into them ("...those are where people and resources went missing, sempai. The green represents sightings of strange creatures that were dismissed as drunken ramblings of civilians, but I think they're actually Orochimaru's experiments slash minions."). A big star that seemed to have been drawn with a glitter pen was drawn in Grass Country with the words  _Orochimaru's Super Secret Hideout_ written in black underneath.

"How sure are you of this?" Itachi asked Mayu, who was bouncing up on the balls of her feet in excitement next to him.

"Pretty sure. I'll bet you anything we'll find him in some crazy underground hideout somewhere in that area," she said confidently.

'That area' was on the edge of Grass country, where Itachi knew there were just mostly rice fields dotted with rocky hills and cliffs.

"Farumo won't be happy that our most infamous missing-nin has set up shop in his backyard. I know they've been quietly investigating the disappearance of villagers for years," Tsunade spoke up from where she was lounging in a lawn chair just outside the shed, which was too small to fit all of them.

Sakura was lying next to her in the grass, soaking up the fall sun and cooing at the three chickens wandering around the yard. Sasuke was standing on the steps, studying his brother's reaction with a tense posture. He was somehow completely ignoring Beaker while the cat attacked his shoes with a single-minded focus.

"Yes, we'll probably lose some political capital over this," Itachi said with a sigh.

"You can always just bring up the fact that a missing-nin from Grass Village lopped off my toe," Mayu grumbled, then wished she hadn't when Kakashi and Sasuke stiffened and Naruto barged into the shed to pull her into a hug. The fifth one he'd given her since they arrived in the village a few hours ago, actually.

"Ugh, Naruto, I'm  _fine,_ stop crying on me," she said, pushing at him.

Itachi ignored the drama and stepped outside of the shed. "Go, get some rest. Kakashi, Tsunade, come to my office tomorrow morning and we'll discuss how to proceed. I'll send a message to Shikaku as well."

"What! But, we should be going now, before he - he -" Mayu trailed off, not sure what she was going to say.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at her and she twitched when she realized Sasuke was looking at her with the same expression. "Mayu," Itachi said slowly. "I understand Orochimaru is a sensitive subject for you -"

"He is not a  _sensitive subject_ for me -" she grumped, but Itachi didn't bother pausing in his lecture.

"However we must proceed with caution. You will spend two hours meditating this evening. Figure out why you're so..."

"Crazy," Sasuke supplied, deadpan, and Mayu glared at him. 

"...frantic. If you want to be included, get ahold of yourself." Itachi then swept away, leaving Mayu gaping at his back. It wasn't very often he went all Hokage Lecture Voice on her. Huh. Maybe she had been acting just a  _little_ over the top.

Mayu turned her attention to her newly returned team, taking them in. Sasuke, like Shikamaru, had grown a few inches. Enough that the rest of his body was still catching up, so he was a little thin and gangly. His hair had grown out a bit in the front, his bangs reaching his chin, though his hair was still as fluffy as always in the back. He was wearing the standard flack jacket over blue pants and a shirt, with a tanto strapped across his back. It was cute how much like Kakashi he was trying to be.

Naruto had grown a bit taller too but was still much shorter than Sasuke. His hair was the same length it had always been and he was wearing a black jumpsuit with orange accents. Sakura also looked more grown, face thinning of baby fat and her body starting to show gentle curves beneath her red vest, black shorts, and pink medic apron.

"Hey, guys," Mayu said, grinning a little stupidly. Sakura gave her a wide smile, Sasuke smirked, and Naruto let out a happy laugh.

"Right. I'm going to go. Sakura, stop by my office tomorrow sometime, we'll discuss your training schedule. You're behind," Tsunade grumped before gracefully standing from the chair. She ruffled Sakura's hair before disappearing.

"You guys should stay for dinner," Mayu blurted.

"Oh, Mayu-chan, I would, but I have to go see my parents. Tomorrow?" Sakura said a little apologetically.

"Same," Sasuke grunted.

Mayu stuck out her lower lip and glanced at Naruto. "I can stay," he said and she perked up. Movement to her left drew her attention, and she saw Torii backing away, an uncomfortable look on his face.

She sighed. "Okay, so I'll tell mom that Naruto and Torii are staying for dinner." She clapped her hands together once, hugged Sakura and Sasuke goodbye (she was right, he looked completely disgruntled by the contact), then pulled a chattering Naruto and surprised Torii into the house.

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about seals, since Torii was one of the best seal makers in the clan, on top of being a tokubetsu jounin field medic. A lot of it was over Mayu's head and once they started talking about the angle of lines and their effects on the output of power, Mayu's attention wandered.

She frowned when she thought about what Itachi had said to her. Was she really acting the way she had after Orochimaru's attack? Mayu bit her lip, mind racing over her actions the past weeks. She  _had_ been pretty focused, almost to the exclusion of all else.

She hadn't even been to her lab or to Akinobu's shop, which was...well, it wasn't like her. Naruto and Torii were having a heated conversation about whether a seal that would assist in healing was possible, so she decided they wouldn't care if she meditated. Another thing she'd been falling behind on.

She dropped into her mindcave and huffed at the backlog of things that needed filing. Why was her life suddenly all about filing things? She set about doing that first, organizing what she'd put together on Orochimaru and a few cases Fugaku had let her assist on at the MPF.

Once she was done, she looked around. Something felt...weird. Following her instincts, she started to walk through the filing cabinets until she came to a wall. She put her hand on it and concentrated. There - a weak spot. Heart in her throat, she hurried along the walls, then abruptly stopped. At the base, in a dark corner of her mind, was a small hairline fracture.

"What in the world," she mumbled, weaving chakra through it until it sealed shut. She then continued to walk along the wall. She found three more hairline fractures before she finished.

Realizing she didn't have any more chakra to spare, she exited her mind cave and opened her eyes. The living room was empty, but she could hear Yoshino and Naruto's voices filtering from the kitchen, along with the smell of food. Her stomach grumbled but she didn't stand immediately, too shaken by what she had found.

Was it just a result of the jolt of realizing how close the three-year mark of Orochimaru getting a new replacement body was? It was possible that she had damaged her own mind by stressing out and going on an investigation spree, not to mention the trauma of being captured. Mayu sighed and stood, shaking her head. She had to be more careful with her mindscape. It was a good defense, but a defense was only as strong as the person holding it.

She padded into the kitchen, noting that she already felt more centered than she had been for the past few weeks. Mayu huffed, annoyed at herself for once again forgetting the one thing she should always remember: she was potentially her own worst enemy.

All it took was enough distraction from the upkeep of her mental health and...well. Nothing good came from it, that's for sure. She'd have to get Itachi something nice for pointing it out to her. Though she supposed she was already helping him bag the girl of his dreams. Maybe they were even?

"And then Suigetsu was like 'you'll never land a hit, not with my abilities,' and Sasuke was all, 'you wanna bet?'" Mayu walked into the kitchen just as Naruto mimed somebody being electrocuted by Sasuke's lightning. Torii was watching Naruto with the same he look he sometimes sent her way. The one that said  _Why am I here? What has my life become?_

Mayu settled in at the table, thoughts calm for the first time in weeks, and listened to Naruto's retelling of the Akatsuki take down that happened a few weeks before. She'd heard through the grapevine that they'd killed two more members and taken another hostage, but hadn't been able to get any details. Mayu coaxed Shikamaru's part out of Naruto and knew her eyes had gone wide and starry by the end of it. He was so cool, and handsome, and smart -

"Mayu-chan, quit daydreaming and help me finish dinner," Yoshino said and Mayu sighed, but knew better than to argue.

000

"You can only go with the task force if my father approves it," Itachi said the next day when Mayu had filed into the conference room along with Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura and demanded to know why she hadn't gotten a summons to the meeting.

She was a little grumpy, since Shikaku had burst into the kitchen in a bit of a rage the night before. Itachi had told him about Mayu's newest project. There had been a lot of 'why can't you just keep your nose out of trouble for one week, Mayu' and 'It's like you enjoy being a target for the world's deadliest ninja, Mayu.'

Mayu gaped at him. "That - that's not fair!"

"It's perfectly fair. You are his apprentice and this is an extremely dangerous, volunteer-only mission. We're short on manpower and you are considered one of the future important players of the Military Police Force."

Mayu glared at him. "I'm the one that found Orochimaru, I should go."

Itachi just raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You're punishing me for being kidnapped!" she yelled.

"I am not -"

"You both are," Mayu said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You and shishou took me off the Akatsuki investigation, and now you're not allowing me to go to Orochimaru's hideout." She didn't mention the Root Investigation since it was beyond classified, but she knew he'd understand that she was also talking about being taken off that one as well.

Itachi sighed. "Mayu, you aren't a heavy hitter, not really."

"I'm smart, and I'm good at blowing things up. I've held my own before, and I work well with the team you're sending. I -"

"We will both go," a voice said from the door and Mayu spun around in surprise. Fugaku was standing there, looking regal and scary, and he sent her a look that had her cringing. "You and I will discuss the proper way to address your Hokage later," he promised and she gulped. Crap, more filing and running and overnight patrols. Yuhui was going to kill her.

Then her brain caught up to what he had said and she brightened. "Really? You're coming too?"

Itachi cleared his throat and the room's attention was back on him. Fugaku shut the door softly behind him. "Father, we are already leaving the village with less high-level shinobi than I would prefer, between the forces that are currently active in the Akatsuki Response Force and this."

"Actually," Tsunade said from where she'd been standing in the corner, "I have a thought on that. I sent a message to Jiraiya last night and his toad got back to me a little while ago. Currently, all ART teams are stuck at headquarters while they wait for Kumo's forces to arrive. He'd like us to swing by Grass, and then he'll be coming along. I'm guessing we can wrangle up a few more heavy hitters that are feeling bored and leave a few of the jounin you'd discussed sending along with us for backup here. If that's okay, Itachi," Tsunade tacked on at the end.

There was some uncomfortable shifting after that declaration. Tsunade had obviously gone above Itachi's head on this, but at the same time...Orochimaru was her and Jiraiya's ex-teammate. It was understandable that they'd both want to be involved.

Itachi gave Tsunade a steady, terrifying look and Mayu shuffled closer to Kakashi and slightly behind him. He'd be able to protect her if the two came to blows. Maybe. Well, he'd probably grab her on his way out the door, anyway, and he was pretty fast.

After a moment Itachi relaxed minutely. "Very well. Kakashi, your team will go with Tsunade to Grass, along with my father and Mayu. Collect as many shinobi as you can - remember this is volunteer only. The mission is to neutralize Orochimaru and Kabuto, with a secondary parameter of cleaning out and destroying Sound and any and all of Orochimaru's experiments and data."

"Wait, what about the people that aren't there by choice?" Naruto exclaimed. "We can't just kill innocent people!"

Itachi tilted his head to the side. "Tsunade can use her discretion on the human experiments and Orochimaru's shinobi. She and Jiraiya will both be leading this mission. You need to prepare yourself for the eventuality that not all of them, possibly even none of them, will be saveable. Orochimaru is not kind to his subjects."

"Well that's not depressing at all," Mayu grumbled. Sensing the meeting coming to an end, Mayu raised her hand when a thought came to her.

Itachi's lip twitched at her unusual show of restraint. "Yes, Mayu?"

"Uh, I'd like to request that my assistant come, too."

Itachi stared at her. "You have an assistant?"

"Yep! You met him yesterday. His name it Torii, he's a medic, and he's really good at seals. Just ask Naruto! Also, he helped me in my Orochimaru investigation."

"Friend, Mayu, I think the word you're looking for is friend," Sasuke grumbled. Mayu flapped a hand at him.

"Yes, yes, that too. Oh! Can Hinata come, too? Her Byakugan would be useful, right?"

"Mayu, this is not a field trip," Fugaku snapped and she hunched her shoulders.

"Sorry, Fugaku-shishou," she muttered.

Itachi sighed. "If Nara Torii wants to go, he can. Please ensure that he understands that it's volunteer only. As for Hinata...I don't think her father would appreciate it if we sent her on a mission to Orochimaru's lair."

Mayu scoffed but didn't say anything, all too aware of Fugaku's presence across the room. A few minutes later they all left to pack up their things, and she bounced up to Fugaku.

"Thank you for letting me go with you, Fugaku-shishou," Mayu said. She had expected a hard 'no' when she asked for permission.

After a pause, he spoke. "Sasuke is my son. I have more reason than most to want to see Orochimaru dead. As my apprentice, your spot is by my side."

Mayu's breath hitched and she stared up at him. That was...well, that was practically declaration of love from the proud man.

"Shishou," she breathed and clasped her hands beneath her chin. He let out a rare sigh, but she thought she caught a hint of a smile on his face.

000

Shikamaru and his team, minus Ensui, were lounging in the lobby of the building that Grass had provided for use of ARF headquarters. They were seated in plush blue chairs that were tucked into the corner of the open space, playing cards.

Shikamaru smirked when Kankuro groaned when he won for the second time in a row. Temari scowled and Gaara just shrugged.

"Remind me to never play poker with a Nara again," Kankuro muttered. 

"You say that every time." Shikamaru pulled his winnings towards him from the middle of the table. "Yet here we are."

"Smug is not an attractive look," Temari snapped and Gaara's eyebrow twitched in amusement.

"I think we will find it surprisingly easy to play this game against opponents other than Shikamaru after this," he said and Kankuro looked thoughtful, then delighted, presumably at the idea of taking others for all they were worth.

They'd had a lot of chances to play against each other the past few weeks while Kumo diplomats filtered in and out and the villages all tried to come to an agreement on next steps for ARF. Shikamaru was pretty sure they'd be redistributing the teams, taking Kumo's participation as a chance to build diplomatic relations. The thought made him surprisingly sad. He would miss the Sand Siblings if they ended up on a team with somebody else.

He and Kankuro had come to a silent agreement after the fight against Deidara. Kankuro teased him less and Shikamaru stopped letting his stupid comments bother him so much. Neither of them brought up their fight again, much to Temari's confusion and annoyance. She made some disparaging comments about the emotional intelligence of men but left it at that.

"Maybe Shikamaru can teach me some of his tricks before we head home," Kankuro said and Shikamaru smirked.

"I don't think I can teach you how to be intelligent." He and dodged the throw pillow that he chucked at him in response.

"Oi, just because my IQ isn't at five hundred or whatever you freak Naras have -"

Shikamaru's attention was pulled from Kankuro's ranting when he heard a familiar voice echo through the lobby. He thought Naruto was supposed to be in Konoha for another three weeks. He turned his head to the door, and sure enough, he had entered the room.

Behind him, the rest of his team were filtering in. He frowned when Uchiha Fugaku stepped inside after Kakashi (and if a small shiver of fear ran up his spine, well, that was neither here nor there). It was the next person to file in that had him jumping to his feet and sent his heart to racing.

Standing just inside the door, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, was Mayu. She was wearing her battle coat, scroll carousel at one hip, though she was wearing her hitai-ate on her head still, despite the fact that she wasn't in her MPF uniform. Her hair had grown a bit - she only remembered to get it trimmed when it was annoying her, he knew - and he couldn't help the way his eyes lingered on the way her coat hugged her body.

It only took a few moments for her eyes to find him and the way her whole demeanor brightened when she caught sight of him had something in him relaxing. He hadn't even realized how worried he'd been that she would grow tired of waiting for him.

Shikamaru ignored his team's confused looks when he stepped around the low coffee table and hurried past Temari and Gaara's chairs. Mayu was already heading towards him, moving quickly enough that the ends of her coat were flaring around her.

She collided with him a few seconds later, but he'd been expecting it and had braced himself for impact. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her close to him, her body warm under his hands even through the thick material of her coat. He had a vague thought that he shouldn't get too cozy with her while her terrifying mentor was standing ten feet away, but it scattered to the wind when she stood on her tiptoes and pulled him down for a kiss.

It was gentle, barely there, and neither of them tried to deepen it before pulling back. He brought a hand up to her cheek and ran his thumb along her cheekbone, drinking in the sight of her. He ignored Naruto's flailing in the background when he pulled her more firmly against him with the arm still wrapped around her waist.

"How are you here?" he whispered. Mayu smiled, then leaned up to brush her nose against his.

"We're here on a very official mission," she said back in a low tone. "You interested in tagging along?"

"If you'll be there? Yes," he said and moved his hand from her cheek to gently touch one of the clips he'd sent her for her birthday, which was holding a hunk of her hair back from falling forward into her eyes.

"Hey, if you're going than we are too," Kankuro announced from about a foot away from them and Shikamaru glared at him. Couldn't he tell they were trying to have a moment? Instead of snapping at him, however, he took a deep breath and forced himself to remember the pieces of wood that were all that was left of poor Salamander after the puppet had shielded him from Deidara's jutsu.

Mayu leaned her weight into him and rested her cheek on his sternum while she looked over at his team. He tightened his arms around her, wishing that they weren't surrounded by people. He glanced up and froze when he saw that Fugaku was staring straight at him.

Shikamaru cleared his throat and tried to take a step back but Mayu made a noise of dissent and followed, tightening her hold on him until she started to resemble a barnacle.

"Mayu," Fugaku said and she stuck out her lower lip but let go and moved so that they were standing side by side, though she kept herself plastered against him. He wrapped an arm around her waist, mind racing with possible reasons why she would be there with both Fugaku and her old genin team. Possibly new information on Akatsuki.

"Alright. Fugaku, Kakashi and I are going to check in with Jiraiya. I'm guessing you'll be called in to a meeting soon, so stay in the building or in your rooms," Tsunade said and Shikamaru jolted - in the excitement of seeing Mayu, he hadn't even noticed that Tsunade had come in behind her, along with one of his distant cousins that used to babysit him when he was a toddler.

"...Torii?" Shikamaru asked when he took in the bored-looking figure, gaze stopping for just a moment on the burn scars that hadn't been there when he left.

"Ah, hey Shikamaru-kun," he said.

"Torii's my new assistant!" Mayu supplied and Shikamaru couldn't help his helpless smile when she beamed up at him. "He helped me find...uh...the thing we're here about."

Torii sighed. "You realize I'm not actually your assistant, right?" he grumbled and Shikamaru hid his smile in her hair when she just flapped her hand at him. She was adorable.

"Right, so, you gonna tell us why you're here or just keep being all mysterious?" Temari asked as soon as the adults were out of hearing range while Naruto sidled up to Gaara and grinned at him. Gaara returned his regard with a small smile, which was actually pretty effusive for him.

"We can't talk about it here," Sasuke said with a shrug. "We'll have to wait until we're in one of the warded conference rooms."

Shikamaru ignored Kankuro's complaining and leaned down so his mouth was next to Mayu's ear. "Come on, I have my own room," he said and she sent him a sly smile.

"Leave our escape up to me," she whispered back. She stepped away from him and threaded her fingers through his.

He watched, amused, while a chakra thread made its way into her pouch and grabbed out a smoke bomb. She bit her lip and glanced at him, checking his readiness. A moment later, the area they were standing in was infused with green smoke and the surprised exclamations of their various team members.

Mayu's delighted laughter made his lip quirk up and he took off in the direction of the door, pulling her along by her hand. They darted outside and down the street, ignoring the indignant yells of the people they'd left behind. Shikamaru had barely closed the door of his room behind them before Mayu leapt at him, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He put his hands under her thighs and staggered towards the bed as she started peppering frantic kissed on his face.

"Shika, I missed you," she said when his knees hit the bed and he sat down. Then they were kissing, his mouth opening under hers as she raised up on her knees, which were planted on either side of his hips on the bed. Her palms were cupping his face and one of his hands went into her hair while the other pulled her closer to him, splayed across the small of her back.

"Missed you, too," he gasped out when she pulled back a few minutes later and groaned when she moved her lips down his jaw to kiss tentatively behind his ear. The next kiss there was firmer and accompanied by a small swipe of her tongue that sent shivers down his spine and had him struggling to keep from getting hard.

It was a losing battle, especially when she shyly tilted her own head in an invitation for him to return the favor. He made a strangled noise that might have been her name, then leaned forward to trail his lips up the side of her throat. She shivered and let out a little whimper that had him clutching her closer to him as he lightly bit down on her earlobe.

"Shika," she gasped and he directed her lips back to his, running his tongue along hers while her arms went around his neck. His whole world had focused in on the way her own tongue twined with his and how she was arching against him, pushing her breasts against his chest.

He ran his hands from her knees up to her thighs, dipping under the fabric of her coat, the rough feeling of her mesh pants feeling good against his palms. The room felt like it was shaking apart around him when he tightened his fingers, digging them lightly into the meat of her thighs. The shaking grew more pronounced and he realized that it was coming from Mayu.

He pulled back. They'd taken it too far too fast. Shikamaru had already noted that she got overwhelmed if they didn't work up to things and he generally exercised more control, since she wasn't exactly great at knowing her own limits with, well, anything, and he never wanted to take things so far that she ended up freaked out. He'd just missed her so much and been so shocked by her sudden appearance that he'd gotten swept up in their reunion.

He licked his lips and took in her flushed face and dilated pupils. Her lips were red and swollen and spit slick, and it took more self-control than he liked to admit to keep himself from saying 'screw it' and picking back up where they'd left off.

"Mayu, are you alright?" She took a shuddering breath, then leaned down and put her forehead on his shoulder.

"Yes. That was. Wow. Just, I need a minute."

He scooted back on the bed and swung his legs up and over, easily lifting her as he laid down so that she was sprawled across him, head on his shoulder and coat fanned out around them.

"We should do that again, very soon," Mayu finally said after a few minutes of him running his hand up and down her spine. "Next time I'll be expecting all of the," she flapped her hand in the air, presumably encompassing 'raging hormones' in the gesture.

He hummed and kissed the top of her head. "Whatever you're comfortable with," he said even as his heart leapt at the thought of another makeout session like the one they'd just had.

"I had wondered if necking would be all it was cracked up to be," she continued. "It really lived up to the hype." She shivered and he cleared his throat, willing his body to just calm down already.

"Can you tell me why you're here?" he asked to distract himself.

"Mmm. Found Orochimaru," she mumbled into his neck. He stiffened.

"What? How?"

"They took me off the Akatsuki case after my kidnapping cause I'm vulnerable or something. Completely unfair. I was bored, I had a bunch of information, I used it to find him." She shrugged and he sat up, making her squeak in alarm as she flailed and landed on her butt next to him on the bed.

"What -?" Mayu looked at him and cut herself off, eyes widening. He was pretty sure whatever his face was doing wasn't nice if the way he was feeling was any indication. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths instead of speaking.

"Shika, why are you mad at me?" Mayu said in a small, watery voice that tugged at his heartstrings and did more to calm him down then the breathing exercises would have.

He opened his eyes and took in her slumped shoulders and the way her face had scrunched up in an attempt not to cry - a sure sign that the wetness gathering in the corners of her eyes weren't crocodile tears - and immediately felt like an asshole. He tugged her to him and tucked her head under his chin, ignoring their awkward position.

"You stupid girl," he whispered into her hair. "You were just kidnapped and hurt by a group of terrorists that you were investigating. You should have been recovering, not poking a new hornet's nest."

She huffed. "Dull," she muttered, but wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into him.

"I missed you so much," she said and he squeezed his eyes shut when he felt the hot sting of her tears against his collarbone.

"I know, I'm sorry I wasn't there," he said, voice rough and guilt eating at him.

"'S not your fault. I just - it was really scary," she said in a low voice like it was a secret. Knowing her, she probably considered it one - she didn't like to show most people, even (maybe especially) herself, when she was scared or overwhelmed. "I think that's why I got so caught up in finding Orochimaru. I - I let myself get a little crazy again."

She sounded so ashamed that he pushed her back until he could look at her face. She didn't meet his gaze, instead focusing on the duvet to the right of his hip. He cupped her face in his hands.

"Mayu," he whispered. "My Mayu, I'm sorry I wasn't there," he said again. She just shrugged and didn't look up. He sighed, then leaned forward and put his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.

"This is something you had to do," she said. "Don't be sorry for that. I - I'm really proud of you. Itachi-sempai told me that your team took out Deidara. And if you hadn't dismantled most of Kitaru Hikari before I was taken, I never would have escaped. It was close, anyway."

Shikamaru gave a small shake of his head. "Don't even talk about the possibility," he said through gritted teeth. "I can't stand it."

Mayu sighed and he knew she was thinking that he was being overdramatic.

"I love you, I can't - I don't know what I would do if I -" he started, suddenly having trouble breathing. Then, her hands were on his cheeks and she was kissing him fiercely.

"You won't have to figure it out," she said when she pulled back, and he opened his eyes to see her looking determined. "I'll always find a way back to you, I promise." He knew that look - the one that she wore right before she pulled off something crazy and impossible.

"That isn't something you can promise," he grumbled, but couldn't deny that he felt better. She scoffed but there was a small smile on her face, obviously having read his relief at her declaration.

"Of course I can. I'm Nomaka Mayu." As if that explained everything. Which, to be fair, it kinda did. "And I love you too," she said, then leaned in and kissed him again. He lowered himself back until he was lying down, her body sprawled over his while they kissed.

She sighed into his mouth when his hands slipped under the slats of the skirt of her battle coat and he slowly ran them from the outside of her knees, which were planted on either side of his torso, up to her hips and back down. She tugged his hair out of his tie so she could bury her hands in it and he made a small, happy sound when she plastered herself against him.

The door burst open and Shikamaru had them flipped over with his body crouched protectively over hers before he registered that it was just Naruto, and what looked like every person they'd left behind in the lobby standing in the hallway behind him.

"Ack!" He yelled. "What are you  _doing?"_ Naruto covered his eyes and started making agonized sounds. Shikamaru glanced down at Mayu, who was giving him an unimpressed look from where she was lying on her back, hair fanned out around her head.

"You do realize I can take care of myself." He rubbed the back of his neck when he realized what he'd done. It had been instinctive - protect Mayu from a possible threat.

He shuffled so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying not to stare at her mussed hair and flushed cheeks when she settled in next to him, leaning into his side. She handed over his hair tie and he sighed and took it from her, ignoring the eyes on him as he pulled it back.

"Idiot, I told you to knock," Sasuke said to Naruto as he swept into the room, giving Mayu a  _look._ Not forgiven for her smoke bomb trick, then.

"How was I supposed to know that they would be doing -  _that?"_ Naruto wailed, hand still firmly over his eyes.

"The real question is, why would you think they'd be doing anything  _but_ that?" Temari said as she breezed into the room and went to stand by the window.

"Yeah, I'm surprised Shikamaru isn't destroying you for interrupting," Kankuro added from the hallway and Shikamaru was pretty sure he heard Gaara give an exasperated sigh at his brother's inability to keep his mouth shut.

"I told you to leave them alone," Sakura scolded and she sent Mayu an apologetic smile. She just shrugged and pushed closer to Shikamaru, who was scowling. By the fond look Mayu gave him, he knew she was thinking it was adorable. Shikamaru was pretty sure most people were either annoyed by or terrified of that look on a Nara, but Mayu had always had a strange sense of self-preservation.

"Naruto, you can uncover your eyes," Gaara said solemnly as he entered the room. Naruto peeked out from between two fingers, obviously ready to slam his eyes shut at any sign of lips meeting lips. When he saw that everybody's clothes were on and nobody's lips were touching anyone else's, he lowered his hand. Finally, Torii filed in behind them all, looking supremely uncomfortable.

"So, it's time for you to tell us why you're here," Temari said flatly and Mayu sighed.

"It's not really something I can risk being overheard," she mumbled and Shikamaru tried not to feel too smug about the fact that she'd already told him.

"Naruto," Sasuke said and Naruto brightened.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Shikamaru watched in interest when he knelt down and slapped his hand on the ground. A seal expanded out from his palm, and a moment later all of the sounds from outside stopped.

Mayu straightened up next to him. "Naruto! Did you just do a contact seal?" she asked and he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, pervy Sage has been teaching me."

"That - that's like, expert level stuff, Naruto. That's amazing!" He beamed at the praise and a glance at Sasuke and Sakura showed that they looked just as proud as Mayu did.

"You're going to be a force when you're older, kid," Torii said from where he was leaning against the wall.

Mayu turned her face into Shikamaru's neck to hide her smile at Naruto's bashful grin and he kissed the top of her head. Fuck, he'd missed her.

"Alright, alright, so tell them what's up, now," Sakura said, plopping onto the bed next to Mayu.

She sighed and turned to face the room. "Well, I had some extra time on my hands while I was adjusting to having nine toes, so I decided to casually look into the whereabouts of Orochimaru -" she kept talking over the sounds of protest "-with the help of my new assistant, Torii. A few days ago, we figured it out," she said, beaming at Torii, who just sighed at the word 'assistant.'

"You're here to get back up," Gaara said, eyes focused on Mayu, who nodded.

"Yep!"

"We're coming," multiple voices said, and Shikamaru raised his eyebrows when he realized his team had spoken. Temari met everyone's gaze levelly.

"Why are you surprised? Orochimaru killed our father and tricked our village into assisting in an attack that ended with half our shinobi forces dead or injured. I owe him," she said in a dangerous voice.

"Wow, you're pretty terrifying," Mayu said with approval, and Temari smirked. Shikamaru felt a shiver go up his spine at the thought of the two girls becoming friends.

"So where is he? What's the plan?" Kankuro asked, voice uncharacteristically urgent.

Mayu shrugged. "As far as I can tell: go to his creepy village, let Shishou, Jiraiya-sama, and Tsunade-sama beat on Orochimaru. Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-san are going to take care of Kabuto. Everyone else is responsible for the rest of the village. I think Tsunade-sama is going to try to save his test subjects where possible."

Sasuke frowned, presumably unhappy that he wouldn't be killing Orochimaru himself. The door opened before anybody could respond to reveal an annoyed-looking Ensui holding the second key to Shikamaru's room. Naruto jumped and quickly rubbed his foot across the seal on the floor to break it in the most unsubtle move ever. Ensui raised a brow, then sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"At least attempt to look surprised at the meeting," he grumbled. "Come on, Jiraiya wants to talk to us."

Shikamaru stood, threading his fingers through Mayu's before they shuffled after everybody. He wondered if it was weird that he was looking forward to attacking a village to kill their S-ranked criminal of a kage just because he was doing it with his girlfriend. He glanced over at her, and she met his gaze with a smile. The answer was probably yes, but at the moment he couldn't find it in himself to care.

000

They found Otogakure three days later. In the end, all of ARF had decided to tag along, even those from other villages, either because they wanted revenge on Orochimaru (the Sand Siblings and Baki, and Farumo Baru and Yato) or because they were bored (basically everybody).

Mayu made some pointed comments about how useful a Hyuuga would be to have along while they were casing the base until Fugaku pointed out how much filing would probably build up in their absence. Ensui laughed for two minutes straight when she shut her mouth so fast her teeth clacked together.

"I have to say, I wasn't sure how this apprenticeship was going to work when I signed the paperwork, but Fugaku-san has really helped improve your attitude," Tsunade said. Mayu glared at her but held back from saying anything about Tsunade's own attitude.

Mayu shuffled off in a pout to plaster herself against Shikamaru as he, Jiraiya, and Ensui looked over a hastily drawn map of the area. Anzu and Momo were there along with Baken and were relaying the information they'd found on the entrances. He wrapped an arm around her waist but didn't turn away from studying the map.

"There are too many entrances," Ensui said. "We can't watch them all and launch an effective attack."

"We could blow all of them except a few," Shikamaru said and Mayu perked up at the talk of blowing things up.

"I doubt we've found all the entrances. I wouldn't be surprised if Orochimaru tried to slink off while we're distracted elsewhere," Jiraiya said, mouth pulled down in an unhappy frown - one he'd been wearing since they set off with the goal of killing his old teammate. Mayu had tried to imagine being in his place and it had made her chest tighten.

Ensui shrugged. "Well, that's where you, Fugaku and Tsunade come in. I doubt he'll stick around once things get rough if his past behavior is any indication. You three need to wait outside. I'd suggest peppering Tsunade's slugs throughout the area since they can communicate with each other and let you know if they spot him."

Tsunade and Jiraiya had tried to insist that Orochimaru was their problem and so just the two of them should deal with him. Fugaku had given them his most unimpressed stare before pointing out that not only had Orochimaru attacked his apprentice and son, and later kidnapped said son, he'd also experimented on members of his clan for  _years._ Nobody argued with allowing him to be on the 'kill Orochimaru' team after that.

Jiraiya hummed and tilted his head to the side. "Of course the bastard would have an underground lair,"he finally said. "Always had to make things difficult. Alright, that sounds like a plan. We'll also send each team with a slug so we can stay in touch."

They'd decided to break into three groups total outside of Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Fugaku's team and Kakashi and Yamato's team. Mayu and Shizune would be joining the team led by Ensui - which was basically ART One and Three minus Kakashi - as the rescue team for Orochimaru's test subjects. They were the largest group since they would probably need the medics to concentrate on the people they were saving, and extra people to cover their retreat.

Torii was going to join Nanako's team as their medic and backup, and to bring their numbers back up to five, since Goto was still recovering. Baki's team was the third group, and both groups were going to act as distractions on top of taking out as many enemy ninja as possible to hopefully clear an escape path for the rescue team.

"Alright," Jiraiya said with a sigh. "Mayu, you and Naruto come up with a plan for blowing all of the entrances except these three," he said, pointing to the ones he wanted to keep whole for the teams to use.

Mayu bounced up on the balls of her feet. "Yes! I can do that," she said and barely kept herself from rubbing her hands together and cackling maniacally as she ran off and grabbed Naruto's hand, tugging him from where he was talking to Gaara over to the three large duffle bags she'd forced her team to help her carry. They were full of various things she thought might be useful.

"Okay," she said cheerfully, ignoring Shikamaru's groan when she pulled out a huge grenade. "Let's talk explosions."

000

Torii crouched behind a rock, forcing his body to remain relaxed as he kept an eye on the terrain. Next to him, Nanako was sharpening a blade, not looking at all worried about storming the faux-village stroke evil lair of one of the most infamous missing ninja in history. Genma, who Torii had never spent a lot of time with, clicked a senbon against his teeth.

Ryo resembled the boulders he was lying against, so still that if Torii didn't know better he'd think the hulk of a man was dead. Only Yato looked as nervous as Torii felt, though for his age he was doing a good job of hiding it.

This was his first mission since he'd been injured, and he couldn't help but question, again, why he'd decided to start hanging around Shikaku's frankly odd ward. He supposed that she'd looked a little lost, just like he was feeling.

Plus, when she looked at him, she saw  _him,_ not his new scars or the fact that he'd wasted his time for two years on somebody that dumped him as soon as things got tough. Well, she did see that, because she saw just about everything, but she didn't seem to focus on it.

The truth was, Nomaka Mayu had needed him and it had been such a relief to feel useful again. Even if it was as the not-assistant of a certifiably crazy but brilliant teenager. God, he was pathetic. In his need to feel useful, he'd somehow landed himself in the middle of a siege as his first mission in four months. One that involved explosions and most likely a lot of fire, something he was decidedly not excited to be around again.

As if pulled into existence by his thoughts, there was the sound of five percussive _booms_ , followed shortly by the rumbling of the ground and huge plumes of smoke and fire. He took a shaky breath and Nanako stood and sheathed her sword.

"Alright, people, let's move," she said and they darted out of their hiding place and towards the entrance hidden behind some brush that the servals had found. It was locked, but Ryo just pulled back a fist, which was now covered in a thick layer of stone, and slammed through it with a punch. The metal buckled inwards before falling to the side, hanging by one thick hinge.

 _Jesus, remind me never to piss that guy off,_ Torii thought to himself. Without wasting any time Ryo jumped into the hole, followed shortly by Nanako.

Torii jumped in after her, knowing that Yato and then Genma would be next. They'd discussed the formation beforehand. As the medic, Torii was always going to be in the middle, which was fine with him. Most Nara just weren't built or trained for close combat. Torii especially had focused on capture techniques and medicine, since he had no interest in anything more up close and personal.

Their eyes had barely adjusted to the dimly lit tunnel when they were set upon by a dozen disfigured shinobi. Torii's worries and annoyance at the situation faded and adrenaline rushed through him. His body fell into old habits and he backed away to give his teammates room to fight, pulling himself out of the danger zone so they could concentrate.

Nanako fought the way Torii assumed a hurricane in human form would. She weaved through the enemy, blade flashing and hair spinning, cutting down anybody who was stupid enough to get into her path. Ryo flanked her, stone fists slamming into people, the sounds of cracking bones and the wet squelch of organs and skin and blood vessels being crushed accompanying each swing.

Yato and Genma stood back, Genma taking out ninja with precise throws of his senbon while Yato neatly cut people up with wind and water scythes. The four of them worked like a well-oiled machine, the mid-range fighters doing their jobs of keeping Ryo and Nanako from getting overrun while the close-range fighters didn't let anybody slip through their perimeter.

Torii picked up the way Ryo and Nanako left openings for Genma and Yato, ducking instead of trying to kill certain opponents, concentrating on those that weren't an easy target for their teammates while trusting them to have their backs.

Torii thought he wouldn't even have to assist until movement in the shadows to Genma's left caught his eye just as the shinobi was distracted with taking out a man with red skin and long claws on his fingers with six consecutively thrown senbon. Torii turned his body, bile rising in his throat at the thing that was materializing from the stone itself.

It had been human once, but now it was a long shape in rags, eyes yellowed, teeth gone - only its gums showing through its macabre smile. The thing's skin was grey and sickly looking and shifting into sagging, wrinkled patterns, as though unable to actually stay fully attached anymore. Tufts of wiry white hair grew sporadically from its skull and its fingers were long and spindly, with three-inch claws growing from the nail beds.

It lifted a hand after it appeared next to Genma, who had finally noticed it, too late to stop it but grabbing for his short sword anyway. The claw came down as the sword came out of the sheath, and Yato had just turned as well, hand going to his kunai and eyes widening when he realized Genma was about to take a serious blow.

The claws were only a few inches from his face when they froze mid-swing. "Shadow Bind Complete," Torii said calmly from where he was making the Rat sign six feet away.

Genma didn't pause, lopping the creature's head off in a smooth, practiced motion. Torii released the jutsu just before the tanto sliced through the skin so he wouldn't feel the backlash. After that it was over and the team was left surrounded by the twisted corpses of Orochimaru's shinobi.

"I do love having a Nara around," Genma said. "Thanks, man."

Torii shrugged, and something settled in him at the realization that he was still a skilled shinobi. He went over his team with shrewd eyes and paused on Nanako's now-bloody sleeve. He carefully picked his way through the bodies until he was next to her and reached for the injured arm.

"I'm fine, save your energy," she said and he sent her his most unimpressed look.

"I don't know how they do things in Iwa, but in Konoha, that's for the medic to decide," he said and pulled back her ripped sleeve to take in the deep cut to her inner arm. He sighed and put a hand over it.

"You'll lose too much blood if I leave it as is," he grumbled and pulled out a bandage after repairing the worst of the damage.

He wrapped it tightly, ignoring her bemused stare, before stepping back. "Alright. That should hold you. Any other injuries?" he glanced around but didn't see any gushing blood or limbs at strange angles.

"Can we go know?" Nanako asked, tone wry, and he gestured for her to walk forward. They ran into three more patrols and Torii ended up having to heal a nasty burn to Ryo's side that had him taking deep breaths to keep from losing his lunch when the memories of his own injuries hit him. Ryo patted his arm awkwardly afterward, but to Torii's immense relief didn't say anything. Actually, Torii was beginning to wonder if the man  _ever_ said anything.

The walls had started shaking ominously every few seconds about fifteen minutes after they'd entered the underground village and the unmistakable feeling of godlike shinobi throwing around their chakra told them that Jiraiya and Tsunade had found their wayward teammate.

Their role was to clear possible escape paths for the rescue team, so Torii wasn't surprised when they walked around a corner and were faced with Ensui and Ishii Kento, their teams helping what looked like thirty people in various stages of distress hobble down the hallway.

Sakura and Shizune were moving through them, hands lit green and bandages at the ready. Gaara's sand was moving restlessly in circles around them and Torii gave it an uncomfortable glance before putting it out of his mind.

Torii's stomach churned at the state some of the civilians were in. All of their heads were shaved and they were dressed only in thin hospital gowns. He doubted it was any warmer where they'd been being held then it was in the chilly hallways and rooms they'd been clearing out. All of them were too pale, probably not having seen sunlight in months, and they were incredibly thin.

Some of them had scars, the type you only got from scalpels and needles. Others were like many of the enemies they'd come across already - strange colored skin or extra appendages. One girl who couldn't have been older than twelve was sobbing uncontrollably as spikes of blood kept tearing through her skin before disintegrating, leaving the flesh to close over almost instantaneously. Fast healing or not, it must have been unbearably painful and Torii flashed over to her side and knelt down in front of her.

"Sweetheart, I'm going to let you go to sleep, okay?" he whispered and she turned wide green eyes on him. They were glazed over and he didn't think she even heard him.

He placed a hand on the back of her head and released a pulse of chakra, then caught her when she crumpled. To his relief, whatever was triggering her strange abilities seemed to stop while she was unconscious. He looked around until his eyes landed on a tall man who had probably had a lot of muscle mass once but was now thin and tired looking. He was also one of the healthiest people there.

"Here, you're responsible for getting her out," he said brusquely.

The man stared at him before his eyes moved down to the girl. After a pause, he held out his arms, as though unsure of whether or not he'd heard him right. Maybe he hadn't - for all Torii knew the man was deaf or possibly even cognitively delayed from whatever Orochimaru and his minions had done. But he took the girl without complaint and Torii moved onto the next patient, a middle-aged woman who was having trouble walking, and put her arm over his shoulder.

"Where is Mayu," he asked, eyes darting around.

"She got separated from us, along with Shikamaru," Ensui said, voice tight. Torii took in his battered team and wondered what kind of trouble they had run into.

"They'll be fine," he said, but he didn't look convinced of his own words.

When his own chest tightened, he realized that maybe he actually considered Crazy Mayu somewhat of a friend. He promised himself that no matter what, he'd go back for her and his cousin (whom he secretly thought was even crazier than Mayu herself for his apparent plans to actually marry the girl) once he got the civilians to safety. He didn't think he'd be alone if the determined expressions around him were any indication.

The rest of the team didn't say anything while they helped the patients along as fast as they could, knowing they needed to get them out of there, and fast. They were attacked twice on their way, but the enemies were quickly taken out by Nanako's team and the Sand Siblings, who were fucking terrifying.

Naruto had tried to get the enemy forces to surrender each time, but it was an exercise in futility. Torii could see that most of them weren't even sane anymore, and all of them had that fanatical gleam in their eyes that meant they were willing to die for their cause. Though he had no idea what that cause could be, especially when he took in the sobbing, broken people they were escorting out of their own personal hell.

They eventually made it back to the exit and Sasuke, Ensui, Temari, Kankuro, and Nanako jumped up ahead to secure the perimeter before Ryo started handing up the civilians, lifting them like they weighed nothing at all.

Naruto was talking softly to them, keeping them calm while they waited for their turns, and Torii studied him surreptitiously while he helped Sakura with a woman whose heart was so weak that it was failing from the stress of their escape.

He'd never had much interaction with Naruto, though he was old enough to know what he was. His memories of the raging, rampaging beast that had destroyed a good chunk of the village and killed a lot of their shinobi - including their Hokage - was nothing like the sweet, smiling young man in front of him.

His kindness lit him up from the inside, bathing the broken people around him in its light. Torii watched as they relaxed under his touch and responded to his smile with one of their own, looking surprised that they were still capable of such a thing.

He was telling them about how amazing Konoha was and how he was sure Itachi-sama would let them come live there if they wanted. Torii raised an eyebrow and wondered if that was a promise the Hokage would honor. The only time he'd been close to the man had been when he came to see Mayu's investigation into Orochimaru for himself. Torii had thought he seemed cold and unfeeling, though Mayu was comfortable enough around him.

Of course, Mayu looked at Uchiha Fugaku like he was the second coming of the Sage of Six Paths, so her reactions to people couldn't be trusted. Itachi's words had also seemed to pull Mayu out of her frantic need to go find Orochimaru  _right now, Torii, before he comes and starts snatching bodies,_ so he at least seemed competent at reining in his shinobi.

They'd just lifted the last of the civilians out of the broken hatch when the sound of running footsteps sounded down the long hall. He spun around, along with Naruto, Sakura, and Gaara - the others had already left the base. He relaxed minutely when he saw Mayu and Shikamaru skid around the corner, hands clasped, relieved to see her alive and mostly unharmed, a puppet on her back and coat flaring around her.

"Go!" she yelled, eyes wide. "Go, go, go!"

Torii turned to Naruto. "You heard her - up! Tell the others to get clear of the area."

"Tell Katsuyu to spread the message to get out of the base!" Mayu yelled. "Seriously - they have, like, two minutes!"

"Goddammit, Mayu, what did you do?" Ensui's voice yelled down just as she skidded to a stop next to Torii.

"Uh, what? Me? Why would you think -"

"Can it! Katsuyu already let her counterparts know that you've done something destructive. Baki's team is running like hell, everybody else is already on the surface," Ensui called down and Naruto jumped into the sunlit entrance. Shikamaru motioned impatiently to Mayu, who rolled her eyes but leapt out without arguing.

Torii followed, and finally Shikamaru. The ninja were hurrying the civilians across the expanse of grass and rocks towards the cover of boulders about two hundred feet away. Torii let out a breath of relief when Baki's team appeared next to them.

"Just, just pick them up! Seriously, we need to get clear!" Mayu yelled, then unattached her puppet and...wow, okay, that was a large, disturbing spider. It skittered up to a limping woman, whose eyes widened as she recoiled.

"Climb on, lady!" she yelled and Ensui sighed, but dashed over and picked up the woman, plopping her down on the spider and ignoring her screams when it took off, Mayu next to it. Torii forced himself to look away from the odd sight and picked up a young boy who was falling behind and swung him onto his back.

Everyone was doing their best to support those who just didn't have the strength to run. Most of the civilians looked either terrified or determined, and they made it across the clearing in record time, though Gaara had ended up picking up five of them with his sand and just ferrying them the rest of the way. Torii could barely make out the shapes of an enormous toad with a sword and snake fighting about half a mile away, the ground shaking while they threw each other around.

He could feel the chakra from the large jutsu that the sannin and Fugaku were chucking at each other pushing against him and shivered. Somewhere to the east, another battle between high-level shinobi was being waged - probably Kabuto, Kakashi, and Yamato. That one shouldn't take long, really - Yamato and Kakashi were quite the combination, according to the grapevine.

They had just settled behind the boulders when the ground began to shake under their feet much more intensely than it had been before.

"Oh crap," Mayu said and they all turned, almost as one, when the ground exploded into a shower of flames and smoke where the underground base had been hidden.

They all watched in silent shock as a plume of smoke that was as big as five of Konoha's arenas stacked next to each other rose into the air. The earth began to crumble inwards and nobody spoke as the crater grew larger and larger until it encompassed an area that Torii thought was about half the size of Konoha.

"That...was more destructive than expected," Mayu said in a small voice once everybody's ears stopped ringing. "There must have been some really unstable chemicals in the lab I rigged the explosives in..."

She trailed off when everybody turned to look at her. Shikamaru shuffled closer to her and spoke. "There were at least a hundred of Orochimaru's soldiers that were getting ready to attack us. We blocked off their exits - the blast was just supposed to take them out, not the whole structure," he defended at the incredulous looks being sent their way.

"A - a hundred people?" Naruto said and Torii glanced at him. His face was white and his fists were clenched. "You killed  _a hundred people,_ just like that? Mayu, we agreed to give them a chance to surrender!"

Mayu turned looked down and Shikamaru frowned. "We didn't have a choice, Naruto. And it was both of us."

"There's always another way - you didn't have to murder them!" Naruto yelled and Mayu flinched. "Just - just because they looked like monsters doesn't mean they were!"

Torii's eyes widened at the word murder."Hey," he snapped and Naruto, whose eyes were swimming with tears, looked at him. "You don't get to do that," Torii said, voice low so it wouldn't carry. "Sometimes as shinobi, we have to kill to protect our people and our village. As her comrade, you shouldn't be making her feel worse. You think she had a choice? Look at these people," he gestured to the shaking, crying civilians they'd saved. "Are you saying she should have risked them? You wanted her to let them go when she could stop them?"

Naruto opened his mouth to reply but Torii cut him off. "There is no way we wouldn't have suffered casualties if she had. And then that would have been on  _her._ "

The only sounds after Torii's outburst were those coming from the still-distant fight the sannin were having and the crumbling of rock and crackling of the flames burning in the crater. Kakashi and Yamato's fight must have been over because it was silent in that direction. Torii knew from their discussions before the raid that if they weren't too injured, the two ninja would go and assist Jiraiya and Tsunade in their fight.

"Nobody said they were monsters because of how they look," Sasuke finally added. "They were monsters because of what they  _did._ "

Naruto had lost all the color in his face at Sasuke's words, as though he just realized how what he said had sounded. "Mayu," he said, "I - I didn't mean -"

Mayu shrugged. "I know, Naruto. It's fine." Her face was white, though, and it didn't actually look like it was fine at all.

There was an awkward silence after that. Torii understood Naruto's reaction, a bit - that was a lot of dead people, and it wasn't uncommon to not react well to that. Especially somebody as naturally kind and optimistic as Naruto. Still, his words had an obvious effect on Mayu, who was hunched in on herself. Torii had no idea what to do about it, though.

"Is anybody injured?" Torii asked as an awkward attempt to change the subject. It worked, kind of, because everybody who wasn't injured edged away so he could do his job, effectively ending the conversation.

He spent the next few hours healing his comrades before moving over to the civilians to help calm them down and make them comfortable. There wasn't much more they could do for them out in the middle of nowhere, after all.

Shikamaru had pulled Mayu over to sit with him where a boulder would block her from almost everybody's eyes. She was curled up next to him and her face was hidden from view. Still upset, then. Well, if Torii had just created a new national landmark on accident he'd be stressed, too. Ensui kept glancing over at her with a frown on his face but was busy setting up a perimeter and discussing their next steps with Nanako.

The smell of smoke and ash and the soot raining down on them was making Sakura, Torii, and Shizune nervous. "We need to move," Shizune finally said. "This isn't good for anybody's lungs."

So they ended up standing and shuffling further away from the sight of the explosion. They settled into camp when they'd gone as far as they could before everyone - shinobi and civilian alike - were forced to give into exhaustion. They were next to a small stream and Torii watched as the civilians looked around in wonder, moving their hands across the grass or dipping their feet - still bare, unfortunately - into the water. How long had it been since they had stepped outside?

Torii really hoped that Tsunade and Jiraiya had succeeded in killing that son of a bitch. Somebody should have done it a long time ago. Ensui, Baki, and Nanako were huddled on the other side of the camp, talking in low voices. Finally, they seemed to come to an agreement.

Torii saw Ensui stand and make his way over to where Mayu was sitting at the edge of the camp, Sasuke on one side and Shikamaru on the other. Torii hesitated, then followed them over, sitting cross-legged next to Shikamaru and ignoring Ensui's pointed stare. He must have decided he didn't mind him crashing the party, because he turned his attention to giving orders.

"Alright. Mayu, do you mind sending Anzu and Momo to see what's going on with the other teams? I need to send Baken with a message to Grass, so they're prepared to deal with thirty refugees."

"Sure, Ensui," she said and Torii resisted the urge to hug her at how subdued she was. Okay, yes, so maybe he was fond of her despite her insanity. She had, after all, been the only one who had treated him like she would any other person despite his obvious rough patch and had given him a goal and something to do when he'd been drowning in depression.

Instead of waking up in a bed that he no longer shared with the man he'd thought he would marry and staring in his mirror at a body he no longer recognized, he spent his time running errands for and helping a crazy MPF officer solve a fairly large mystery. An improvement, at the very least.

Two hours after sending out the summons their four missing teammates stumbled into the clearing, Tsunade and Kakashi both being practically dragged in by the other two, Anzu and Momo circling them and looking worried.

Torii watched with amusement when Mayu and her team started fussing over the famous, feared-by-all Hatake Kakashi, who had moved from being carried between Yamato and Fugaku to collapsing against a worried-looking Ensui.

"He's fine, it's just chakra exhaustion," Tsunade grumbled while Sakura and Shizune helped Jiraiya lower her to the ground.

"Kabuto and Orochimaru are dead. Ensui, report," Jiraiya said bluntly, not bothering to fight with Shizune and Sakura when they started looking them over. Torii stood and moved over to the other three, listening to Ensui while he gave a brief but thorough rundown of what happened in the base.

He bandaged a deep wound on Kakashi's thigh after stopping the bleeding. There were other superficial wounds, along with chakra exhaustion, but he ignored those in favor of dealing with wrapping Yamato's broken ribs.

 

Fugaku looked like he'd gotten caught up in a cutting wind jutsu if the multiple shallow wounds that Torii could see through his torn up uniform were any indication. Torii approached him, unconcerned with Fugaku's glare when he moved into his space. He was a medic, being glared at by prideful, terrifying nin was just part of the territory.

"Nara-san, thank you for your concern, but -"

"Shishou!" Mayu blurted when saw Fugaku. Up until that moment she'd been distracted by how horrible Kakashi looked. She knelt next to Torii and her hands fluttered over Fugaku without touching. "What did he doto you?"

Fugaku sighed but didn't try to stop Torii from bandaging his wounds again when Mayu went into a long-winded whispered speech about infection and blood loss. She was just wrapping up a summary of a paper she'd read - written by Tsunade in her younger days - on the importance of disinfecting wounds in the field when Ensui got to the part about the people she and Shikamaru had blown up.

"Wait, you blew up the whole base?" Jiraiya said. "Like, the  _whole_ base?"

"No," Kakashi groaned dramatically. "So much paperwork."

Mayu went quiet and looked down at the ground and Fugaku studied her. Then his expression softened into understanding. He'd probably figured out that she was feeling a little guilty over all the people who had died in the explosion. It was a lot of deaths to feel responsible for, especially when somebody on her team had called them murders, no matter how much he seemed to regret his poor word choice now.

"Alright, Uchiha-sama. When we get back to the village, you'll need to check into the hospital - I did what I could but I'm low on chakra," Torii said apologetically. "And we used up most of our supplies on the civilians."

"It's fine," Fugaku grunted. "Mayu, come."

He stood and walked to the edge of the scraggly trees, somehow manage to look elegant despite the wounds and torn clothes. Mayu shuffled after him, body tense. Shikamaru, who had gone to stand with his uncle, watched but didn't follow. Torii, feeling restless despite his fatigue, went and checked on the woman with the weak heart, though he kept one eye on Mayu.

He relaxed when Fugaku leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder, talking in a low tone that didn't carry. Slowly the tension bled from her shoulders and after another few minutes she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around Fugaku's waist. Torii didn't bother to hide his chuckle at the flabbergasted expression on the usually stoic man, but after a moment he put one hand on the girl's head and patted her back with the other.

000

They limped back into Grass' hidden village four days later. They'd had to wait for somebody to bring supplies for the civilians - no way were they making it back without shoes - and Mayu had spent the time dodging wide-eyed looks when people took in the sinkhole that used to be Orochimaru's fucked up little kingdom.

Mayu had mostly been keeping close to Fugaku and the Naras, since hanging out with everyone else ran the risk of running into Naruto, whom she felt admittedly awkward around. It wasn't every day someone accused you of murder, even if she knew he hadn't really meant it. He just had a bit of a hangup over people who were called monsters and their subsequent treatment.

Mayu didn't actually feel bad about her decision to blow up Orochimaru's army in a preemptive strike, for a lot of reasons. The main one was the simple fact that if she hadn't, there would have been casualties on their own side, and she couldn't live with that. His creations were strong, with strange abilities that gave the elite team they'd brought along plenty of trouble.

It wasn't like it'd been premeditated. Shikamaru and Mayu had been separated from their team when fifteen of the things had dropped down from the ceiling. One of them, the obvious leader, had just laughed when Naruto begged them to surrender and would have taken the chance to run Sakura through if Mayu hadn't hit him with Sticky Situation.

She'd watched as he dissolved into a pool of shadows and slithered out of the adhesive, then reformed right in front of her and Shikamaru. They'd been forced back away from everybody else, who were having their own strange battles with the experiments-turned-army.

Eventually, after figuring out none of their attacks were working, they'd escaped the dissolving and hidden in an old lab. They'd quickly discovered that the large, creepy tubes with complicated seals etched into them in the middle of the room were for holding Orochimaru's experiments.

It had taken a while, but they'd lured the creature into the room, then flung him into one of the tubes with a combination attack of Shikamaru's shadows and Mayu's chakra threads, locking him into the prison. It was when they were trying to find their way back to their team that they had discovered that a hundred Sound shinobi were getting ready to attack their forces as soon as they left the underground base.

It had been an easy decision to create an explosion that would take out the army before they could attack. As far as Mayu was concerned there hadn'tbeen another choice. Of course, she hadn't meant to blow up the  _whole_ base, but then there were a lot of unstable things floating around labs like Orochimaru's.

Still, when Naruto had looked at her with so much disappointment and then called her actions murder,it had hurt. It had made her wonder if he was right. Well, okay, of course, he was right, she had killed her fair share of people, but it wasn't like she did it for fun (Watana didn't count, she was pretty sure). She just wanted to keep the people she loved safe.

Fugaku's talk had helped. "Mayu," he'd said, "you had to choose between your team and a force led by somebody who would destroy Konoha as soon as look at it. You did nothing wrong."

"But, Naruto was...upset about it," she'd admitted.

"Naruto is not the one that has to live with the consequences. You are. If you had to choose again, would it be different?"

She had thought for a moment before shaking her head slowly. "No. They probably weren't going to listen to us, Fugaku-shishou. They were too far gone."

He had reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes heroes have to make hard choices," he'd said and he looked so sad that Mayu had lunged forward and hugged him, though she was gentle, aware of his various injuries.

"You think I'm a hero?" she'd asked in a small voice. He'd stiffened, probably in surprise - it wasn't like they hugged a lot (ever), after all - but at her question, he had relaxed, putting one hand gently on the back of her head while the other went to her back. Not exactly a bear hug, but she'd take it.

"I know of a few people who can personally attest to that," he had said.

"Thank you." She had pulled back and looked up at him, knowing she was probably doing her creepy staring thing. "I - I'm really glad I'm your student."

He had cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yes, well. I suppose I'm glad, as well."

After that Mayu had wandered back to Shikamaru, who had been twitching in her direction the whole time they were talking. He was feeling slightly overprotective, but she didn't really mind - it meant she could be as pitiful as she wanted and he'd just hug and pet her and say nice things. No downside, really, since there wasn't any danger she currently wanted to run towards.

Once they returned to Grass, Fugaku had been very adamant that she stay in their shared room every night, even going as far as to put traps over the door that would alert him if she tried to 'escape.' In response, Mayu had taken to going into Shikamaru's room as soon as Fugaku left for the seemingly endless super-secret meetings that the diplomats were having about Akatsuki, the now-fallen Sound village, and transporting the refugees.

Mayu knew that at least ten of them had accepted the offer to get treatment in Konoha under the care of Tsunade, Sakura, and Torii. Not surprising, since the three medics had been part of the team that rescued them.

Currently, she was snuggled up against Shikamaru, sunlight falling over the bed through the window and warming them. It had been two days since they returned to Grass and it looked like Mayu wouldn't be leaving for at least a few more while everybody recovered and dealt with the political fallout.

"So, Itachi-sempai asked me for dating advice," she said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"...What?"

She sat up and turned, crossing her legs so she was staring down at him. "Yep! It's a secret, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't count if I tell you since we're in love."

"I don't think that's how it works," he said fondly and reached up to wrap a hunk of her hair around his finger. She just shrugged.

"Well, I don't like not telling you things. So, wanna guess who the person is that caught his attention?" She leaned forward, eyes bright.

"If it's Sasuke, I'm bleaching my brain," he drawled and Mayu burst into delighted giggles.  

"They areweirdly obsessed with each other. But, no, it's not Sasuke." She drew out the reveal for a while longer before finally announcing that it was Inuzuka Hana and telling him about her matchmaking activities.

"Well, the council's reaction should be interesting," Shikamaru said, a smile playing around his lips.

Mayu just shrugged. "She's the daughter of a clan head and is a well-respected tracker and medic. There'll be some jerks, but I doubt anybody will make the mistake of saying something bad about Hana or her clan to sempai more than once." She was tracing a finger up and down his arm while she talked, watching as goosebumps broke out across the skin. "Not that she needs his help defending herself."

He hummed and for awhile Mayu was quiet. She stared down at Shikamaru, head cocked to the side and eyes narrowed. He knew she was working something around in her brain, but seemed content to wait her out, staying silent with eyes half shut. Finally, she spoke.

"Hey, can I see your...uh..." she motioned down at his lap and his eyes popped open almost comically wide.

 _"What?"_ He sat up, cheeks turning red, and covered his lap with a pillow as though to form a barrier between her and it.

Her shoulders slumped. "Well, you can say no, obviously. I'm just curious since I've seen Sasuke's and Kiba's -"

"What," he said again, this time in a flat tone.

"I mean, I could show you something too. Maybe my breasts? You seem to like them." She tapped her finger against her lower lip and he made a strangled noise while his cheeks turned an even brighter red.

"Mayu," he finally said after taking a moment to collect himself. "Is there a reason why you want to see...it...other than curiosity?"

Mayu shrugged and looked to the side. "I mean. I just thought you might want to...I could...do something with it?"

Shikamaru stared at her and she looked down at her hands, nervous and also feeling weirdly embarrassed and possibly a little rejected. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I'll just...go see if Sakura wants to -"

He sighed and reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging on it until she looked at him. He had a small smile on his face and she immediately felt better. "Mayu, I want to do anything you're comfortable with. But...maybe we could work up to that. There's no reason to just jump into the deep end. Plus, I don't want to do something like that right before we get separated again for months. I want to make sure you're okay...after..." He rubbed the back of his neck in obvious discomfort.

"Okay," Mayu said and sent him a tentative smile.

He must have picked up on her relief because he cocked his head to the side. "Why the rush?"

Mayu drooped again and stuck out her lower lip. He chuckled and tugged her against him, flopping over and arranging them so they were lying on their sides, facing each other.

"You can tell me," he said in a low voice when she continued to hesitate.

Mayu sulked for a few more minutes but his gaze remained steady and eventually she broke, just as he knew she would. "I-don't-want-Kiba-to-win," she mumbled in a rush.

He raised an eyebrow. "Win what?"

"I don't know! Just, every time I turn around he - he's, you know. I don't think he's even a virgin anymore." She scowled. "If Kiba can do it, then so can I."

Shikamaru groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Mayu. Please, don't judge your life accomplishments by what that idiot is doing ever again."

"But - !"

"But nothing. Kiba isn't interested in the same things you are when it comes to dating. You and I...are in a different situation. He just wants to find girls willing to get him off," he said bluntly. "Which, whatever, as long as they're willing, it's fine."

"And you don't want me to get you off?" Mayu asked, annoyed, and he chuckled and pulled her closer.

"Of course I do. But I want you to be comfortable more. I also want to be around afterward. So can we just...table the discussion of removing clothing for later?"

"Fine," she said. She had never been good at waiting when something raised her curiosity and she was suddenly very, very curious about Shikamaru's anatomy.

"...so can I at least see you with your shirt off?"

Mayu only lasted another day before she became bored with lying around and Shikamaru grumbled and fussed but eventually agreed to take her to the Sand Siblings' rooms. She wanted to compare notes with Kankuro on puppetry, which he was all too happy to do.

When Gaara mentioned that Kankuro had lost his favorite puppet saving Shikamaru, she'd been so grateful that she leaned forward and kissed his cheek and gave him one of her Tiny Terrors. Shikamaru had sulked for a good hour after that, right up until they left and found Naruto sitting outside the room, looking supremely uncomfortable. He scrambled to his feet and Shikamaru stepped forward with a scowl on his face.

"What do you want," he asked, voice flat.

"I just want to talk to Mayu," Naruto said, shoulders hunched and looking like a kicked puppy.

"Don't be grumpy, Shika," Mayu said, stepping around her self-appointed bodyguard and ignoring his huff. "I'll catch up to you later." She tugged on his collar until he gave in and leaned down to kiss her.

"Come on," Mayu said to Naruto, leading them down the hallway and out one of the back doors. Naruto followed her silently while they made their way to an empty training ground that Grass had set aside for ARF's use. She turned and looked at him.

"I'm really sorry," Naruto said after fidgeting. "I know...I know that you're not..."

"A crazed killer?" she offered lightly and he hunched over. She sighed. "I know you don't think that, Naruto. My feelings were pretty hurt, but once I was over that, I realized it wasn't really about me."

Naruto sighed and rubbed a hand over his head. "I just...everyone always said I was a monster growing up," he said in a small voice and Mayu swallowed. "I think, if someone had asked most of the village, they would have said it would be safer to just kill me. Seeing all those people, who looked like monsters and probably hadn't even asked for it, I guess I just wanted to...to..."

"To save them. It's okay, Naruto. I like that you want to save people. I know you weren't really upset with me, but with the situation. And...maybe you're right, maybe some of those people would have surrendered. If you had been there, you probably would have figured out a way to save them. I guess I'm just...I don't know, I don't think like you do."

Naruto shook his head. "I can't always save everybody, either, Mayu. I really shouldn't have said that, no matter what. You're my friend, and I should have been supporting you. I just...like I said, it wasn't really about you."

Mayu sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, wishing this whole discussion was just over so he'd stop looking so sad. "You know, Kakashi told me once that I'd have to make decisions about who lives and who dies," she said slowly. "I think...I would be more cavalier about that if it weren't for you. Sometimes I think...'if I do this, Naruto will give me the sad eyes when he finds out,' and I have to stop and really consider it."

Naruto was looking at her with wide eyes and she continued. "You're right, you shouldn't have said that to me, but at the same time, sometimes I need somebody to help me remember that people can be saved and I shouldn't kill them just because I'm afraid they'll hurt the people I love, or because I'm upset." She gave an uncomfortable shrug. "Next time just don't be a jerk." 

Naruto pulled her into a rough hug and she sighed in relief. "You're wrong," he said when he pulled back. "You're a good person, Mayu-chan - you don't need me to tell you what to do."

"You're a good person, too, Naruto. Now. Wanna spar?"

His response was a large smile, and Mayu stumbled back to Shikamaru's room a few hours later covered in dirt and bruised and feeling a thousand times better.

 

000

The news that Orochimaru was dead - though for some reason nobody who was there was sharing the details of exactly what went down - had already spread to Konoha by the time Mayu, Fugaku, Torii, Tsunade, and Sakura returned exactly fifteen days after they'd left. The rest of ART One had stayed, since they were due back on rotation soon, anyway.

No matter how subtly or not subtly she asked about the fight against Orochimaru, Fugaku wouldn't budge. Tsunade only had to crack her knuckles once to send Mayu scurrying away, never to ask her again, while Torii looked at her like she was crazy for even trying in the first place. She had taken that to mean that whatever Orochimaru had done during the fight was disturbing, powerful, and not something the three shinobi wanted anybody else to find out about, ever. Mayu didn't know why she counted as just anybody. It was annoying.

Kakashi, at least, had given her a rundown of what went down with Kabuto, though that could have had more to do with trying to get her out of his room after she burst in at six in the morning. Ensui had groaned into his pillow and she'd cheerfully asked if he wanted to see her toe stump, which had made him give in and allow her to crawl up next to him in the bed. Easy.

While he was glaring down at her four toes she had innocently asked Kakashi about the fight. He'd tried to avoid telling her out of spite for waking him but Ensui had glanced at himand suddenly he was a fountain of information.

Kabuto's healing himself thing had, indeed, been a major problem, one that they'd gotten around by Kakashi putting him under a strong genjutsu. Yamato had used the man's preoccupation with the illusion to send multiple spears of wood through him - starting with the palms of his hands so he couldn't do many jutsu - and then leaving them there. Hard to heal around spikes of wood, after all. Then, Kakashi had spent a lot of time giving him terrible wounds until finally, he'd succumbed.

Her sensei had cheerfully burned his body to ash, and was she happy now, did she have enough information? Mayu had said it was acceptable before bouncing back out of the room to spread the information to the rest of her team.

It was strange, just how normal everything went back to being. Mayu now had a kill count in the three digits at the age of fourteen. She knew Kakashi's had probably been much higher than hers when he was her age, but then Kakashi had been fighting in a war from the age of six. It was just...very weird to think about.

She went back to patrolling with Yuhui and following Fugaku around. No interesting cases came in, though Mayu did help Dai track down somebody who broke his parole. Momo had found the man in less than three hours, following his scent to a bar in the lower civilian district. He'd tried to run and Dai had motioned at her to take care of it.

It wasn't her fault Bukimi had caused a mass panic when she took out the man with Sticky Situation. He was just a very misunderstood puppet. Well, that's what she put in her report before Fugaku made her rewrite it, anyway.

She'd had three training sessions with Fugaku and he finally declared them all an "exercise in futility" on a sunny, cool day after one of his clones had pounced on her from a branch it had been crouched in. Fugaku had been trying to teach her to sense chakra signatures for days, and for some reason, her sixth sense or whatever it was that allowed ninja to sense chakra was broken.

Fugaku finally sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, practically a scream of frustration coming from him. "Mayu, I've seen you recognize when there's somebody hidden. How are you doing that if you can't sense chakra?"

"Oh, well. That's easy - I just watch the people around me. When  _they_ sense hidden ninja, their body language gives it away. Also, sometimes I smell them or hear them or spot something out of place." Mayu shrugged. "I've never actually felt somebody's chakra unless they were slinging it around."

Fugaku hummed and studied her. "It's not unheard of. There are different levels of natural ability. Some, like Senju Tobirama, are so adept at it that they're actually called sensor types. I believe Asuma mentioned once that Yamanaka Ino has the ability. Then there are those on the other side of the spectrum - people who have trouble picking out individual signatures from the white noise of the natural chakra around them."

Mayu slumped. Great, she was chakra tone deaf. "Is it...bad?"

"It's a disadvantage, but one you've naturally been supplementing by learning to track and honing your deductive skills. We'll just have to make a note of it in your file so that you're paired with strong sensor-types." He paused before turning a stern look on her. "This is something I expect you to work on, Mayu. You might never be able to sense somebody when they're suppressing their chakra, but you at least need to work on recognizing people's signatures."

That was how she'd found herself meditating an extra half hour a day, but instead of concentrating inwards, she'd been focusing on the chakra around her. It was boring and she would have already stopped if she didn't know that punishment filing was even  _more_ boring.

Mayu exited the MPF building four days after her discovery that she sucked at sensing chakra, practically bouncing with excitement. She was juggling a stack of books along with a folder full of paperwork while she rushed to the Nara compound, turning towards the residential area.

She did a double take when Elder Ryo, the man she'd outed as a lace-lover, gave her a fake smile and a wave. Well, that was odd. She put it out of her mind when she came to the house she was looking for and kicked at the door a few times.

It opened a moment later to reveal a small, female, scowling version of the man she'd come to see. "Hey! Is your brother in?" Mayu asked, leaning around the books stacked in her arms to smile brightly at her.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Are you the weird lady my mom keeps telling my brother he should stay away from?"

Mayu blinked at her a few times. "Um. Probably?"

The girl smiled. "Great! Come on in. My name is Aimi. Did you really track down Orochimaru's hideout and then blow it up?" Aimi asked, stepping out of the way. Mayu followed the sounds of conversation down the hallway. She peeked into a sitting room on her way, unashamedly snooping. The house was tidy if a bit cluttered.

She heard Torii's voice coming from a few rooms away. "Yes, mom, I plan on taking missions again. I'm just - oh." He cut off when Mayu burst into the kitchen.

He was sitting at a table, looking over what Mayu thought might be budget sheets. A short woman with black hair pulled back into a bun, streaks of white running through it, was standing at the stove. Mayu could tell at a glance that she wasn't a born Nara - married into the clan, then.

"Torii!" Mayu called, stumbling over to the table and dropping the books in front of him, right on top of whatever he'd been doing. The table shuddered with the force of them hitting the surface. She held out the packet of papers she'd been carrying under her arm and shook it in his face until he snatched it out of her hand and opened it.

"The MPF accepted your application to be an Investigator! Isn't that great? Of course, between mine and Fugaku's recommendations, there's no way they would have -"

Torii held up a hand and she obediently stopped talking, bouncing up on the balls of her feet. "Mayu-chan, I didn't apply to join the MPF."

Mayu scoffed. "I filled out the application for you, obviously. You should really work on creating a signature that's not so easy to forge -"

"What is going on here?" Torii's mom cut in. Torii just sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

Mayu turned to the woman, taking in her disapproval and then shrugging it off. "Hey, Nara-san. I'm just helping your son secure his future. Something I'd think you'd be happy about since you've been pressuring him to just forget about the trauma he went through only a few months ago so that he could continue to bring income to your house." She knew her accompanying smile was sharp and Torii's mom gaped. On the other side of the kitchen, Aimi looked delighted.

"Mayu," Torii snapped. "Leave my mother alone." She huffed but obediently turned back to him, where he was looking through the paperwork with a frown on his face.

"I don't understand," he finally said. "I thought it was incredibly difficult to get into the MPF if you're not an Uchiha."

Mayu ignored his mother's muttering about how it couldn't be that hard if Mayu was in it. Her reputation with the more conservative Nara in the clan was completely undeserved. Maybe. Mostly. She'd barely blown up that sign, and the time she and Shikamaru were testing her smoke bombs and turned a few shopfronts pink was a completely understandable mistake.

"It is. Ugh, don't do the whole low self-esteem thing, it's so dull." She sighed explosively at the look on his face - a mix of hope and disbelief and unease. "Fine, I'll spell it out for you. Fugaku-shishou asked me how much of the Orochimaru investigation you were involved in, and I told him -  _truthfully -_ which parts you were responsible for. He was really impressed. And Nanako said good things about your performance on her team, and Shizune also was impressed with how you handled yourself as a medic. So there," she said, then paused to take a deep breath.

Torii stared down at his acceptance letter. "Okay. Well, what do I have to do next?"

Mayu beamed at him. "Oh! Well, you have a test next Wednesday. You need to memorize all those law books and be ready to spar in front of a panel of stuffy Uchiha." He stared at the stack of books, the color draining from his face.

"Don't worry! I already told Itachi-sempai you couldn't go on missions this week and I'll help you study. Oh, we're going to have so much fun!" Mayu clapped her hands in delight before darting out of the kitchen.

"Better get started!" she called over her shoulder. "Bye, Aimi, bye Torii's mom!"

Her next stop was Akinobu's shop. The man himself was glaring down at a chair as if it had personally offended him while pointing out everything that was wrong with it to one of his new interns.

"Hi, Akinobu-sensei," she called, just to see him whip his head around and glare at her. She waved and he glowered before going back to making an intern cry. She went over to her workspace, pulling out a schematic she'd been working on for a few days.

Her mind had cleared of the weird craze she'd been in before the defeat of Orochimaru, and though she was keeping an eye on the Root and Akatsuki investigations there seemed to be no new information flowing in. Actually, the rest of Akatsuki seemed to have gone to ground and Root was mostly, well, weeded out, though the two ANBU that had escaped after Mayu's kidnapping were MIA.

Mayu still wasn't sure whether the Yamanaka was the mysterious person that had been on his way to rummage through her mind. Most likely he hadn't known what Inoichi did about Mayu's defenses, so he might have assumed he'd be able to get the information from her. She knew that Inoichi, at least, was capable of doing serious damage to somebody's mindscape if they tried to resist his techniques.

Mayu was close enough to Itachi that Fu might have felt some guilt over hurting her, but she just couldn't be sure since she'd never actually laid eyes on the man, well, not that she knew of. So, they were playing a waiting game. Which meant she had time to go back to her other projects. After some conversations with Kankuro that were extremely enlightening, she'd decided that her next steps in her puppeteering career would be learning to control two large, complex puppets at once.

Riko wandered over and looked over her shoulder. "Oh, kohai! Is that an upgrade for Bukimi?"  

Mayu leaned back and grinned up at the girl. "Nope! Meet Wara Wara, Bukimi's wife."

Rika's eyes widened. "Lucky Bukimi," she said with a grin and they fell into a conversation on the blades Mayu would need for her new puppet. She stayed late before heading home, excitement buzzing under her skin at the prospect of adding to her arsenal.

She was just getting ready for another boring day of patrol with Yuhui when she received a summons from the chunin commander. Mayu wrinkled her nose at the thought of a conversation with the man but gave in to the inevitable. If she tried to ignore a summons Fugaku would bury her in paperwork. She changed out of her uniform and into her shorts and battle coat, knowing that she'd probably be sent out of the village, then clipped on her carousel, already containing what she needed for a mission out of village unless she was going to be gone for more than a week.

She hummed while she unsealed Bukimi and put him on her back, idly wondering how she'd deal with two puppets - no way could she carry both, so one would have to stay in a scroll. She dragged her feet on her way to the chunin commander's office and summoned Anzu and Momo for emotional support. Anzu had huffed out a laugh when she told them why she summoned them and Momo had just flicked her tail, as unimpressed with Mayu's theatrics as always.

"Last time he asked for me he gave me a mission cleaning up after a forest fire," she grumbled. "It was awful and Fugaku-shishou was furious because he didn't clear it with him first. But I'm pretty sure he's not quite all there anymore and legitimately forgot who I was."

"Should somebody like that be leading your forces?" Momo asked.

Mayu shrugged. "Eh, I think Itachi is doing most of the heavy lifting until they find somebody else."

They climbed the stairs of the tower and she gave a half-hearted wave to a chunin she recognized from Intelligence before veering off towards the correct office. The grumpy secretary at the desk waved her through, though she side-eyed Momo and Anzu, and Mayu entered the room, then stopped when she saw who was sitting behind the desk.

"Oh! Well, you'll make a much better Chunin Commander. Hi, Asuma-sensei," she said and bounced over to stand in front of the desk with much more energy than she'd had since learning she'd gotten the summons.

Asuma grinned and she noted that he looked much better than the last time she'd seen him. She had stopped by his house a few months ago and he'd been on the couch looking gaunt and pale with pain and basically pissed off at the world. Kurenai, who had been obviously pregnant, hadn't looked much better.

Now, he was a man with a purpose again and it made a big difference. Shinobi did notenjoy being still, that was for sure. Anzu and Momo had moved around the desk to greet him and he patted their heads absently.

"Glad you think so," he said a little dryly. "Though I'm fairly certain my newborn child could have done better."

Mayu stifled a laugh and nodded gravely. "I suspect you're right. So, what's up?"

Asuma tapped a finger on what Mayu recognized as her file. "Fugaku-sama asked me to start sending C and B ranked missions your way. It's actually perfect since I've got a spot on a capture and interrogation team - their third just transferred to Itachi's personal guard. You'll be the team leader."

Mayu perked up at that. Leadership was something she'd never exactly been interested in before but wanted to try her hand at after watching Fugaku the past months. "Wow, really? Okay, who's my team?"

"Looks like they've just arrived," he said. Mayu turned towards the door and saw...Ino and Chouji standing there.

"Oh, crap," she muttered as Ino's pleasant expression darkened at the sight of her. Even Chouji glared a bit, which was...actually kind of terrifying.

"Ino, Chouji," Asuma said jovially. "Say hi to your new team captain."

000

Mayu held up her hand to signal to Ino and Chouji to stop about two hours after they left the village. They were on their way to capture a chunin-level missing-nin that had been causing trouble along the borders, robbing merchants and harassing the villages.

Ino and Chouji dropped to the ground next to her and Anzu and Momo arrived a moment later from where they'd been scouting ahead.

"Alright," Mayu said flatly, crossing her arms over her chest. "You guys have been trying to kill me with your glares since we left. I know we're not the best of friends, but this seems a little over the top. I want to figure this out before you 'accidentally' forget to watch my back and I end up skewered."

That was unfair, she knew. Ino and Chouji were by all accounts good at what they did and incredibly trustworthy. It didn't matter how much they hated her, she was a Konoha ninja and they would protect her with everything they had.

She mostly said it to pull a reaction from Ino, and it worked. Her cheeks turned red and her hands fisted at her sides. "That's a funny accusation coming from somebody as disloyal as you."

Mayu was actually surprised. She'd been ready for a list of her character flaws to be presented to her as proof that she wasn't good enough for their childhood friend, but lack of loyalty wasn't really one of them.

"Um. What?"

"Don't play stupid," Ino said. "We know. The whole village  _knows._ Shikamaru will, too, soon."

Mayu's eyes darted between the two while she tried to puzzle out what the hell they were even talking about. "Okay, I'm assuming you two think I've done something horrible recently. Something that calls my loyalty to Shikamaru into question. I just have no idea what that is, so maybe we could share with the class?"

Chouji took a step forward and Mayu had to resist leaning back. Man, Akimichi were intimidating when they put their size to work and loomed. "Mayu," he said and looked so disappointed in her that she felt guilty despite having no idea what she had done. "Shikamaru explained that your behavior at the chunin exams was a ruse and you weren't actually dating Sasuke. I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt, even though I knew that fake or not it would hurt Shikamaru."

Mayu's eyes widened. Had it really hurt him? Sure, he'd seemed put out, but not hurt, not really. Of course, she knew he was capable of hiding things from her when he wanted, he was pretty clever, after all. She pushed that aside to think about later.

"Okay...?" she prompted when he fell silent. 

Ino sighed explosively and crossed her arms over her chest. "God, can we stop drawing this out? We know you're dating Itachi-sama, okay?"

Mayu's jaw dropped and she stared at them for any indication that they were joking. They weren't. "Um. No, I'm not," she finally said.

Ino glared at her harder. "You haven't exactly been subtle! Lunch in a back room, just the two of you, every week. You're co-parenting a dog and you visit him all the time at his office. Also, everybody knows he brought you a present that you called your Love Bear while you were in the hospital." With every newly listed item, Mayu slumped a little more. Okay, so all of that did sound bad when put together. Damn gossiping shinobi.

"I might not like you, but you're what Shikamaru wants, so I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but -"

"Okay! Stop, just," Mayu held up a hand to cut Ino off. "I guess I can see how a bunch of unimaginative busybodies who don't have a life and therefore don't mind their own business would decide Itachi-sempai and I are dating." Mayu rolled her eyes so that there was no mistaking what her opinion of said busybodies was.

"But we're not. No, shut up, let me talk. If you had just askedme instead of assuming, you could have saved yourself the wrinkles you gave yourself with all that frowning." Mayu felt a rush of triumph when Ino's hand went to her forehead, alarm crossing her features. "First of all: Itachi-sempai and I are friends, which is why I visit him. The Love Bear was given to me by Shikamaru and Itachi-sempai was nice enough to bring it to me to cheer me up in the hospital. Secondly, I am Aki's  _Aunt_ Mayu, not his mother. I take him for walks so that he's not stuck inside with sempai all day, and because he's really soft and cute and Momo and Anzu like him." Both cats nodded solemnly but they looked way too amused at her predicament. Traitors.

"Last of all, we meet for lunch because I'm working on a project for him. One that, I'd like to point out, Shikamaru is aware of. Speaking of, please tell me you didn't send a shinobi that's currently on a dangerous mission out of the village a message telling him his girlfriend was dating his Hokage. Are you  _trying_ to kill him?" She said the last in a raised tone because, seriously. If she hadn't told Shikamaru exactly what she and Itachi were up to, that could have compromised him at a dangerous time.

Ino lost some of the color in her face and was now looking appropriately repentant. "I - I didn't think about that."

"No, you just thought about how you were  _so right_ about how awful and terrible his girlfriend is, and now you can finally prove it and he can break up with me. Well, let me tell you right now, that it isn't going to happen. I'm going to marry Shikamaru and have all his babies and live in a house right next to Ensui's and sensei's with him and there's  _nothing you can do about it!"_ She yelled the last six words at Ino, who flinched. "What is your problem with me, anyway? I get I'm not like most girls, but who cares?"

Ino stared at her like she was an idiot.  _"I'm_ not the one with a problem, you are! You barely look at me when we're in the same room, and when you do speak to me it's never nice. You hate me because of something that happened when we were six."

Mayu bristled. "That's ridiculous."

Ino raised her eyebrows in disbelief, and yeah, Mayu could see how she was her father's daughter. "You're holding a grudge because you blame me for your first fight with Shikamaru, and you hate that he defended me when you made me cry."

"That - that's not -" 

"It is," Ino said firmly, expression daring Mayu to argue. Mayu sulked. Stupid Yamanaka and their stupid psychology.

"Well, it's not like you've tried to be nice to me, either," she finally said.

Ino looked away. "I'm not..."

"She's intimidated by you," Chouji said and both girls whipped their heads over to him, having forgotten he was there, and he shrugged. "Her clan isn't used to anybody reading them so well unless they're a Nara, and they're all too lazy to say the things they know out loud."

Mayu's hands dropped to her sides as she took in Ino's expression. "Huh," she said.

"I'm sorry we didn't come talk to you before making assumptions," Chouji said, then elbowed Ino when she remained silent.

"...Me too."

Mayu sighed. "I guess I'm sorry for being a bit...abrasive sometimes," she choked out.

"Do you really think I put Shikamaru in danger?" Ino asked after a few awkward seconds had passed.

Mayu shook her head. "No, like I said, he already knows why I'm hanging around Itachi. He'll just mutter mean things about you being a busybody and then scowl at you and call you troublesome the next time he sees you."

Ino's lips turned up into a small smile. "Yeah, he probably will," she said fondly.

"You guys miss him," Mayu said and Ino scoffed.

"Duh. I know you two have some epic romance going on, but we've known him since we were in diapers. He was our teammate. Of course, we miss him."

Mayu sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. So maybe she'd been holding a teeny, tiny grudge from when she was six. And perhaps a bit of misguided jealousy. It didn't help that Ino was legitimately annoying, but if this situation had proven anything, it was that their silent war wasn't good for Shikamaru. What if she hadn't mentioned Project: Hitched to him? He would be chasing down S-ranked criminals while emotionally compromised.

"Alright. Well, I guess we should probably call a...truce," Mayu muttered. "Since we're on a team and everything."

Ino studied her and to Mayu's surprise, it only took her about twenty seconds before she shrugged and stepped forward, holding her hand out in front of her. "Eh, us kunoichi gotta stick together, huh?"

Mayu's lip quirked up on one side, and she took her hand. "Yeah, I guess so." She turned to Chouji.

He smiled and instead of a handshake, she got a bear hug. Awkward with Bukimi on her back, but they made it work.

Ino and Chouji were good at capture and interrogation - really good, though she's not sure why she would think otherwise. They were trained by Sarutobi Asuma and Shikamaru never once said anything disparaging about their skills. Ino complained a little too much about the bugs, dirt, nature, and later about the rogue nin's blood that got on her outfit, but it's not like Mayu expected her to suddenly become a different, less annoying person just because they'd cleared the air.

By the time they returned Ino and Mayu had gotten into no less than three arguments and she was pretty sure Chouji had stress-eaten two more bags of chips than he would have otherwise consumed. But the three of them worked seamlessly in combat situations and Mayu assumed it was because they'd all been taught strategy by the same person.

When they'd finished giving their report to Asuma and turned their prisoner over to T&I, Mayu scurried up a few levels to Itachi's office. Luckily, he was free, and she burst inside, giving a little wave to Sai. He was Itachi's newest guard and Mayu stopped to take in his outfit. Black long sleeved shirt and pants, and an honest-to-goodness cowl over the top with the hood pulled back, held shut with a pin in the shape of a leaf.

"Huh. New uniforms?" she directed at Itachi, who just hummed and raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Is this a social visit, Mayu-chan?"

"Oh! No. Um," her eyes darted to Sai before she blurted, "The whole village thinks we're dating."

Itachi stared at her. She stared back. Finally, he spoke. "That is...unexpected."

Mayu nodded frantically. "Yeah. I think maybe it's why Fugaku asked me how I felt about joining a clan. I thought he was just making sure I knew that the Nara elders are sticks in the mud. But, uh. I think he really meant the Uchiha elders are sticks in the mud." Mayu paused and Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It also explains why Nara Ryo attempted to smile at me. He's probably worried about the Hokage's future wife hating him."

"Mayu," Itachi said, pulling her attention back to him. "I have work to do, and apparently I need to inform some people -" read: Hana, "-that I'm not courting a fourteen-year-old girl."

"Hey! I'm mature for my age!" she protested, but held her hands up at his unimpressed expression. "No need to get murdery. It's not  _my_ fault people are gossips."

Okay, maybe some of her plans did end up making it look like they were doing couple things, but that was only so that she could lure Hana out and then be unexpectedly called away in the middle so that she and Itachi were doing couple things. By the look on Itachi's face, he was having the same thoughts. She got out while the getting was good.

000

"-So then he was all 'Mayu, I blame you completely for this misunderstanding,'" Mayu said, waving her hands around in affront while Yuhui pretended she didn't know her. "How was I supposed to know people are actually that stupid?  _Obviously,_ I'm in love with Shikamaru -"

"Is that why you blush every time Dai gets too close to you?" Yuhui said, completely deadpan, and Mayu choked on air.

"I - what? What? No! That's only because he's...a good investigator!" Yuhui rolled her eyes at Mayu's incoherency.

"Relax. It's normal to have small crushes on other people, I'm sure. It's not like Dai would act on it even if you wanted to."

"Rude," Mayu muttered. Not that she wanted to act on it, because, sure, her traitorous teenaged body had decided Dai was sexy, but emotionally she wasn't interested. There was only one person she actually wanted to...well.

She spaced out a little while she remembered the way Shikamaru had groaned into her mouth on her last day in Grass when she'd grabbed his hand brought to her chest. Their clothes had stayed on, but the whole touching a breast for the first time thing had been very exciting for him, if the way he'd gone still, shuddered, and then darted off into the bathroom was any indication.

Her attention was pulled to the sound of a scuffle outside of a bar between two drunk civilians and she groaned, hoping she wouldn't be puked on. Again. Until that happened, she hadn't realized Uchiha were capable of laughing until they cried, but Yuhui had proven her wrong. Well, except the one time Sasuke did when she glued her face to a table, but she'd thought that was some sort of fluke. Apparently, her misfortune was just hilarious to members of that clan.

They got the two men calmed down, mostly because they were distracted by Yuhui's beauty. Mayu rolled her eyes - they didn't have a chance, and not just because she was an Uchiha and they were unattractive old guys. Last week they'd run into a civilian from the Uchiha clan, a pretty girl only a little older than Mayu named Naya. She was the daughter of Yuhui's childhood nanny and they'd been friends since they were very young. They were also impossibly, completely in love with each other.

It had been difficult to watch them interact because Mayu wasn't an idiot. Yuhui was a female shinobi of the Uchiha clan who had activated her Sharingan. She'd be expected to marry a nice Uchiha boy and have as many of his babies as she could conceivably pop out.

Mayu had thought about saying something to Fugaku but knew better than to think he'd be able to do anything about it. He'd been lucky in that Mikoto had not only been happy to stay at home with her children but that they'd fallen in love despite their marriage being arranged. He hadn't had any more choice over his marriage than most high-ranking Uchihas did. Head of the clan or not, he couldn't force all of their stuffy elders or Yuhui's parents to stop being overbearing, misogynistic asswipes.

If Yuhui rebelled and decided not to marry, she'd probably be kicked out of the clan, though Mayu was prettysure Fugaku would let her keep her job. He was traditional in a lot of ways, but she never got the sense that he actually thought women were only good for making babies and dinner. He would never have taken on a female apprentice if he did. He just thought they should be demure and sweet and good at arranging tea trays up until they needed to start killing people. Uchiha were so weird.

Yuhui would be devastated if she lost her place in her clan. Her pride in her clan was obvious and Mayu didn't hold out much hope that she would rebel. Maybe she'd find a husband that wouldn't mind her still being an officer at least part-time. It was almost too bad Itachi couldn't be her husband. There was no way he would try to keep her home if she wanted to work. Ugh, the whole thing was depressing.

The annoying part was that she couldn't do anything about it. Mayu knew that any change in the structure would have to be done from within the clan. Maybe she'd convince Chiasa to totally buck tradition and start an Uchiha feminist movement. She perked up at the thought as they swung by headquarters to put the two drunks in holding for the night, thankfully remaining puke-free.

"You have another out of village mission tomorrow?" Yuhui asked when they were back out on their route.

"Yeah. I think shishou wants me to build up my missions. He's always saying things like, 'Mayu, a kunoichi in a leadership position in the Military Police Force must have her finger on the pulse of the village.'" She had lowered her voice and straightened her back as she impersonated him and Yuhui's lip quirked up on one side.

"Yes, well. He's not wrong. Do you think he's priming you for Chief of Police?" she said casually, but the question was anything but casual. It was an actual fear of many of the officers of MPF, that the future Chief of Police would be not only a non-Uchiha but a female _,_ oh the horror.

Mayu snorted. "Doubt it. He knows that I'd probably lose us half of our political support in the first six months. Politics are too dull for me," she said dismissively. "He probably wants me to be a team leader or something."

Yuhui hummed but didn't sound convinced. Mayu really, really hoped nobody would try to put her in that position. It would be an absolute disaster, and really, the paperwork would get old fast. If there was anything she learned about herself, it was that she belonged out in the field. She'd accidentally blow up headquarters within the first month if she was stuck behind a desk.

The next two months went by without drama. Torii was made an Investigator after passing his test with flying colors - the first Nara on the force, actually. Mayu had spent the first week of his addition to Dai's team beaming at him and introducing him to everybody as her assistant.

"You do realize I outrank you," he had grumbled at her one day when she dragged him out to lunch to pump him for information on Dai's open cases.

"Yes, but in my heart, you'll always be my favorite assistant," she said and he sighed, but she didn't miss the small smile that flitted across his face.

"So, I saw Lieutenant Hayao checking out your ass yesterday," she said casually just as he took a bite of noodles, and broke into laughter when he tried to glare at her while he was choking on his food.

Mayu had spent some time looking into Hayao, if only because Fugaku liked him so much. Hayao was considered a bit of a rebel in the clan since he didn't try to hide the fact that he didn't plan on marrying a woman and popping out little Uchihas with her. It was partly why he wasn't in the MPF until recently - out of sight, out of mind meant nobody pursued kicking him to the curb for the audacity of not being a pawn to the elders of his clan. In Mayu's opinion, those guys couldn't die off fast enough.

He had built up enough of a reputation as a badass hero of the village in the past decade that nobody was willing to draw negative attention to the clan by disowning him. So nobody had fought Fugaku making him a lieutenant. Mayu was pretty sure Hayao only accepted because he liked thumbing his nose at the Uchiha council.

Finally, Torii got himself under control and pointed at her. "You're a menace," he grumped.

"Aw, you love me," she said before taking an obnoxiously large bite of noodles. He rolled his eyes and huffed but didn't deny it.

"Now, let's spend the next half an hour solving that robbery case so you can impress everybody with your brilliance after lunch," she said.

000

The day Shikamaru and Ensui were slated to return to the village Mayu had woken up at six am. When Yoshino and Shikaku had come downstairs, they'd taken in the huge, lopsided cake and destroyed kitchen with raised eyebrows.

"What are you guys doing? He'll be here in - four hours! We have to hang up the banners and stuff the dumplings and -"

"Eh, Mayu, calm down. It's not a big deal," Shikaku said with a yawn. "We'll get it done." He ended up dodging a frosting-covered spatula when Mayu threw it at him with enough force that it embedded into the wall, splattering chocolate everywhere when it hit.

"It's the biggest deal! They haven't been home for months and months. We're out of soy sauce, go get some," she demanded and he fled the kitchen.

Yoshino, who had always had more common sense than her husband, just went and grabbed an apron so she could start the pork for the gyoza. Somehow they had the kitchen cleaned and welcome home banners strung up by the time Anzu loped in to let them know the two had arrived and were checking in with the Hokage.

Mayu had just finished pulling on a light grey maxi dress with blue and pink flowers printed on it and Yoshino was putting the clips Shikamaru had given her for her birthday into her hair.

"Sit," the woman said when Mayu leapt up, ostensibly to dash to the tower.

She sulked but didn't argue and let Yoshino finish. Itachi must have told them to go home and check in the next day because when she made it to the porch, Shikamaru and Ensui had just come around the bend. She blurred across the distance, this time avoiding knocking Shikamaru over - Shisui had given her and Hinata a crash course in doing it 'right' - and then he was picking her up and swinging her around in a circle while she laughed.

"You're home!" she said when he set her down and leaned up to kiss him. He hummed happily against her lips and they both ignored Ensui's annoyed huffs.

"Come on! I made you a cake, and mom and I made dinner - both of your favorites, and -"

"You're not wearing shoes," Shikamaru said, glaring down at her feet. Before she could answer he'd swept her up in a bridal carry. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kicked her feet happily.

"You're so chivalrous," she said, staring up at him, and he blushed, pleased.

"God, you two are disgusting," Ensui said and pulled ahead of them.

She leaned up and nuzzled behind his ear, then bit lightly at the skin there, just the way she knew he liked. He stumbled and almost dropped her before glaring down at her. She grinned back, unrepentant.

"You look pretty," he finally said.

"You look good, too," she replied, feeling weirdly shy but meaning it. He  _always_ looked good.

They arrived at the house and he set her down before being pulled into a gruff hug by Shikaku. Yoshino shoved her husband out of the way impatiently and pulled Shikamaru close, eyes wet. He hugged her back just as hard and then Ensui was grumbling while Shikaku insisted on a brotherly hug, as well. He escaped his clutches only to have Mayu pounce on him next.

"I just saw you a few months ago," he said with a sigh but he was smiling.

Ensui and Shikamaru took some time to get cleaned up before coming down to the kitchen, both giving the now-even-more lopsided cake suspicious looks. Maybe Mayu had been a  _little_ overzealous with the layering. Ensui did a double take at the hole the spatula had left behind in the wall before sitting down to dinner.

"So, how does it feel to be famous?" Mayu asked Shikamaru and Ensui, who both gave her blank looks. She knew she had an evil smile on her face, but she'd been looking forward to teasing them about this for  _months._

"Come on, don't tell me you don't know?" she said sweetly. Shikaku chuckled and Ensui shot him a suspicious look.

"Alright, whatever it is, out with it," he said, popping a dumpling in his mouth.

"Don't you know that the deeds of ARF are being sung about far and wide?" Mayu asked with faux innocence. "You guys are ninja from a bunch of different hidden villages that are basically running around saving people while you try to find information on Akatsuki."

"No," Ensui said, voice flat.

"Yep," Shikaku said, every inch the big brother giving his younger sibling a hard time. "Especially after ARF went out and took down Orochimaru, saving a bunch of his human experiments in the process. According to popular opinion, it's proof that shinobi can peacefully coexist and accomplish more than starting wars and assassinating people. Congratulations, brother, you're a bastion for peace and unity."

Ensui looked appropriately horrified. "I'm the  _Death Shroud,_ are these people stupid?"

The rest of the evening was similarly entertaining and Mayu was so happy to have her whole family in one place that she could barely contain her squirming. Finally, after Mayu had finished telling the story of how she'd been vomited on by a drunken shinobi and discovered that Uchiha do laugh, Ensui set down his chopsticks and cleared his throat.

"So, Jiraiya let me know before we left. Looks like Itachi is switching out a few of the shinobi on ARF - he wants to give others a chance to build diplomatic relations with other villages."

Mayu went still, eyes wide and limbs tingly with the force of her hope. She glanced at Shikamaru, who was staring straight at her with a small smile on his face. "Do you mean..." she whispered, and Ensui grinned.

"Yep. Shikamaru and I are rotating out of ARF. We'll be back on regular duty."

To everybody's surprise, maybe especially Yoshino's, she burst into tears. "I - I'm sorry. I just hated having you gone for so long," Yoshino said while Shikaku panicked and looked around the room as though he could kill whatever it was that was upsetting his wife.

"God, dad, what are you doing?" Shikamaru hissed. "Hug her or something!"

Shikaku put a tentative arm around Yoshino and twitched when she buried her face in his shoulder then relaxed. Yeah, nobody was used to Yoshino breaking down, so Mayu couldn't exactly fault Shikaku for his initial panic.

Finally, she calmed down and stood to hug both Shikamaru and Ensui fiercely. Mayu grabbed Shikamaru's hand in her own.

"If you ever request an assignment like that again," Mayu said casually, "I'll dump you and marry Kiba." He twitched so hard that he fell out of his chair, succeeding in replacing Yoshino's tears with hysterical laughter.

Mayu slept lightly that night, nerves buzzing with excitement. Finally, she heard Yoshino and Shikaku moving around as they got ready for the day. She feigned sleep when one of them peeked in on her and forced herself to wait a few minutes after she heard them leave. Then she jumped out of bed and scurried across the hall and into Shikamaru's room, slipping under the covers next to him.

He was waiting for her and she meeped when he flipped her onto her back and covered her body with his. "Mayu," he whispered and she tugged him down impatiently.

"Shikamaru," she replied after they'd been kissing for an indeterminate length of time. "I want - can we try what we talked about in Grass? I mean. Can I, uh, touch it?"

He pulled back and looked down at her. She met his eyes steadily and after a few moments, he gave her a hesitant nod. "Alright," he whispered and leaned down to press his lips to hers.

000

Later that morning, after they'd both crawled out of bed and taken showers, she came downstairs to find him standing in the family room, taking in the new coffee table, windows, curtains, and shelves with a blank expression.

She hesitated at the door, wide smile faltering. "Shika?"

He turned and looked at her. "Mom decided to do some redecorating?"

Mayu bit her lip and walked over to stand next to him. "You know she didn't," she settled on and his breath hitched. He pulled her against him and hugged her fiercely.

"I hate this room," he grumbled and she scoffed.

"Please, if I can get over it, you can. Besides, it's probably way worse for papa and mom, since they saw it when my toe was still here." She regretted her words when he actually staggered back, sitting down hard on the couch and putting his head in his hands.

"Hey, it's fine," she started, reaching for him, and he jerked back before turning a glare on her. She took a step back, not used to seeing that particular look directed at her.

"Will you stop saying it's fine?" his voice was calm but his hands were shaking. "Would you think it was fine if it were me or mom or dad?"

Mayu swallowed at the thought and shook her head. "No," she said and wrapped her arms around herself. Being faced with this version of Shikamaru after the sweet, exploratory touches and caresses they'd given each other that morning was like being doused in a bucket of cold water after stepping out of a warm bath.

He looked at her expression and sighed. "Sorry." He held out a hand for her to take. After a moment's hesitation, she slid her palm into his and let him tug her across his lap before leaning back and tugging her close.

"It just makes me a little crazy, imagining it," he said.

"You think it didn't make me crazy to think about you almost getting killed by Deidara?" she asked. "You don't see me blaming you for it."

"I know. Sometimes you just seem so cavalier about your safety."

Mayu shrugged. "I'm not, not really. I just don't want you to worry."

He huffed out a laugh. "Impossible," he muttered and she smiled. They lounged around for another hour before she tugged him out of the house to go see Ino and Chouji. He complained about having to leave the house the whole way, but it was mostly good-natured. When they spotted Ino and Chouji sitting at a table set for four outside of a small cafe, though, he stopped.

"No," he said in a flat, no-nonsense tone, and Mayu blinked up at him.

"No, what? Don't you want to see them? Oh, I guess you got Ino's message," she said when he glared at her. She ducked her head and looked appropriately cowed. 

"You know about that?"

"Yep! Asuma put us on the same team while you were gone, so we had a big heart to heart," she said cheerfully. "She's still super annoying, but we get along okay now."

He stared at her. "What - Asuma?"

"Yeah, he's the chunin commander now," Ino said. She'd squared her shoulders and crossed over to them, though she was obviously nervous. "Shikamaru - I'm really sorry," she said and he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.

Mayu backed away when Chouji shuffled over. "Well, I'm gonna go sit down while the three of you...yeah." She escaped to the table and ordered herself a huge stack of pancakes with bacon to share with Shikamaru. She knew he'd forgive Ino and Chouji about five minutes after they apologized, especially since Mayu wasn't even upset. He loved them too much to stay mad at them, and it's not like he could blame them for trying to watch out for him.

Just as she predicted, he slumped over to the table a few minutes later, still looking scowly and adorable but not telling Ino and Chouji to take a hike when they sat down. Mayu spent most of the breakfast stuffing pancakes in her mouth so she wouldn't be tempted to snipe at Ino when she spent ten minutes straight talking about a saleswoman who had been less than nice to her while she was shopping.

Shikamaru's arm was resting on the chair behind her and his fingers kept brushing across her exposed collarbone, so she supposed it wasn't all bad.

000

The next day she was sitting at her desk in Fugaku's office, filling out a report explaining why she'd decided the only way to apprehend a shoplifter was by dropping him into a barrel of fish when Hayao, Dai, and Torii entered the room. Mayu glanced up at them, ignoring the way their noses wrinkled at her fishy, fishy smell.

"Fugaku-sama," Hayao said. "Dai and Torii -" she tuned him out in favor of trying to figure out why he looked so uncomfortable. It was subtle, but Mayu spent a lot of time watching the people around her, and he looked...discomfited?

He also seemed a little less put together than usual, almost as if... _Ugh, he totally had an afternoon delight!_   _In archives, if the dust on his collar is any indication..._

She tried not to let her horror show and let her attention wander to Torii. She made a wheezing noise and flailed, then fell out of her chair. The room dropped into silence and she lay on the floor, hating everything.

Torii's face appeared above her, expression a mix of amused and confused. "Alright there, Mayu?"

She glared at the developing hickey on his neck. "Please tell me you didn't get that in archives," she hissed. His eyes widened and darted to the side and she made a distressed sound.

"Mayu?" Fugaku called. "Do you need assistance?"

"No," she muttered and stood up. She grabbed her report and put it on Fugaku's desk, glaring at Hayao while she passed. He raised an eyebrow at her and she put her nose in the air.

Torii needed to be treated delicately after everything he'd been through, not...defiled in archives on his lunch break. If Hayao made Torii sad after he'd finally just gotten out of his funk, Mayu would make him pay. Something on her face must have clued Hayao into her thoughts because he looked a bit disturbed.

"Here you go, shishou," she said sweetly. "As you can see, locking him in the fish barrel was a good way to keep him from getting away while I helped Yuhui capture his partners. It was mostly empty, so there was no chance of drowning, no matter what he claims."

He waved her away. "Alright, you can go," he said, not bothering to address her earlier clumsiness. "I'll see you tomorrow morning for training."

"Okay, bye Fugaku-shishou." She spun on her heel and made her way to the door, mouthing  _I'm watching you_ at Hayao when she passed him. Dai sighed and Torii looked like he wanted to launch himself out the nearest window.

She waved cheerfully at the Uchiha she passed in the bullpen, unbothered when half ignored her and the other half gave a mixed reaction of either semi-friendly or outright dislike. Eh, they'd come around.

She set off down the street to meet Sakura for dinner after stepping out into the cool fall air. A little boy stopped when she passed him, brightening when he caught sight of the badge on her shoulder.

He waved frantically. "Officer-san! Hello!" 

Mayu blinked and then waved back, pausing to watch as he set off again with his father, who had also offered her a small bow.

Pride at the title the boy had used to greet her warmed her cheeks and she felt a smile tug at her lips. It was, she thought, a really good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we're going to have a small time skip of about a year and a half-ish, just to prepare you.


	16. The Kiri Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayu and Shikamaru have their first grown-up fight, we follow Mayu on her adventures in the Investigation Unit, and she figures out something Not Good. Also, smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time skip ahoy! They're about seventeen now, all growed up-ish.

Mayu groaned and dropped her head back against the rough brick wall of the building she and Hinata were currently crouched on, feet stuck to a small ledge with chakra, bodies hidden in shadow.

"I'm being punished," she muttered. "This is punishment for the incident with Momo and the dog."

Hinata covered a laugh with her hand. "Well, Dai-taicho did get an official reprimand for that," her partner for the day pointed out unhelpfully. "So...yes, this is probably punishment."

Everybody knew that Mayu hated surveillance almost as much as she hated paperwork. It was hours and hours of watching people, or buildings, or people  _and_ buildings, and on one memorable occasion, a cat trained to transport drugs. Most of the time criminals spent their time doing what everybody else did - eating, bathing, visiting their mothers, and sleeping. It was so, so dull.

Mayu sighed and put her chin her hand, supported by an elbow on her knee. "Sorry you got dragged along."

Hinata smiled at her before activating her Byakugan to scan the area. "Oh, you know I don't mind." 

"I know, you're like a saint or something," Mayu said in awe. 

She was pretty sure Dai sent Hinata along as her partner most of the time since joining his unit six months ago because Hinata actually seemed to enjoy Mayu's personality. Even after hours and hours stuck in close quarters. The Investigations Unit didn't have assigned partners as such, but when you went out into the field you needed at least one person from the team there to watch your back.

Since they were the newbies they got all the crappy jobs that went with the cases that the MPF Investigation Unit took on so ended up together more times than not. Mayu and Hinata had spent three hours in a sewer last week, which had been more interesting than she'd assumed it would be. Sure it smelled bad, but there were some very strange things growing beneath Konoha. She had collected fifteen different samples for later study. 

She sighed for about the tenth time since they'd arrived four hours ago. She stared at the building that was most likely the headquarters of a pair of missing-nin from Kiri that had infiltrated Konoha as civilians. They'd been living in the village for a little over five months and already seemed to have set up a crime ring that involved unregulated prostitution, the sale of illegal opiates and randomly enough the acquisition of exotic pets.

Right now they were gathering information on the players before they moved in, so their headquarters were put under constant surveillance. It was mostly officers outside of the Unit watching and taking note of their movements, but the partners scheduled to take the early morning shift had mysteriously been reassigned. Right after Mayu's summons caused a teeny, tiny incident that ended in Itachi personally coming to the station to 'inquire' as to what happened.

The building was actually a townhouse that was situated between a bank and a dumpling restaurant. Annoyingly enough, barely anybody had entered or left outside of the two men, who went simply by Kenichi and Uta, no surname. They were annoyingly unassuming and good at avoiding tails.

Mayu's eyes wandered over the people in the street, but there was nobody carrying anything as incriminating as a baby wildcat from Wave Country. She straightened when somebody she knew left the bank.

"Ooooh look Hinata, it's your soulmate," Mayu said, hitting Hinata lightly in the ribs with an elbow. Hinata followed her gaze and blushed.

"Mayu-chan! You shouldn't say such things," she said, but her eyes were glued on Shisui who was talking to a short balding man with wide shoulders and bowed legs. He looked like an off-duty shinobi, probably somebody he knew from ANBU by the friendly smile on his face.

"I wonder if he's loaded," Mayu said. "Your dad would let you marry him if he was rich, right?"

Hinata buried her face in her hands and Mayu giggled. "Oh, come on, everybody sees the way you two stare longingly at each other when you think the other isn't watching. It's very annoying. You should just ask him out. Hey, I could -"

"No, Mayu," Hinata said firmly. "Shisui doesn't feel that way about me."

Mayu scowled but was distracted from arguing - he was interested in her, it was obvious by all the smiling and pining - when Uta left his house. "We've got movement. You wanna follow him or stay and stare at Kenichi through the walls?"

"I'll stay," Hinata said. It made sense - with her Byakugan they couldn't leave without her knowing.

"Okay, well. See you later."

Mayu spent two hours watching Uta get a cup of tea while trying and failing to get a date with the waitress before he went grocery shopping. He did nothing nefarious or illegal the whole time. It was horrible.

Hinata had just shaken her head when Mayu rejoined her on the building. "He took a nap," she said calmly.

Mayu huffed out a breath and they went back to staring at the building. "Oh! Did you hear about the attempted break-ins at the Uchiha compound?" 

Hinata glanced over at her. "Yes, father put more security in place at the Hyuuga compound when he heard."

"It's weird - shishou said that it seemed like they were just testing the defenses and response time. I wonder what they were after, or who they were?" Mayu chewed on her lower lip. She really hoped it wasn't another crazy person after more eyes because that would be just so many levels of bad.

Hinata's expression was grim enough that Mayu knew she was thinking the same thing. The Uchiha weren't the only clan that had to worry about people trying to pluck their parts from their bodies to obtain a bloodline limit. Mayu decided to let the subject drop since a serious Hinata was just depressing.

An hour later their relief came and Mayu sulked back to headquarters to write her report. She resisted writing  _Nothing happened. It was boring_ and calling it a day. Who knew what Dai would do to her if she pushed it.

Instead, she dutifully wrote out every dull detail then handed the report to a smug-looking Dai and headed home. Home was, as of two months ago, a small apartment about four blocks from the MPF and two blocks from her lab in the Science Corps. building. She hadn't planned on moving out of Shikaku and Yoshino's house until...well, until she was married, actually. Why would she? Free food, free hugs, and an investigation room in the backyard.

Then she'd overheard (eavesdropped on) a conversation between Yoshino and Elder Ryo, Mayu's newest nemesis. Being able to enhance her hearing was so useful.

"We aren't really going to talk about this again, are we?" Yoshino's voice, low and angry, said from the kitchen. It was easy to make out her words from where Mayu was standing next to her shed.

"...I don't see why not. The girl is almost seventeen, she hasn't been your ward for years. Technically she's not supposed to have a residence in the Nara compound. I know you understand these rules, Yoshino," Ryo replied, voice condescending. Mayu had narrowed her eyes, already planning horrible things to do to him.

"Well, it wouldn't be a problem if you had just let us adopt her in the first place. And nobody follows that rule - it's ridiculous. Significant others can move in with each other before marriage and in-laws from outside the clan move into the compound all the time. The council has never cared before."

"Well, this situation is a bit different, isn't it?" he replied.

"How so?" Yoshino said in that way that Mayu knew meant she was clenching her jaw.

"Yoshino, you know she's not a good choice for the next clan head's wife. If you continue to allow them to live together, it's only a matter of time before she traps him in marriage -" Mayu had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling. Well, considering that's how he ended up with  _his_ wife, she supposed it seemed realistic to him.

"We're done here," Yoshino cut him off, voice flat.

"Yoshino," Ryo said in what Mayu assumed he felt was a kindly grandfatherly sort of way, "the council would rather you quietly relocate the girl instead of forcing us to embarrass her and you when we force -"

"What do you want." Yoshino's voice was tired and that made Mayu's humor fade quickly.

Ryo was quiet for a moment. "Well, we were hoping for a reallocation of funds to -"

Mayu had heard enough. No way was she going to let the annoying elders use her to coerce Yoshino and Shikaku into approving changes within the clan. How long had it been going on, anyway? She had burst into the kitchen, forcing a smile on her face.

"Mom! I've decided I need to move out. I figure, no more pesky rules about keeping the doors open when me and Shika are in a room that way. Maybe we can start making babies and  _then_ get marr - oh! Hello Ryo, I had no idea you were here. How embarrassing." She gave him a smile that was more a baring of teeth than anything, and Yoshino covered her face with her hands.

"Ryo-sama," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, no, actually my name is Mayu," she replied then skipped over to the table and kissed Yoshino on the forehead since the rest of her face was still covered. "Wow, so, random thing happened today. We caught a pretty high up official committing blackmail and extortion against other officials. Horrible, right? Fugaku-shishou was so upset, a lot of paperwork goes into incarcerating somebody when they're so high up in the government."

Mayu reached over and grabbed a cookie from Yoshino's plate and popped it into her mouth before heading to her room. She didn't want to give him a chance to reply.

So she'd rented a two bedroom apartment and written Sasuke a letter that she'd put him on the lease and forged his signature - and hooray, now he didn't have to stay with Fugaku who kept hinting that he needed to prepare to be the clan head and get married and make baby Sasukes. Win-win for everybody. His only response was to send her three months worth of rent, but the eye roll and sigh were implied.

When she'd asked Shikaku how long the elders had been being jerks about her living with them while they hauled her things to her new apartment, he had just shrugged. He'd been a complete bear about her moving out but had calmed down when she still ended up spending four out of every seven nights at their house anyway. As long as her official address was somewhere else, she could stay as a guest as often as she wanted.

Mayu assumed the elders' attempts to disrupt the household had probably started around the time she and Shikamaru began dating. The two male Nara and possibly the third, a woman named Miko, really, really didn't want her to be in a position of power in the clan. Maybe, possibly, she should have been a little more political in her dealings with them.

She waved hello to the man who liked to sit on the ground in the shadows of her building and glare at people (he lived in 2C, a little crazy but as harmless as a retired shinobi could be) before unlocking the lobby door. She covered a yawn before entering and heading for the stairs.

When she exited the stairwell and turned down the dingy hallway that Shikaku glared and mumbled at every time he stopped by, she stopped in her tracks. Sitting on the floor leaning against the door to apartment 4B was Shikamaru. He looked up when the stairwell door clicked shut behind her and shot to his feet.

"You idiot!" She scurried over to him, wrapping herself around him and attaching her lips to his.

He stumbled backward until his back hit the door, but didn't protest. One arm went around her to pull her closer while the other went to her butt to help her stand on her toes for a better angle. Well and probably to grope her.

She pushed against him, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue inside, desperate to be close to him. After a few minutes, she pulled back, gasping for air.

"You said you'd be back in a week. It's been two!"

She then moved her mouth to his ear and bit down hard, though she was careful not to pull on the earring there. He inhaled sharply and turned his face towards her for another kiss. She allowed it - briefly - before pulling back and raising an eyebrow at him, reaching out with one hand to tug on his ponytail lightly.

"Well?"

"Sorry, sweetheart," he said, leaning forward to kiss and nip at her neck before continuing his explanation. "We just...ran into some snags is all - can we please go inside now?"

Mayu nuzzled her cheek against his even as she glared at the faded 4C on her door over his shoulder.

"Ugh, fine, here."

She shoved the keys into his hand. He made a strangled, frustrated noise, then turned them until it was her back against the door while he fumbled to get her house key into the lock.

"Shika, hurry," she whispered, arching against him and shivering when she realized he was already hard. "I missedyou."

Ensui had been made the commander of the new and improved ANBU force. Itachi had given in and kept the name since there were a lot of people in the village who were understandably worried about enemies taking the dissolution of the program as a sign of weakness.

Shikamaru had agreed to join an ANBU team for a year to help troubleshoot the new systems. He was home more often than he had been while he was part of ARF, but that wasn't difficult to do, really. He spent probably half his time out of the village. It was horrible. Luckily the year was just about up and he could go back to being a nice, normal chunin.

Shikamaru shuddered. "Mayu, you have neighbors." 

"Then you'd better hurry up and get the door open, huh?" She wormed her hand between them and sticking it down the front of his pants.

"Dammit." He went back to trying to find the right key.

"Shika, I want - I want to try oral sex," she said just as he made a triumphant noise and the door swung open.

He was so shocked that he stumbled, sending them both inside and to the floor. He spun them as they fell so that he took the brunt of the impact. As he tried to pull air back into his lungs Mayu removed her hand from his pants and pushed herself off of his chest and up on her knees. She then shuffled around until she could pull the keys from her lock and push the door shut. When she turned to face Shikamaru again, he had struggled into a seated position, leaning back on his hands and looking a little dazed.

"Mayu -"

"It's okay! I know we haven't done it before, but I've been researching," she said, eyes wide with excitement. "I read a lot of boring 'how to have sex' books and all of the Icha Icha series," his face did something strange at that but she kept talking, "and I asked Torii for tips, though he mostly just started wheezing and being dramatic, he at least shook his head at the things I absolutely  _should not do."_

Shikamaru was just staring at her now, so she continued talking, suddenly nervous. "I mean! I practiced, too - on a zucchini. I'm pretty sure I've got the teeth part figured out but I can't deep throat yet - Jiraiya-sensei made that seem  _way_ easier in the books than it actually is, let me tell you -"

"I should not find this hot," Shikamaru finally said, collapsing onto his back and staring at the ceiling. "The thought of you performing fellatio on vegetables and reading porn and traumatizing medics should not be turning me on. What is wrong with me."

Mayu brightened and crawled up his body. "So is that a yes? Because I was going to suggest going straight to sex when you got back, but oral sex seems to be a good in between, according to the how-tos and Icha Icha -"

He cut her off with a kiss that left her dazed when he pulled back. "That's a yes, Mayu."

 

000

Mayu pressed against Shikamaru the next morning and wondered if she was supposed to feel different now that she and Shikamaru had _sex_ sex. His breathing was still harsh and she could hear how fast his heart was beating where his chest was pressed against her ear. 

She looked up at him. Shikamaru's face was flushed and his whole body had a sheen of sweat over it, his hair in disarray. She was probably the only person who would ever get see him this way. His eyes were completely focused on her and he reached out and pushed her own hair out of her sweaty face.

"Okay?" he asked, voice low and rough and she swallowed and nodded.

"Yeah. You?"

His lip quirked up on one side and he pulled her more firmly against him. "Yeah. Just can't believe how lucky I am."

She blushed and rolled her eyes. "Sap," she said again and he chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"You make me one, I guess." 

"Why haven't we been doing this for months?" Mayu asked and he sent her a boyish grin that made her insides twist.

"Eh, we weren't ready then."

She hummed. "Yeah, I suppose we didn't get a lot of time together. But now you're almost done with your troubleshooting in New ANBU and you'll be around a lot more," she said cheerfully.

"Yes," he said and leaned over to kiss her on the temple. "I look forward to it."

"And then when we're eighteen we'll get married and I can move back to the Nara compound in the house we'll have built right next to Ensui's," she continued.

Ensui had decided to have a house built in a clearing surrounded by trees about a five-minute walk from Shikaku's. If Mayu had pointed it out to him as a prime location, well, that was neither here nor there. It certainly was not her way of prodding him towards making her dreams for her future a reality. It just so happened that there was plenty of space for a second house in a spot next to theirs, right beside a small pond.

"Though I guess Kakashi-sensei might have to give in and marry Ensui-nii if he wants to keep living with him," she said. "Actually, I'd like to see stupid Ryo try and kick the copy-nin out of the compound. He's so scary."

"Mm-hmm," Shikamaru said, rolling over onto his back and staring at the ceiling.

He had been upset when she told him why she moved. Beyond upset, really, and Mayu had wondered if something terrible might happen to the elders. So far it hadn't, probably for the same reason, Mayu had held back on getting her well-deserved revenge. Neither of them wanted to destabilize or cause problems for the clan. Mayu might not buy into the whole clan mentality, but it was important to her family and some of her friends so she had held back on doing anything really nasty.

Plus most of the clan really liked and respected Ryo, since he was a war hero and ran the Nara medical labs. Really, other than them getting heavy handed with Shikamaru's future and occasionally being overly-traditional assholes, they did a pretty good job of keeping most of the members of the clan healthy and happy.

It was annoying. Mayu would prefer that they sat around cackling and planning out ways to subjugate everyone so that she'd have an excuse to retaliate. Yoshino had given her some line about how the best revenge was living well, which Mayu assumed translated to 'the best revenge is marrying Shikamaru.'

"Come on, you can take me to breakfast," she said, carefully getting out of bed. Okay, so now she was definitely a little sore. "I'm going to take a bath first, though," she continued over his groans. "And don't complain - it's the polite thing for a boy to do after taking a girl to bed," she said primly, which effectively shut him up.

They spent the day wandering around the quieter parts of Konoha. Mayu noticed that they never stopped touching. They'd always been touchy-feely with each other, but now it was different - almost like they couldn't stand to  _not_ be touching. If they weren't holding hands, Shikamaru's arm was around her waist, or she was crowding up against him.

They went to breakfast and then to the park, enjoying the late spring weather. Shikamaru napped with his head in her lap while she worked on a formula she was trying to stabilize for one of Wara Wara's techniques. Then they stopped by the market and went back to her apartment. They made dinner and watched a stupid action movie on the couch and fell asleep, once again wrapped around each other.

Mayu was incandescent the next day and she bounced into the MPF with a big smile on her face despite the fact that it was five am. The early morning rotation was the absolute worst, everybody agreed.

Fugaku was in his office doing paperwork and Mayu paused a few feet from his door when she saw Hinata had just entered the building. She waved at her and the girl smiled and quickly but gracefully weaved through the desks in the bullpen with more confidence than she would have a year ago, greeting a few of the officers that were already there.

The Uchiha officers had warmed considerably towards the Hyuuga. She was level-headed, kind, talented, and her Byakugan was extremely useful in police work. She'd really made a name for herself in the six months that she'd been on patrol before moving to Investigations. Even the people they took into custody liked Hinata - she was one of the highest civilian rated police officers in the force. Witnesses especially loved her.

Mayu was still working on getting them to grant her the same level of acceptance, but she could admit that Hinata's personality was probably a little easier to swallow than her own. They seemed to respect Mayu, at least. Cases she was involved with had a sixty percent higher chance of being solved and a lot of her suggestions on procedural best practices had already been implemented.

The three Uchiha in the Investigations Unit had accepted her as a part of the team after just a few cases and the rest of the force would, for the most part, follow their example. It helped that Mayu was actually learning to think before she spoke thanks to Fugaku's very effective and scary teaching methods.

Hinata came to a stop in front of her. "Hello, Mayu-chan. You're looking well - you must have had a nice day off?"

Mayu grabbed her hands and tugged her closer to the wall to the right of Fugaku's door, huddling in close to her.

"Shikamaru came home," she said and Hinata smiled, relief obvious.

She knew Mayu had been worried when his mission went over schedule and since he was ANBU (lame) nobody would give her any information. Mayu hadn't spoken to Itachi in four days after he'd sent her away with a firm, "You know I can't tell you anything, Mayu."

"And! We had sex and it was amazing!" Hinata blushed a bright red and they both froze when the sound of something hitting the floor in Fugaku's office reached them, followed by ominous silence.

"You don't think he heard that, right?" she whispered to Hinata and the girl sent her a wide-eyed look.

They both eyed the door warily before Mayu spoke again, this time in a proper whisper. "And he has less than a month left in stupid ANBU, so I bet he'll only have one more of their missions at the most. Then I can see him all the time."

"That's great, Mayu."

"So, I was thinking that we should do double dates. You know, me and Shika and you and Shisui -"

Mayu snickered from under the palm that Hinata had slapped over her mouth. "Mayu-chan!" she scolded.

Mayu rolled her eyes but held up her hands in surrender. Hinata lowered her hand.

"Fine,but I'm telling you, now that I've had the full dating experience you're missing out. I mean, Shisui's kind of a genius and he's older, right, so I bet he'll be really good at -"

"Mayu-chan, can you come in here, please?" Fugaku called and she straightened.

"Oh, looks like shishou needs me. Think about it Hina-chan, okay?" she called over her shoulder, catching one last glimpse of Hinata's red face before she entered Fugaku's office.

Her eyes darted to a wet stain on the floor and then to an empty water glass on his desk.  _So that's what the thump was,_ she thought to herself. It wasn't like Fugaku to be so clumsy.

"Hey, shishou! How are you?"

"I am well," he said in a stilted voice and she refrained from commenting because he didn't  _look_ like he was doing so great. His lips were pressed together into a thin line and his right eye had a small twitch.

"Huh. Well, do you want some water or something? Or do you need me to help you with your paperwork? We're between cases, so Dai-taicho could probably spare me -"

"No, Mayu," he said, bringing up his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Wow, he really was stressed out about something. "Could you please close the office door? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Oh...sure," she said and did as he asked, taking a moment to lean out until she spotted Dai standing in the bullpen talking to one of the officers who had been on patrol the night before.

When he made eye contact she waved and motioned towards the office to let him know where she'd be. He flapped his hand at her and she pulled the door shut.

"Pull a chair around and sit next to me," Fugaku said and she resisted the urge to cheer.

That usually meant he was going to give one of his much-anticipated lessons. She hummed a tune to herself as she picked up a chair and brought it around the desk. Fugaku moved over to make room and she set it down before sitting. There was a blank folder on the desk, everything else pushed off to the side. Without fanfare, he opened it and she leaned forward with interest to read the title.

 _"Proposal for the Creation of a Military Police Force Investigations Department,"_ she said out loud. "You want to make a whole department?"

Currently, there was just the one unit, comprised of six members and lead by Dai, with Hayao acting as a part-time lieutenant.

"Yes. Itachi and I have been discussing a restructuring of the MPF that is similar to what he's done in ANBU. Part of that is breaking the Force into two departments, Investigations and General Police Force. Each will be lead by a separate Department Head, who would report directly to the Chief of Police."

Mayu hummed and picked up the packet of paper, skimming over the bullets on the first page.

"It looks like it still allows for a lot of autonomy for each Department Head," she finally said. "And...it's less of an administrative role than the Chief of Police."

"Yes," he agreed. "Part of the problems that I face as Chief of Police is that I'm making decisions about procedures and cases, but I'm mostly stuck behind this desk. I have to deal with fundraising, budgeting, politics and also coordinate with the chunin and jounin commanders on security measures.

"This would create leadership roles that are heavily focused on keeping the leader in the field while reducing the levels of management. The Chief of Police would still manage overall policy and continue to be a political figure."

Mayu nodded. "While the Department Heads direct troops from the ground." She drummed her fingers on her thigh when she turned the page and got to an outline of the structure of the Investigations Department.

"The Department Head has a lieutenant to help them deal with administrative stuff and delegation, with captains beneath him or her as team leaders. You want to start off with two four-man teams instead of one six-man team, with the option to add on other teams as needed. Makes sense - eight people is a little clunky and with two captains it will be easier to sort through the cases and deal with delegation and reports."

"Yes," he agreed. "I'd also like to do an overhaul of our investigative procedures. I know you've already made some suggestions that we've incorporated, along with many I've implemented throughout the years, but I'd rather go over everything and make sure it's consistent instead of continuing to add hodge-podge changes."

Mayu nodded. "Makes sense," she said again, glancing at him and then doing a double take at his pointed look. "Wait, you want  _me_ to do that?"

"I want us to work on it jointly with Dai-san and Hayao," he clarified.

"Okay," she said and beamed at him. She was always excited to do joint projects with Fugaku.

"If you wouldn't mind turning to page fifty," he said and she obediently flipped to the specified section.  _Konoha Shinobi Internal Investigations Unit,_ it said at the top.

"Oh," she breathed. "This is like what we did for the Root investigation, but...systematic and public-ish," she said and Fugaku inclined his head.

"That's correct. It would be in addition to the two other teams. This would be a specialized unit that would be in charge of the investigation of shinobi and kunoichi in our peacekeeping, defense, and intelligence forces. They would also deal with major domestic crimes against our shinobi. It is, in essence, a way to prevent another Root from forming and also to protect our forces from inside threats. We're going to need an elite team to handle those investigations, one that will be under a lot of scrutiny to be sure that they are staying clean themselves."

Mayu nodded her agreement. "Yeah, I mean, if we'd had something like this when I was a kid, most likely you would have noticed those kidnappings earlier instead of them being covered up," she said, a little hesitant because they'd never actually talked about the MPF's biggest failure to date.

"Or," she hastened to add, "something like that first case I helped Itachi out with - where those ANBU weren't kept in check and ended up hurting civilians. Setting up red flags in our systems and assigning an elite team that has its  _own_ checks and balances within the MPF to ensure nobody on it has gone dark could really help us keep the force's nose clean."

Fugaku leaned back and his lips quirked up in a smile. "I assumed you would understand the importance of the Internal Investigations Unit. Which is why I want you to be its captain when the restructure takes place in three months."

Mayu was nodding along with him, but paused at that, turning to gape at him. "You - you want  _me_  to be the captain?" she squeaked.

Fugaku put a hand on her shoulder and met her gaze. "When I first asked you to be my apprentice, you were unpolished. So much potential hidden beneath your tendency to act before thinking and your uncouth demeanor."

 _Rude,_ she thought, but it sounded cheerful even in her head.

"Now I am proud of what you've grown into. You're one of the best investigators this village has ever seen." Mayu stared up at him, a little shocked at all of the praise and felt her heart swell in her chest. "Which is why you'll be taking the jounin test in two months."

"Wait - what? A jounin! But - but can't I just stay a chunin?" she whined and ah, there was his mildly disapproving expression. "The test is this whole thing, when Sasuke and Sakura did it a few months ago while he was here they looked miserable. And! Won't I stop being your apprentice when I'm a jounin? I still have so much to learn. I should stay on in that role for  _at least_ another year -"

Fugaku raised an eyebrow at that and his lips twitched up on one side.

"Mayu," he interrupted and she knew from his tone that this was an argument she had already lost. She flopped back in her chair and allowed herself to sulk as he continued.

"Just because you aren't still my student officially does not mean I'll stop teaching you. You are my protegé and I'll be grooming you to take over as Department Head of the Investigations Unit, so I will not just leave you."

Mayu stared at him, not sure which part of that she was supposed to absorb first. "I - I'll really always be your student?"

Fugaku looked a little pained that she'd decided to focus on that part out of everything he'd just said. "Yes, Mayu. I believe that Sakura still refers to Tsunade-sama as shishou, for example, and Tsunade-sama is still overseeing her growth as a medical professional."

Mayu hummed thoughtfully at that, mood lifting. "Oh, well. If that's the case I guess I can take the test. It'll be boring but if you want me to be a jounin I will be," she declared and he sighed.

"I suppose that's all I can ask. Now, can we get back to this? There's a lot we need to go over."

"Oh, sure - wait, did you say you want me to become the Department Head of the Investigations Unit someday?" she blurted. His eyebrow twitched again.

000

Mayu skipped into the apartment, plopping down on the couch when she heard the shower turn off after she called for Shikamaru. She was vibrating in excitement from her day, ready to tell Shikamaru about her conversation with Fugaku. She was going to have  _so much fun_ leading the new Internal Investigations team _,_ it was going to be amazing.

"Mayu-chan, you home?" Shikamaru called, and her chest warmed at him calling her crappy little apartment home.

It felt very official and grown up that they were out of their parents' house. She turned on the couch until she was facing the door to the hall.

"Yes! Shikamaru, you won't believe what happened today," she said.

"I have some news too," he called, his voice getting closer.

"Shishou wants me to take the jounin exam in two months because he wants to make me a  _captain,_ Shika...maru..." she trailed off as he came around the corner with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He was rubbing another one over his hair which was dripping water onto his bare chest.

"Right, so, sex. That's what we should do," she declared, leaping over the couch from a seated position and then dashing over to him.

He gave her a slow smile as she spread her hands over his abs and pushed them upwards, watching the way the small amount of hair sprung back up as her hands passed over it. He grabbed her wrists lightly, leaving the second towel draped over his neck, and leaned forward to brush his lips against hers. She tried to deepen the kiss but he pulled back with a quiet laugh.

"We need to talk first," he said, stepping back and releasing her hands. "I have something to tell you - just give me a second."

"Oooh, that sounds ominous," she replied, following behind him into her room, eyes trailing over him with no small amount of appreciation. "If you're going to break up with me can we wait until  _after_ the sex?" she quipped and grinned unrepentantly at the unimpressed look he sent her over his shoulder.

She leaned on the door jam and crossed her arms over her chest, smiling when he glanced over at her. "Don't mind me. I'll just be standing here, watching you take off your towel."

He rolled his eyes but obediently removed the towel from around his waist and tossed it over the chair tucked under her desk in the corner. He then reached into his duffel bag at the end of the bed - she'd have to clear out a drawer for him or something - and she spent the time it took him to pull out clothes to gawk at all of the tan, smooth skin on display.

She pouted a little when he pulled on boxers and pouted a lot when he added a pair of sweats and a long sleeved t-shirt. He smirked as he pulled his hair back into its customary ponytail and she straightened and moved to sit on the bed when he motioned her over.

He sat next to her and she cocked her head to the side and took him in. Tense posture, furrowed brow, his fingers were tapping on his thigh. He was nervous.

"What is it?" she asked, dread already building. Was he being sent on another long mission?

"Itachi called me in to speak with him today," Shikamaru said, turning towards her and bringing one leg up onto the bed, knee bent. She turned as well, though she just moved further onto her blue duvet and crossed both her legs on top of it.

"Okay..."

"He told me that they were impressed with my performance the past year. The last mission...went pretty sideways and I guess they decided my actions during a crisis were enough to give me a field promotion to full jounin."

Mayu's eyes widened and a smile broke over her face. "That - that's really great!" Of course, they made him jounin without him even needing to try for it. He was amazing.

His lip quirked up on one side and her smile faded when his eyes darted away from hers. "He also offered me a captain position in ANBU. He said after a year -"

"No," Mayu said, voice flat as a cold feeling took root in her chest. He pressed his lips together and he met her gaze.

"You promised." Her voice was low and miserable. "You promised that you'd take a position where you weren't gone over half the time -"

"I know, but Mayu, if you'll let me explain -"

"You  _promised!"_ she snapped, tears prickling at her eyes.

"Mayu." He reached forward to take her hands in his own. "I know I did. But the situation is complicated, some things changed. It's actually good in the long run, because -"

"Things changed," she said calmly despite the pressure of tears in the back of her throat. She stood and walked to her dingy little window, looking out of it and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You've already said yes, haven't you?" she whispered. He was silent and she took a deep breath and then turned around, anger replacing her hurt.

"Let me tell you what hasn'tchanged, okay? I still end up waiting at home while you run around on missions so classified that nobody will tell me whether you're even still alive when you're over a week late."

"Mayu -"

"You still fuck off half the time, just expecting me to be here when you get back. Well, you know what? I think maybe I'd like some changes too," she said, then spun on her heel and stomped out of the room.

"Mayu, sweetheart, please just let me explain -" he said as he stood and followed her.

She flung open the hall closet and began rifling through it, tossing things out of it in her quest to find what she was looking for.

"Talk to you about what? About how suddenly I'm not as important as you running around murdering people for a shadowy, mysterious organization?" She made a triumphant noise when she found what she was looking for.

"Our relationship  _is_ the most important thing to me, but Mayu, what I'm doing is keeping the village - and you - safe. I'm making a difference, what I'd be doing would save lives...what is that?" He was staring down at the empty plastic box and lid she'd pulled out of the closet.

"It's a box, obviously. Well while you're making a difference, you can do it without me," she said, furious tears pooling in her eyes. "I'm done waiting around for you. I supported you!" she yelled, throwing the box on the ground at his feet.

"I waited for months and months and months while you went on a revenge spree in ARF. Then I supported you again when you joined ANBU because they needed you and you wanted to get stronger. We're supposed to be a partnership but you keep making these decisions without even thinking about me.

"Well, I'm not going to marry you just so I can wait around, never seeing you, wondering if you'll just keep taking these positions that keep you away without even talking to me first. It's not  _fair!"_ She reached for the ring on her right hand and tugged it off, refusing to look at his devastated expression.

"My needs and my opinions obviously don't matter, since you just went ahead and agreed to another twelve monthsof this bullshit. So...so you can find someone else to keep your bed warm." She dropped the ring in the box, then reached for the clips in her hair with shaking hands and added them to the bottom of the box as well. There was a small voice in her head screaming  _What are you doing?_ but she ignored it.

"You can use that to carry your stuff. Don't forget your shampoo," she said, motioning towards the box.

"Mayu, sweetheart, don't do this. I love you.  _Please -"_ she gritted her teeth and instead of answering turned on her heel and ran.

She ended up staying with Hinata that night. Mayu had to hand it to the Hyuuga that was guarding the gate - he'd taken one look at her stricken, tear-streaked face and led her to Hinata without delay, who had been sitting with her bratty sister Hanabi in a small garden that Mayu knew she favored.

"Mayu!" Hinata exclaimed, standing and rushing over to her. "What is it? What happened?"

The guard got out while the getting was good and Mayu buried her face into Hinata's shoulder and proceeded to cry messily all over her fancy yukata. When she came up for air she was sitting on a bench leaning against her friend and Hanabi had disappeared, though there was a tea tray at their feet. Somebody had put a large pile of napkins on it. Maybe Hanabi wasn't as bratty as Mayu had always thought after all.

She sniffled pitifully as Hinata knelt down next to the tray, handing her one of the soft cloth napkins so Mayu could wipe her tears and blow her nose while she poured them both a cup of jasmine tea. Mayu caught Hinata looking at the ringless finger on her right hand before her gaze flicked up to her hair, which was also missing its usual ornaments.

"Oh, Mayu," she said as she gracefully stood, the tea in the two cups she held in both hands barely rippling with the movement and then settled next to her.

Mayu sobbed once and accepted the tea, glad she didn't have to say that they had broken up out loud quite yet. After a few sips she felt herself calming, though her thoughts were whirling around in circles. Had she really just broken up with Shikamaru? It seemed...surreal. Her and Shikamaru were just a fact, something that had always been a given in her life.

The past six months, though, she'd become increasingly tired of waiting for him to come home and the loneliness and the feeling that her relationship was suddenly one-sided. Could he really love her as much as she loved him if he just kept leaving? She opened her mouth and said the question out loud to Hinata.

Just having it out in the world, the traitorous thing that had been bouncing around in her thoughts for months, sent her on another crying jag. Hinata expertly grabbed her tea before she could spill it and set it carefully on the bench behind her. Then she reached out and took Mayu's hands in her own. They were cool and soft despite their calluses and they grounded Mayu enough for her to calm down again.

She wiped her nose with her abused napkin and met Hinata's kind eyes.

"I broke up with him," she admitted and Hinata's eyes widened at the confirmation of what she'd already guessed. "He agreed to another year in ANBU and I just - I couldn't do it again. The face he made was so awful," her breath hitched on a sob, "that I just ran away. Am I - am I a horrible person?"

"No," Hinata said firmly and squeezed her hand. "Not at all. If Shikamaru-kun couldn't give you what you need then you did the right thing."

"He promised," Mayu said miserably. "He's never lied to me before." Her lip wobbled and the scent of lavender surrounded her as Hinata pulled her in for a hug.

"Can I stay here tonight?" 

"Of course," Hinata said.

Mayu dozed off for about an hour right as the sun started to rise. She'd spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling, listening to Hinata's soft breathing next to her. She kept going back and forth. One moment she would decide she'd been too hasty and that she was going to seek Shikamaru out in the morning and beg him to take her back. Then she'd remember all the waiting and worrying of the last twenty-four months, first with ARF and then with ANBU, and she'd get angry all over again.

By the time Hinata roused from her sleep and they started getting ready for their days she was no closer to figuring out what the right thing to do was. Maybe he didn't even want her back and the whole thing was moot. Maybe he wanted a nice, sweet kunoichi that would stay at home and wait quietly and...well, okay, probably not. He'd grow bored with a nice, sweet girl in about a week.

Mayu raised her eyebrows when Hinata slid open her door, then reached into the hallway and picked up Mayu's MPF uniform from the day before, which was washed and ironed and folded. Well, that was handy.

Luckily she hadn't taken off her flack jacket or scroll belt before The Fight - yes it was capitalized in her head - so she didn't have to brave her apartment. She wasn't sure what would be worse - if he was there waiting for her or if he wasn't.

She shuffled after Hinata, letting her brush her hair and try to make her slightly presentable. A glance in the mirror showed that it was a losing battle. Her face was pale and drawn, her eyes puffy from crying, and there were shadows under her eyes from lack of sleep. She looked like Aiko from book two in Icha Icha when Jaya had left her for the beautiful and mysterious Hina. Ugh, gross, now she was comparing herself to the sad women in Jiraiya's books. How far she had fallen.

She sat down next to Hinata at the breakfast table, keeping her gaze down after greeting Hiashi with more proper solemnity than she'd ever managed before. They'd been eating for about ten minutes, Mayu pushing her rice around on her plate and taking half-hearted bites at Hinata's gentle urging, when Hiashi spoke.

"Neji, I was told by the men who guarded the gate last night that Nara Shikamaru was denied entrance by yourself. Apparently, he was hoping to speak to Mayu-san, but you told the guards not to pass on the message." Mayu stilled and looked over at Neji, who didn't even flinch at the implied disapproval in Hiashi's voice. Brave guy. "I've also been told he stayed all night, sitting under a tree at the gates until he was summoned to the Hokage at about five-thirty this morning."

Mayu's jaw dropped and she told the annoying warmth in her chest to go away. It was  _not_ cute that he camped out in front of the Hyuuga gates trying to see her.

"That's correct, Uncle," Neji said, then took a sip of his tea.

"May I ask whyyou kept the heir to the Nara clan outside in the rain all night?"

That's right...it had been drizzling a bit last night. No, that did not make it  _cuter,_ especially when she imagined how cranky and put upon he probably looked as he got rained on. Nope, she was stone, she was not giving in, she'd just end up bitter and angry every time he disappeared for weeks on end to mysterious places.

"He was causing significant emotional distress to a precious guest of the Hyuuga heir," Neji said in reply to Hiashi's question, brow furrowing just a little.

Mayu stared at him, rice halfway to her mouth. Well, that was unexpected - in a list of people that she'd expect to snub Shikamaru in defense of her, Neji wouldn't even make top thirty. He did love Hinata a weird amount, so it wasn't actually that strange that he was protective of her few friends.

Hiashi sighed. "Well, that explanation should make the apology I'll need to give Shikaku-san for the treatment of his son much easier," he said calmly and Mayu gaped as she realized that she was witnessing the Hyuuga version of sniping at someone.

Hanabi snickered, then cleared her throat and tried to pretend it hadn't happened. Hinata ducked her head to hide her smile and Mayu finished taking her bite. Maybe the Hyuuga household wasn't quite as cold and awful as she'd assumed.

She walked with Hinata to the MPF, eyes darting around, wondering if a bedraggled and annoyed Shikamaru would appear and demand that she give him another chance. She wasn't sure what she'd say, really. When he didn't appear she was equal parts dejected and relieved.

When they entered the conference room for their team's weekly meeting Torii glanced at her once, casually, still in the process of waking up. Then his eyes widened and moved back to her face. She avoided his gaze and took her usual seat between him and Hinata.

"What the hell, are you sick or something?" he hissed and she had to duck his hand as it headed for her forehead.

"I'm not sick," she grumbled. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

Luckily Dai chose that moment to start going over the casework they'd done in the past week. Two open cases that Mayu wasn't working on, four closed cases - two of which Mayu  _had_ helped with, and the Kiri nin case. It was going to be huge, and for now, they were focusing on information gathering. They'd added another player since two days ago.

A woman, civilian, who was selling drugs to upper-class merchants. Her name was Ortuga Hairu and her family had fallen on hard times when her wealthy husband died...and left her with a bunch of debt she hadn't known they were in.  _Wow, great guy,_ Mayu thought, glaring a little harder than necessary at the picture of her dead husband. He probably thought he was  _protecting_ her by making unilateral decisions about their lives without consulting her first.

"Mayu-san?" Dai's voice said.

"Yes, taicho?" She looked up at him from the file she'd been glaring at.

"I want you and Akito-san to coordinate with patrol on this. Have them keep a lookout for anybody they see with this woman or with the Kiri brothers and pass us information."

"Okay," she said and gave Akito a wan smile. He had been with the MPF for fifteen years and was what Fugaku liked to call a keystone of the force.

"He's never going to have some big, intuitive breakthrough on a case," Fugaku had explained when she'd given his file an unimpressed look once, "but he's steady. You can trust him to do the work and do it right. Its officers like him that will coax new information from witnesses others would miss, or make sure a scene is correctly secured so that you and Torii can come in and make the connections. He's also level-headed in bad situations and a good man to have at your back."

Mayu had to admit that after six months working with the man, Fugaku had been spot on. Akito nodded at her, though she didn't miss the way his gaze lingered on her face. And yeah, okay, she got it - she looked like crap, could everybody just move on?

Every time the door opened that day, she found herself looking up from her desk in the bullpen - she alternated between it and the one in Fugaku's office depending on what she was doing - half expecting to see Shikamaru walk through the door. Except he never came. At one point she'd looked up and her heart had leapt at the sight of a spiky ponytail, but she'd slumped when she saw it was Shikaku.

"Hey, squirt, what's with the long face? Not excited to see your old man? It's too bad because I was going to take you out for dumplings," he said as he approached her desk.

Torii waved at him from where he was hovering over Mayu's shoulder - he'd been slouching up to her every half an hour or so, trying to surreptitiously check her temperature and vitals.

"Hey, Shikaku-sama," he said. Mayu looked down at the report she was reviewing for Fugaku and decided that sticking around and jumping every time the door opened was going to get annoying fast. She shut the folder and stood, knocking into Torii with her chair, though his yelp wasn't as satisfying as it would usually be.

"Hey, Hinata, Torii, tell Dai-taicho I'm grabbing lunch at Duru's Dumplings, okay?"

"Okay, Mayu-chan," Hinata said with a small smile.

She ignored the way her and Torii's eyes followed her as she walked out of the building, Shikaku stopping to open the door for her. She didn't say anything when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

Shikaku didn't try to strike up a conversation as they walked to the restaurant and she remained silent as he politely asked if any private rooms were available. Since he was the jounin commander the answer was always going to be yes and they were seated in a small room with a large window looking out over the restaurant's vegetable garden in the back.

"So," Shikaku said after they'd ordered, "Hiashi-san wasn't just messing with me when he came to apologize for his clan leaving Shikamaru standing out in the rain all night, huh?" Mayu just shrugged and avoided his gaze, reaching out to draw a stick figure with a suspiciously spiky ponytail in the condensation on her glass.

"Sweetheart...you wanna tell me why you slept at Hinata's and not at your apartment or my house last night? And why Shikamaru stood outside the home of Hyuuga Hiashi making a spectacle of himself? And maybe why you look like hell?"

Mayu slumped down and took deep breaths to avoid bursting into tears. She did not want to return to work with watery, red eyes. Torii would probably implode as all that medic energy rushed through him with nowhere to go.

"I broke up with him," she said in a small voice and didn't look up. Across from her, all movement had stopped.

Finally, he spoke. "Okay. Well, I'm guessing you had a reason?"

She nodded and put her hands in her lap, clenching them into fists.

"Sweetheart, I just want to help," he said and when she glanced up he was looking at her with honest concern.

"It's...he's agreed to another year with ANBU," she finally said, knowing she wasn't exactly supposed to be talking about it, but it wasn't like Hinata and Shikaku didn't already know what he did. Well, Hinata only knew because Mayu had told her months ago, but. They didn't talk about it around other people at least.

Shikaku sighed and sat back. "Ah," he said. "I'm guessing he didn't discuss it with you first?"

She shook her head, hurt and anger rising in equal amounts.

"Well, damn," he said with a sigh and gave her a small rueful smile. "I was hoping that part of my personality skipped a generation."

"Which part?" she mumbled.

"The part where we completely misjudge the women in our lives and put our foot in it in a spectacular fashion every once in awhile," he admitted.

"He didn't misjudge," she snapped. "He just decided that being a stupid captain in stupid ANBU was more important than keeping his promises and...and being with me." Her lip trembled and Shikaku sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You know I can't speak for him," he said gently after a few moments of thought. "But I'm guessing you're pretty important if he sat outside being judged by Hyuuga in the rain all night."

She giggled at the image, though it was a little wet.

"Well, he's not here now," she finally said.

"Hmm, he got put on a mission this morning," Shikaku said.

Mayu's first reaction was worry. He had, after all, not slept much, if at all, the night before, on top of just returning from a long mission only a few days ago. Her second reaction was annoyance.

"Of course he did," she sniped. "And I'm sure he'll be gone for weeks."

Shikaku sighed but didn't say anything, instead launching into an update on Beaker and the chickens. She and Yoshino had agreed Beaker would be miserable in her apartment after living at the Nara house and having the run of the woods and yard for so long, so he had stayed with them. Since she was there a good amount of the time it didn't really matter, anyway.

Shikaku succeeded in making her laugh when he told her the chickens had bobbed their way inside the house when Yoshino left the doors and windows open while she was doing spring cleaning. They'd made such a mess that she'd ended up doing twice the amount of work and had been forced to replace two throw pillows.

Mayu was feeling marginally better when Hinata knocked on the door to their private room and peeked her head in.

"S-sorry to disturb your lunch, Shikaku-sama, but Dai-taicho asked me to retrieve Mayu for a situation that has just arisen."

"No problem Hinata, we've just finished up. Go on, squirt. I'll settle the bill. Don't be a stranger - your mom misses you," he said and Mayu rolled her eyes as she stood.

"It's been four days," she grumbled and Shikaku shrugged, but looked put out enough that she bent down to kiss his cheek before she turned to leave.

"I'll come over for dinner tonight if we don't have a case," she called. 

Feeling a little less like the world was a dark, horrible place, she followed Hinata outside and then onto the rooftops.

"What is it?" She called, following Hinata's lead as the girl turned east.

"A body was found in the Kiri brother's townhouse," Hinata said. "That's all I know. Dai-taicho asked me to pick you up, the rest of the team is heading for the scene now."

"Huh," Mayu said. "That's...pretty sloppy," she said. "Not like them at all."

Hinata nodded once. "That's what taicho said."

They didn't talk the rest of the way, Mayu's thoughts already latching onto the distraction. When they landed in front of the townhouse, straightening and greeting two officers that were putting up tape and maintaining the perimeter - one, Mayu noticed with passing interest, was definitely not an Uchiha if the blonde hair and green eyes were any indication - they headed inside the building.

Mayu slowed as she took in the house. It was fairly clean, at least for two criminal bachelors, with freshly painted walls and well maintained brown carpeting. So either they were really good at cleanup or they weren't maiming and killing within their home very often. She followed Hinata after the girl activated her Byakugan to locate their team. They went down the hallway and entered the kitchen.

Mayu took in the dead body with raised eyebrows.

"Well, that was unexpected," she said as she recognized it as the late Kenichi, one of the Kiri brothers.

She walked around the body, accepting the gloves that Dai handed her as she passed and slipping them on.

"Owner of the house behind the yard saw the door was cracked open and came over to make sure everybody was okay. She went and found an officer as soon as she opened the door and saw this mess. Says she didn't come in any further," Dai said.

Torii was studying the wall on the far side of the room, which had been covered with arterial spray from the slice across the body's jugular.

"He's been dead about four hours," he offered.

Mayu frowned and leaned in close to study the cut. "Did we already get pictures of the body?" she asked.

"Yes, Akito-san just finished that part up," Dai confirmed and the man in question grunted from where he was kneeling in front of the door, taking a picture of the doorknob of the back entrance.

"Looks like somebody picked the lock - they were good, barely left a scratch," Akito replied.

"Huh," Mayu said, reaching forward with a gloved forefinger and prodding around the wound, opening it a bit and making a face as a small dribble of thick blood came out.

"He wasn't tied up," Hinata said from where she was scanning the room with her Byakugan activated.

"No, if him still being firmly in the chair and the chopsticks that fell to the floor directly below his hand are any indication, he didn't even realize somebody was there. Pretty impressive, since he was a shinobi." Mayu stood and walked around him, taking out a kunai and setting it close to the wound on his neck, doing a slashing motion before frowning and shaking her head.

"Think it was the brother?" Dai asked where he was sketching in his notebook.

"No," Mayu mumbled. "They were careful not to leave incriminating stuff in their house, I think. Plus, whoever did this was much shorter than Uta."

"Oh?" Dai said and she nodded.

"Yeah - here, you're about the same height and body type as Uta. Come over here." She took his notebook from him and handed him the kunai.

"Do the motion you would make if you were the assassin sent to take care of this," she said.

He shot her an unamused look at her bossing him around but moved to do as she said while Torii and Akito crowded in behind her. Dai flipped the kunai in his hand and then did the slashing motion a bare centimeter from the corpse's actual throat. Torii made a noise of understanding next to her.

"Ah, I see. The angle's all wrong."

"Exactly. Hinata, you come and do it," Mayu said. Hinata, who was a few inches shorter than Mayu, walked over and took the kunai from Dai. Her cheeks were red, but then they always were when she was the center of attention. It didn't make her slash across Kenichi's throat any less efficient.

"Huh, that's about perfect," Akito said and Dai gave a short nod as Hinata flipped the kunai in her hand so that she was holding it out to Mayu handle first. She quirked up her lips at her friend before taking it and returning it to her pouch.

"The person who did this is high level. He or she - the height thing could indicate female - is high level enough to pick a lock and sneak up behind another shinobi. Judging by the clean stroke, he or she has done this before." Mayu blew out a breath. "So, you know, that really narrows it down in a ninja village," she said and Torii snorted.

"Alright, people. Here's the deal. We don't know where Uta was during this - he wasn't seen leaving by the surveillance team. Right now he's in the wind. They also didn't see anybody else enter or leave," Dai said, disapproval heavy in his voice. "Mayu, Hinata, I want you to look around the rest of the house, see if you can find anything. Torii, Akito, stay in here and finish processing the scene. Haru broke his hand training," he continued and rolled his eyes. Haru was a little hardcore when it came to his training regime. "So don't expect to see him around for a few days."

Mayu and Hinata obediently started looking through the house. There were no incriminating notebooks or bloody shuriken. It looked about what you'd expect a house with two bachelors living in it to look like. When they were in the downstairs den, Hinata paused.

"Mayu," she said and Mayu wandered over from where she'd been looking through the files in the cabinet. "Look at the wall."

Mayu glanced at it and then stepped forward. "Huh. It's different than the rest, right...here," she took a piece of blue chalk out of her flak jacket pocket, something all of them carried around with them. She then reached forward and ran her other hand over the surface. It was distended just a bit, in a spot right in the middle of the wall and it looked like the wood paneling was a slightly different texture where it bulged out.

Starting at the floor, she ran the chalk along the line where the distension began, going up high enough that she had to stretch, then to the left about three feet, then back down to the floor.

She stepped back and looked at it. "Um, that looks like..."

"A door," Hinata said and they exchanged glances, then both started looking around for a latch or panel.

"The dumpling house is on the other side of this," Mayu said, wondering how they could stand being surrounded by the smell all the time and not just eat dumplings all day every day. Maybe that's why they made the door. She snickered to herself at the thought.

"Oh! I think I found it," Hinata said from where she was knelt down next to a bookshelf. She reached behind it and there was a small  _snick_ as she hit whatever mechanism was back there. Mayu turned to the wood paneling as it swung open soundlessly.

The dumpling cook stared at her, wide-eyed, from where he was hovering over a skillet.

"Uh, hey," Mayu said. He took off running.

"In pursuit - the den!" Mayu yelled, ignoring the sound of her team's running footsteps and their confused yells in favor of dashing through the doorway. Hinata was on her heels and they didn't have to try and coordinate their movements after all the training they did together when they were junior officers.

Hinata followed the man out the back door and Mayu sprinted through the dining room, ignoring the furious yells of the waitress and the gasps of the few patrons that were sitting at the dingy tables.

She pushed out the front door and then turned and dashed up the side of the building, sprinting across the roof and skidding to a stop on the other side. Hinata and the cook were in the alley behind the dumpling house, close to the door that he'd exited from in his short-lived escape attempt. She was standing over him in the Hyuuga gentle fist stance, hands glowing blue.

He was on his knees, hands up behind his head, probably having surrendered at the first sign of Hinata using ninja techniques. Mayu sighed, then stepped off the building, landing behind him soundlessly.

"Civilian, boring," she grumbled and he jumped and craned his head around, wide-eyed.

Dai and the rest of the team burst out of the kitchen door - it had only been about twenty seconds since Mayu yelled for them - and took in the scene with disbelief. The dumpling chef  _did_ look unassuming, but he was obviously guilty if the way he was sweating and his downcast expression were any indication. Also, judging by the stains on his fingers he was cooking more than dumplings in that kitchen.

Dai must have agreed because he turned to Akito and Torii. "Secure the restaurant, don't let anybody leave until we know what's going on. I want a list of all employees and I want them interviewed yesterday. Go!" They went.

Hinata kept an eye on their surroundings while Mayu put the cuffs they kept for civilians on the dumpling chef.

"Well, I guess we know how they were getting so much done right under our noses," she said and Dai grunted, probably pissed off that they'd missed the fact that the dumpling restaurant was part of the crime ring.

"I would have noticed them using that entrance when I was on surveillance the other day," Hinata said, sounding uncharacteristically frustrated.

Mayu gave her a small smile and shrugged. "Bad luck, probably," she said lightly. "Must have been a slow crime day."

 _Either that or they somehow knew there was a Hyuuga on duty that day,_ she thought to herself. From the way Dai was frowning, he was having the same thought. Who would have known outside of the team, though?

Mayu shook her head. There was something in the back of her mind - a memory surfacing. She crept back into the house when Dai stomped inside after telling Hinata to take the suspect to the officers in the front of the building and have them deliver him to the MPF.

After confirming her hunch, a few vital things slotted into place. She sunk deep into her mind cave and when she opened her eyes she felt a little sick to her stomach.

"Well, shit," she whispered to the empty room.

000

The next few days were a blur. Mayu made it to dinner with her parents the day after they'd found Kenichi's body and it was awkward and miserable as they all talked around the Shikamaru shaped elephant in the room.

Uta still hadn't turned up and all of the brothers' organization's criminal activity seemed to have stopped. Even Ortuga Hairu had stopped selling drugs to miserable rich people.

Shikamaru was still out on a mission, but when she'd finally returned to her apartment she'd found her ring and hair clips sitting on her dresser, though the rest of his things were gone. She resisted the urge to flop onto her bed and cry all night - she had a much, much bigger problem to deal with.

Since Sasuke was gone she decided he wouldn't mind (or know) that she had turned his room into an investigation room. Mayu had decided that it was too dangerous to share what she'd figured out at Kenichi's murder scene with anybody. Not just for them - she'd be at the top of the 'to-kill' list this person probably had if they discovered that she  _knew._ She was careful even in her notes, using code words and phrases for people, events, and places that only she would be able to decipher.

Once she had proof she'd go straight to Fugaku and Itachi, but for now, everybody needed to continue acting naturally. Mayu could admit that she was terrified and that was...an unusual feeling. It made it difficult for her act as she normally would, but luckily everybody assumed that her strange behavior was due to her recent heartbreak. Which wasn't completely incorrect.

If there was one person she'd talk to about what was happening, it was Shikamaru, but not only was he not there physically, she wasn't even sure what sort of relationship they'd have when he got back. She'd dealt with the breakup as well as she could with meditation because that was not something she should just leave alone to fester, but it turns out you can't out logic that sort of pain.

Logic said that Shikamaru was a shinobi, which she'd always known. It said that she had to accept that the village came first for him. It also said that she was much more miserable now that she'd broken up with him than when she'd been with him - even if there was a lot of continuous worry and a feeling of constant rejection going on while they were together.

The difficult part was that her emotions just weren't listening to logic. Mayu was still angry and hurt and frustrated. She felt like just accepting that he'd be in ANBU for another year, this time as a captain (and she knew, from the files she'd gone through during the Root investigation, that captains had an even lower life expectancy than others in ANBU) would be like telling herself and him that the way she felt didn't matter.

So, no, her feelings on the matter were not logical or probably even mature, but they were still annoyingly persistent. Him leaving on a mission right after the fight was probably not helping her figure it all out, either.

To help alleviate her fear and loneliness she had taken to summoning Anzu and Momo almost every night. They were the only two beings who knew what she was working on and they'd promised to tell Baken and have him pass it on to Ensui if she died. They'd both been insistent that they wouldn't let it come to that, but in the end, they'd agreed. Since she was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to act naturally around the appropriate people, she'd stopped summoning them during the day.

Mayu forced herself to sleep where she could, even going so far as to take the sleeping pills she still had left over from years ago that Itachi had given her once or twice. She'd been a little worried that they would no longer be effective since they were about two years past their expiration date, but they'd worked fine. She spent extra time meditating every morning too - she needed her wits about her, after all. This was a long game and she had to be extremely careful not to misstep if she didn't want herself or somebody she loved to end up dead.

Kiba had shown up outside the MPF right when she was getting off rotation a few days after Kenichi had his throat cut and dragged her out to dinner. He'd gotten the whole sordid tale of their breakup from her, though they both talked around the ANBU part of it. He'd just sighed and given her a hug, but hadn't tried to give her advice. Kiba was her favorite, maybe she'd marry him after all. Just as soon as he stopped going through girlfriends like they were tissue paper. He had a trail of broken hearts behind him that was so long it could circle Konoha twice.

Sakura barged into her apartment the next evening holding three pints of ice cream and two movies featuring strong women that didn't need no man. She was in the midst of getting yet another fancy medical license added to her already long list of accolades, so she hadn't washed her hair for days and looked a little manic, but Mayu figured it was the thought that counted.

"So, shishou wants me to take the jounin exam and then...he's going to make me a captain of my own squad," Mayu said after swallowing a huge bite of ice cream.

Sakura sat up and gave her a bright smile. "Really? That's great. I was a little surprised you didn't take the exams with Sasuke and I a few months ago." She attacked a particularly large bite of brownie with perhaps too much gusto after bringing Sasuke's name into conversation. Yeah, that torch was still, unfortunately, burning strong, though Sakura was pretty good at keeping her feelings hidden.

Mayu shrugged. "I don't really care, but I guess the MPF does, so if I want the position, I have to be, you know. A jounin."

Sakura hummed and stared down into her ice cream. In the background a woman with long, flowing green hair rammed two swords into the top of a man's head. They exited under his chin, yet he somehow still had the ability to look up at her and say, "Chiha...I...always loved you," before she pulled her weapons free and kicked his twitching body over with a sneer. Harsh.

"Do you think that we'll ever be a team again?" Sakura finally asked and Mayu blinked at her before pulling her spoon from her mouth and swallowing.

"You mean all four of us? Um...maybe sometimes, once they come back," Mayu said a little apologetically.

They'd all gone in different directions, after all. Sakura was on track to become the next Head of the Hospital and Commander of the Medic Corps, Naruto was out making a name for himself as a hero and Sasuke was standing at his side, Kakashi keeping careful watch over them.

Sakura looked a little sad at that, so Mayu changed the subject. "Hey, when do you think somebody is going to notice that Naruto's still a genin? I mean, last I heard he rescued a whole village from an evil overlord who was using them all for slave labor in his mines in some obscure northern country. I'm pretty sure he could kick a few of our jounin's asses by now."

Sakura snickered. In the background, Chiha blew up a state building full of handsome men in suits as her hair blew back in the breeze and the camera panned in on her vengeful expression.

"I don't know - he went on a training trip with Jiraiya to learn how to be a sage while we became jounin. Now I think they went off to some island with Gaara, Killer B, and that Utakata guy Naruto adopted to learn how to control their Bijuu," Sakura said casually, then took another bite. You know your life is exciting when you talk about gigantic constructs of chakra like they're as interesting as the weather.

"Papa told me that they're disintegrating ARF since most of the work the teams have been doing doesn't have anything to do with the Akatsuki at all these days," Mayu added.

The Akatsuki had gone frustratingly dark since the day they had captured Suigetsu and killed Deidara and Sasori. Shikaku thought that they had probably gone to ground to recover, though he doubted they had seen the last of them. The Akatsuki had always been playing a long game.

As for Suigetsu, he had apparently turned to their side and Sasuke had become his new (reluctant) best friend or something and the boy followed him around like a moth creeping on a flame. Mayu had been in tears from how hard she laughed when she read Naruto's letter about the 'super constipated' face he made whenever he heard the bloodthirsty boy call out 'Sasuke-sempai! Wait up!'

"Mmm, that's what shishou said, too," Sakura leaned forward, eyes brightening in a way that told Mayu she had some juicy gossip. "She also heard a rumor that soon Gaara will be returning to Sand...to become their Kazekage. At seventeen - can you believe it? Oh! And the Daimyo is going to give a plot of land up as international property, right on the edge of River and Rain, and donate it for what everybody is calling the Allied Shinobi Forces."

Mayu stared at her. "What? The what?"

Sakura sat back, smug that she'd known something so big before Mayu. "Yep. They're not really disintegratingARF, just changing its focus. A multinational peacekeeping force, based on neutral territory. It will do basically what ARF does now, with a special focus on dealing with international threats. Not just the Akatsuki, but large-scale crime syndicates like Aka Shi, or relief efforts for natural disasters."

"Huh," Mayu said, a little stunned. That was...kind of huge, actually.

"Yep. I think Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, at least, will come home. Probably Naruto too - I'm not sure."

They chatted for awhile about Kiri's reemergence into society under a new, less insane kage, and whether they'd join the Allied Shinobi Forces. It was hard to tell, really - nobody knew what state Kiri was in since it had shut its borders almost a full decade ago. Most likely the answer was 'not great,' and that lead to a discussion of whether Itachi would offer aide when he traveled there for peace talks in a month.

Sakura never broached the subject of The Breakup and Mayu was extremely thankful because listening to herself talk about it was just getting sad. She preferred to distract herself with projects until she could actually do something about the whole thing.

The rest of the month was a blur of work and personal research and friends and family filtering in 'just to say hi.' She ended up sleeping at her parents' house more often than not, Beaker a comforting presence at her side. The whole time she was plagued by a low level, constant hum of unease.

000

Shikamaru came back fifteen days after he left. Mayu knew he was back because he was waiting outside of MPF, still dirty and wearing all black, though his mask and cloak were nowhere in sight. He had the biggest bouquet of flowers she'd ever seen outside of funerals and he looked...about as awful as she felt.

She paused on the steps and blinked a few times, surprised out of her thoughts about what to have for dinner and dark shadowy figures with unspecified motivations going on killing sprees that involved everybody she loved. He stood from where he'd been seated on the steps as soon as he caught sight of her. Mayu resisted the urge to go in for a hug and kiss, but she blew out a small breath of relief at the sight of him, uninjured and mostly healthy.

"Mayu," he breathed, eyes focused on her face with an intensity that made her uncomfortable.

She shifted from foot to foot and looked down at the ground. She heard his shuffling footsteps and then the bouquet appeared in her vision. It was gorgeous; bursting with lilies and wildflowers and a few other colorful blossoms she couldn't identify, though they seemed just a bit wilted.

Her traitorous hands reached out to take it from him and she swallowed when their fingers brushed against each other. She yanked her hands and the bouquet back to end the contact. When she finally lifted her eyes he was staring at her with an unreadable expression and his arms had dropped to his sides.

"Mayu, can we...talk?" he asked.

She glanced around her, rolling her eyes when she saw that a few officers were unashamedly eavesdropping. The MPF was as bad as the Inuzuka when it came to gossip - they all just acted more stoic about it. No matter how seriously you say the words "Fugaku-sama seems to have angered Mikoto-sama this week," it's still gossip, people.

"Alright. We can go to my apartment," she said and his shoulders released some of the tension they'd been holding.

He fell into step next to her, pushing his hands into his pockets and glancing over at her every once in a while.

"Thank you for the flowers," she said after about a block and he gave her a small, pained smile.

"Ino put them together for me. I think she made it so large because she wanted extra time to lecture me while she did it." Mayu couldn't help the little snort that escaped her at that. Yep, that sounded like Ino.

They were silent for the rest of the walk. 2C was sitting outside and his usual glare increased when he caught sight of them. Mayu let them into the lobby and the walk up the four flights of stairs felt never-ending. Finally, they entered her apartment and she hoped that she'd shut Sasuke's door - the last thing she wanted was to open  _that_ can of worms.

She sat on the couch, setting the flowers down gently on the coffee table across from her. Shikamaru took the seat next to her, though he left a good six inches of space between them. Apart from when their fingers brushed earlier, they hadn't touched once. Having him in front of her after she'd had some time to cool off, it was difficult to hold onto her anger, but she still couldn't bring herself to bridge the distance. She turned towards him and he met her gaze levelly.

"I think," he said, voice rough, "that I should start off with an apology. I didn't realize you were feeling like...like I didn't care about you enough and that that's why I joined ARF and then went into ANBU. That's not even close to true. Everything I'm working towards is about us having the life that we talked about. I just wanted to keep you safe."

Mayu shrugged and looked down at her fingers, which were in her lap. "I - I know that, um, intellectually," she muttered.

Shikamaru's hand reached over and lightly covered her own and she couldn't keep herself from turning it over so that she was grasping his hand.

"But you didn't feel that way," he said matter of factly. "I just assumed that you were okay with it. You'd always been encouraging when it came to my career and you're so independent that I guess I figured you didn't really notice when I was gone."

Her head shot up to look at him, incredulous. He was looking down and rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "I started calling ANBU 'Stupid ANBU' and all of your missions 'lame,' how did you not pick up that I  _hated_ that you were gone all the time?"

Shikamaru glanced up, expression miserable, and shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I knew you weren't exactly excited about it, but I didn't think it was making you consider... _breaking up with me,"_ he said the last through gritted teeth and she winced.

"Well, neither did I, not really. That was kind of spur of the moment," she admitted and he breathed in deeply through his nose.

"It blindsided me," he said steadily. "I had no idea that it was even on the table."

And  _oh,_ he looked pissed off now. Her own anger flared in response.

"Well youannouncing that you were doing ANBU for another year kinda took me off guard too, you know," she answered hotly, then tugged her hand out from under his and stood.

He sighed explosively and rubbed his hands over his face again. "Mayu, can you please just actually sit and listen to me? Yes, I should have talked to you before accepting, but you should have at least given me a chance to explain before tossing my ring at me and running away!" He had stood now, too, and was glaring at her. "You wouldn't even come out of the Hyuuga compound - I waited for  _hours,_ in the fucking rain, while the guard just stared at me!"

"I didn't know you were there, okay? And you know what? If your  _stupid ANBU job_ hadn't made you leave in the middle of our fight then I would have left the compound and seen you!"

"I'm a shinobi! Having to suddenly leave on missions is kind of standard," he snapped, but he sat back down on the couch and was now just looking exhausted.

"Not like this," she said, her anger also draining away, though she remained standing. "Not as intense as what you do."

Shikamaru studied at her, face pinched as he took in the way her arms were wrapped around her middle. "I know. I know, okay? It was shitty of me to just assume that you'd keep being okay with it. I get it. I had planned on leaving ANBU this month, but then I talked to Itachi-sama. Mayu, there's a solid reason for it, can you just sit down long enough for me to tell you?"

Mayu gave a jerky nod and complied, though she didn't look at him.

"Okay. Itachi told me that he wants me to take a position as his guard and advisor. Somebody that gets almost all of the classified information he does and then, well, advises him while also acting as a last form of defense for him. He said it's to prevent the sort of nepotism that caused the Danzo situation. He and I aren't best friends, aren't from the same clan, and he knows that I'm intelligent enough to understand the politics and moral and loyal enough to keep what's best for Konoha in mind while still being realistic.

"All that's left is for me to build enough political capital to get the approval and respect of the council and to make sure I'm strong enough to defend him and me from threats, as well."

Mayu was gaping at him by the end of his speech. "That's..."

"Exactly the sort of thing I'd been hoping to do," he said with a nod. "It would be a mostly in-village position, though I'd travel with him and probably be sent on sensitive missions every once in a while."

"So the extra year as an ANBU captain..." 

"Would be the fastest way for me to build up my reputation and skills, yeah," he finished for her.

Mayu leaned back and thought about that. "It's still another year of ANBU." To her surprise, he slid off the couch and knelt in front of her.

"I know," he said, voice ragged. "I just - I regret saying yes so much. I should have talked to you, you're right. I just started making decisions about what was best for us without even consulting you. I could have gone the route of building political capital in the general forces. It would have taken longer, but I'm sure Itachi-sama would have worked around it. I just wanted to have the position before we got engaged and then I went and fucked it all up." He reached out and grabbed her hands again.

"Please,  _please,_ give me another chance. I know this year will be rough, but sweetheart, I'll make it up to you. I promise."

Mayu's eyes were wide as he put his forehead on the back of her hands. After a moment she spoke. "I should have listened to you. I shouldn't have just left, so. I'm sorry too. I - I'm still upset, I can't help it, but maybe, we could be not broken up anymore?" The last came out a little watery and a lot like a question.

"Oh thank god," he breathed out and the next thing she knew he was next to her on the couch, tugging her into a hug. "I think that was the worst two weeks of my life," he grumbled into her hair and she clung to him and hummed her agreement. The relief moving through her was making her feel almost numb.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked after pulling back and she gave a small hesitant nod.

It was sweet and he didn't try to deepen it, just moved his lips over hers, hand cupping her face lightly. He pulled back and ran a thumb across her cheek.

"I'm so fucking sorry," he whispered and she took a shuddering breath. "But can we please agree to never break up again? Throw things at me, make me sleep on the couch, hell, kick me out, but just. Let's never break up again, okay?"

Mayu swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. That was - that was pretty stupid, huh?" He raised an eyebrow and she gave a wet chuckle. "Okay, so no breaking up. But I think I'll go with one of the other options."

Shikamaru Nara-slow-blinked at her and she raised an eyebrow. "I'm still furious and...and I just don't know what to think about another full year like the one we just had. So you can go sleep at mom and dad's."

"But - wasn't the past two weeks punishment enough?" he whined.

Mayu's eyes narrowed. "No, actually, because you having to leave right after the fight we had about ANBU because of  _ANBU_ kind of just made the whole thing worse from my perspective. So we'll just continue where we left off, but without the breaking up part."

She stood and stepped away from his grasping hands. Mayu wasn't even sure if she was still angry with him or just frustrated with the situation, but she wasn't ready to have him stay over. She needed some time to think and get her head on straight.

She turned and walked to her room, relieved when she saw that Sasuke's door was closed, then headed for her dresser, ignoring Shikamaru as he trailed after her. She'd have to tell him about what she'd discovered, but that could wait until she'd had some time to calm down.

"Well...when can I see you again? Can I take you out?" He asked even as his eyes were riveted on her hands as she picked up the ring - still where he left it - and put it back on her right finger.

Mayu turned and smiled at him. She couldn't help it, he was adorable. "Sure. Pretty much everybody is working double patrol for the festival tomorrow but I can do dinner the day after."

"Okay," he said, breathing out, eyes still on the ring on her finger. "Alright. Wear your black dress, I'll take you somewhere nice. Then we can do whatever you want."

She raised an eyebrow. "What if I want to prank the Hokage?"

She was feeling a little bitter about his part in this whole mess. After all, she had spent months helping him get Hana to fall in love with him and in response, he kept taking Shikamaru away. Childish? Yes, but sometimes it was hard to separate her friend Itachi from her Hokage. Being a grown-up was just not easy sometimes.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I'll show up with some ideas," he said and Mayu couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face.

"Okay," she agreed and he smiled back.

"Okay," he repeated.

Mayu let him kiss her one more time before he left.

000

Mayu thought the reaction of her team to her showing up to work wearing the ring and hair clips was a little over the top. She hadn't been thatbad, had she?

"Oh thank the gods," Torii said, collapsing over his desk when she entered the MPF with a smile on her face and a song in her heart. "Now Shikaku-sama will stop popping out of random places and casually asking me if it looks like you've forgiven Shikamaru yet."

"And she'll stop moping around," Haru said from his own desk, hand fully healed and attitude as pessimistic as ever. "It was just weird having you listen to every order you were given without sniping or complaint."

Mayu sniffed and put her nose in the air. "I can see where I'm not wanted, so I think I'll just go over here." She plopped down on Hinata's desk, waiting for her to finish her conversation with Shisui instead of interrupting like she usually would.

When Shisui tugged on a hunk of Hinata's long hair before saying goodbye, a teasing smile on his face, she blushed and Mayu busied herself with snooping through the notes she'd been making on the Kenichi case.

"Mayu," Hinata said when she came over, cheeks still a little red.

"Hey, Hinata." Mayu waving pointedly at her with her right hand.

Hinata made a girly squealing noise that Mayu had never expected to hear from her before grabbing her hand and looking at the pink luminescent ring that was back in place. Her eyes flicked to the clips in Mayu's hair and she smiled brightly.

"You made up! I heard that he went straight from the tower after checking in to get you flowers and then sat outside the MPF headquarters for  _three hours_ waiting for you," she said and Mayu's jaw dropped. Both at the information and at the rate gossip traveled in Konoha.

"Three hours? Seriously? Ugh, staying mad at him is going to be so hard," she said, flopping back across the desk and scattering papers everywhere.

Hinata giggled while attempting to look stern. "Mayu-chan, you shouldn't punish him if you've made up," she scolded half-heartedly.

"I say put him through the wringer," Torii grumbled from his desk and Mayu sat up to look over at him and Haru, who were acting like the cops they were and shamelessly eavesdropping. "Make him suffer. Whatever he did, Mayu in a bad mood is just cruel and unusual punishment and we need revenge."

Mayu thought his reaction was a little rich, considering that he was down for a full month after Hayao broke things off with him last year. It's just that depression looked a lot like laziness, so not everybody noticed.

"I barely spoke to you!" she exclaimed.

"Exactly," Haru grumbled. "It was like working with a zombie, it was horrible. Dai-taicho and Akito were starting to come up with plans to get you back together. One of them involved locking the two of you in a closet."

Mayu rolled her eyes and went to answer but was cut off. 

"Mayu-chan," Yuhui said from behind her and Mayu bent backward until she was staring at Yuhui from upside down. She looked unimpressed with her flexibility.

"I see the Investigations Unit has done nothing to improve upon your dignity," she said primly and Mayu grinned, then yelped as her hand slipped on a piece of paper and off the edge of the desk.

She flipped her body over so that she landed on a crouch on her feet instead of an undignified heap on the floor. She straightened and smiled at Yuhui, who somehow looked even more unimpressed.

"Mayu," Fugaku's voice said and her eyes widened.

Why was everybody sneaking up on her?  _Busted,_ she thought to herself, ignoring Torii's smirk as she spun to look at their boss.

"Oh hey, shishou, how are you? How's Mikoto and Chiasa? She feeling better?"

"They are well," he said as his eyes flicked over her. "The doctor says Chiasa should be fine by tomorrow. Aren't you supposed to be on patrol now?"

"Yes, yep - Yuhui and I were about to head out."

"We are on a four-man patrol today, due to the festival," Yuhui supplied. "I believe Haru and Torii are part of our cell."

Fugaku hummed. "Well, then, you had better get going," he said pointedly and all four of them quickly moved to do as he said. Hinata waved goodbye before heading off to find Dai.

The streets were full of people who were out enjoying the decorations and extra booths and games in all the parks and lining the main streets. Musicians were playing on every corner, sake was being sold in huge quantities and their group was busy keeping the drunken citizens of Konoha in line. They broke up four fights, hauled three people who were too inebriated to walk or communicate where they lived to spend the night in either the hospital or the holding cells, and busted some kids for selling drugs. Patrol was just so  _tedious._

They got a three-hour break around four in the afternoon and then they were back on duty for another six hours. Festival days were not exactly fun for the members of MPF. Mayu was feeling a little sulky that she'd lost the straw draw that decided which three members of the Investigations Unit would be pulled onto patrol duty for it.

At about eight that evening they were strolling down an alley after investigating a noise that turned out to be two randy cats when a huge boom shook the ground under their feet. Mayu reached out and caught her balance on a wall, then looked up just in time to see a large plume of smoke come up over the top of the roofs.

"That's coming from Senju Park," Yuhui said and they all exchanged looks before taking to the roofs and racing towards the fire. Mayu saw three other patrols making their way over and she was sure there were more on the way.

When they fought their way through the crowd Mayu breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been imagining hundreds of deaths from the size of the explosion, but the only major casualty seemed to be the large statue of the Senju brothers that used to reside in the square. It had been surrounded by a brick wall and gardens, so there hadn't been anybody close enough that someone died, though there were plenty of injuries from shrapnel.

What used to be the statue was now just a pile of smoking rubble, smashing the flowers around it into a pulpy mess, the brick wall crumbled in places where it had been hit by large pieces of stone as they sailed outward.

Fugaku, Shisui, and Hayao had appeared and were already calling out directions to the officers on the scene. It was a mess of spectators, medics, and officers flooding the area. It became obvious fairly quickly that this wasn't an accident, so there was the added stress of securing the scene on top of setting up a perimeter and making sure the injured were tended and that they hadn't missed anybody in the confusion. 

Mayu glared away a few Academy students that were getting too close to her team's section of the perimeter.

"What's the point of blowing up a statue?" she asked aloud and Torii glanced at her and then shrugged.

"Create chaos? Cause panic, create a distraction, maybe they just weren't fans of the first two Hokage?"

Mayu chewed on her lip. Maybe she was just paranoid, but this was...she glanced over and saw an Uchiha that she knew wasn't in the MPF walk up to Fugaku. She fed chakra to her ears so she could eavesdrop.

"I did as you asked, Fugaku-sama, and collected the Uchiha at the compound to assist," he said, voice fading as they hurried over to talk to Itachi, who was surrounded by ANBU and looking Not Happy.

Mayu stilled, eyes wide. "A distraction," she whispered, then spun to look at Yuhui. "Yuhui-san, they pulled the Uchiha shinobi that are off duty from the compound. Do you think they left anybody to guard it?"

Yuhui's brow furrowed. "I...probably just a skeleton crew. In times of emergency in Konoha, that's...two shinobi."

"The Uchiha compound would be more vulnerable than anywhere else right now," Haru said, face losing color. "And there were the attempted break-ins a few weeks ago. If they were trying to cause a distraction..."

Mayu could see the moment he made the decision to leave. He had a two-year-old daughter and a very pregnant wife at home, so she couldn't exactly blame him, but when he took off towards the compound she still let out a string of swear words.

She spun on Yuhui who was technically the most senior of the three. Around them, nobody else had noticed what was happening. "Yuhui, what should we do?"

"Follow," she gritted out after a moment's hesitation. "Use your summons to get a message to Fugaku, make sure he knows to get him alone so we don't get more idiots panicking."

She and Torii disappeared and Mayu bit her thumb and slapped it to the ground, ignoring the  _oohs_ of the Academy students behind her. When Anzu and Momo appeared, they were immediately on alert.

"Anzu," she said in a low tone, crouching down in front of them. "Find Fugaku-shishou. Get him alone, tell him we're worried there might be an attack on the Uchiha compound and my team has gone to check it out. We're requesting backup," she said as she stood. "Momo, you're with me."

She then darted through the crowd, Momo at her heels, taking to the trees as soon as she was able. When they arrived at the compound three minutes later a guard was lying with his throat cut outside the gates.

"Fuck," she whispered and knelt down, studying the corpse in the fading light. Nobody she knew, but Fugaku would take it extremely hard. Her eyes stopped on the cut. Made by somebody short, just like with Kenichi. His eyes were still in his head, so either he was an Uchiha who hadn't activated his Sharingan, or the motive wasn't to steal a bloodline limit.

She stood, removing her daggers from their sheaths and signaling Momo to remain silent. It wasn't difficult to find her team - she just followed the smell of blood. She refused to believe what her nose was telling her until she turned a corner and came to a large familiar house. The street was empty other than her team, most people out attending the festival.

Torii was bent over a body, back tense and words terse as he spoke to Yuhui and though all Mayu could see was a long spread of hair and a green kimono, she knew who it was. Sheathing her daggers - she was pretty sure the threat was long gone - she rushed over to stand next to Yuuhi, whose fists were clenched at her sides.

"Mikoto-sama," Mayu whispered, staring down at the long, jagged wound across the woman's stomach. She was alive but had lost a good amount of blood. Her face was pale and she was moving in and out of consciousness.

Momo made a low sound of distress and nosed at Mikoto's hair. Mayu dropped to her knees on the opposite side of Torii, who had sweat on his face as his hands moved over the wound.

"I need to get her to the hospital. Somebody needs to carry her while I continue to do my best to stop the bleeding," he said.

Mayu opened her mouth to answer but stopped when a small hand wrapped around her wrist. She looked down at Mikoto, whose eyes were open and looking straight at her.

"They took her," she whispered and Mayu swayed a little as she immediately understood who she was talking about.

"Chiasa," she choked out. Chiasa, who was now almost three, and followed her brother and father around, begging them to show her 'cool ninja stuff.' Mayu babysat her a few times a month and she'd declared just six days ago that she was going to have 'bug dolls' just like her Mayu-neesan. Chiasa, who Mayu had told Sasuke she would watch out for while he was out of the village.

Who would know that Chiasa was sick and couldn't go to the festival? And why would they kidnap her?  _Leverage,_ her brain supplied. It wasn't about the girl, it was about her family.

"Who," she finally managed.

Mikoto shook her head. Right, nobody she recognized. "Find her," Mikoto begged, and a tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

"Yes, of course," Mayu promised, then looked up at Yuhui.

"Somebody needs to carry her to the hospital," Yuhui said, showing her stress by running a hand through her long hair. "You can't go alone -"

"I'll carry her," Haru said, making them jump at his sudden appearance. "Sorry, I just - I had to check on my family. They're fine," he said before they could ask. "I'll help Torii with Mikoto-sama, you two go after Chiasa-chan."

Momo had straightened, determination obvious as she carefully started scenting Mikoto and the area around her. Mayu glanced at Yuhui. She hated to admit it, but she wasn't sure what the right thing to do was. Two years ago she would have taken off without a thought, but Fugaku had smashed critical thinking into her skull and now she could recognize that doing so might just end in her killed and Chiasa still being kidnapped.

They had zero knowledge of her kidnapper and Mikoto had passed back out after Mayu promised to find Chiasa. "You and I will pursue," Yuuhi said in a hard voice and Mayu let out a shaky, relieved breath and nodded.

"Torii, Haru, send somebody after us as soon as you can," the woman continued. "Mayu, you're on point with Momo. Keep an eye out for traps."

"I found the scent - it's two people. I don't recognize them," Momo's voice was a low growl. Haru was gently lifting Mikoto in his arms while Torii kept his hands over her wound, following as Haru moved her.

"Be careful," Torii said and Mayu nodded, once, then turned to follow Momo as the cat took off in the opposite direction of Konoha proper.

The Uchiha compound was close to the southern edge of Konoha, so it didn't take them long to get to the wall. They found two dead shinobi - a patrol, probably - and Mayu swallowed. She knew one of them - a friend of Shikaku's. He'd come over every once in awhile and they'd sequester themselves in the library to play shogi and drink sake. He was also a jounin level shinobi.

"I picked up four more scents," Momo said once they descended to the other side of the wall and Mayu looked over at Yuuhi, who was frowning. 

"Mayu," she finally said. "You know that every moment counts when a child is kidnapped. It could take awhile for backup to arrive, the enemy is obviously strong, and we are outnumbered."

Mayu's fists clenched at her sides. She couldn't turn back and leave Chiasa in the hands of six murderous shinobi, she just couldn't. She prepared herself to disregard orders, despite knowing she probably wouldn't succeed. There were just some things a person couldn't live with.

"If you decide not to continue on with me, I'll understand," Yuhui continued, face a mask of stone. "But I would ask that you allow Momo to stay with me so that she can follow the trail."

Mayu blinked at her, then grinned, reaching for her scroll and unsealing Bukimi before putting him on her back. "No way am I letting you have all the fun," she said and Yuhui returned her smile with one of her own. It was terrifying. The jerks who took Chiasa didn't stand a chance.

They raced through the forest, Yuhui keeping up with Momo and Mayu's pace easily. As a jounin level Uchiha she was guaranteed to be incredibly fast. They pushed themselves, knowing from the state of the bodies they'd found that their prey had an hour's head start.

"We're closing on them," Momo said tersely about three hours after they left Konoha. "We should be upon them in half an hour."

"We can't attack head-on," Yuhui said, not even sounding out of breath, though Mayu knew she had to be feeling the same effects of sprinting flat out for so long that she was. Even shinobi trained by crazy Uchiha had their limits. "They outnumber us and we might accidentally hurt Chiasa. I think now would be a good time to put your 'crazy hare-brained ideas' to use." She was obviously quoting somebody - though who it was Mayu wasn't sure.

"Um," Mayu said and she  _did_ sound a little breathless. Freaking robot Uchiha made everybody else look lame in comparison. "I think I have the best chance of getting her free with my threads or puppets. If you act as a distraction, I'll try and sneak up on them - I'm good at stealth. Once I get her, I'll hand her to you while I create an exit for us."

"Alright." Yuhui sounded a little doubtful, and okay, it wasn't her best plan, but it's not like they had a lot of time to really think things through. "Hopefully backup will arrive soon."

They were running along the edge of a bluff and Mayu could barely hear the river far below over the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. Momo's flanks were covered with sweat, but the cat didn't complain or falter once.

They turned left, back into the trees, about ten minutes later and Momo tilted her head towards them. "They are a half mile in front of us. I think they know we're coming because they've stopped."

"Shit," Mayu said. "Okay, I'll veer off here. Hopefully, they don't know how many are in pursuit. Momo - I'm sorry, I know you're tired, but can you double back and try and find our backup?"

"Yes," the cat said. "Do not worry, I can run for much longer. Take care of yourself." She then turned and headed back the way they'd gone.

Yuhui arched a brow at her and she shrugged. "She's terrible at combat and she'd have insisted on staying if I didn't find a job for her."

Yuhui shook her head, then signaled for them to separate. Mayu turned right and pushed more speed into her legs, ignoring the sweat running down her face and the burning in her lungs. She'd used up a lot of chakra just keeping her muscles going at such a high speed for so long. And she had another run like that to look forward to on the way back if their plan of grabbing Chiasa and bolting was going to work.

She slowed when her ears picked up voices. "I think there's just one," somebody said, "coming from the northeast."

Mayu controlled her breathing despite her body's demand that she get it more oxygen,  _right now,_ and kept her chakra tamped down. Then she silently leapt from the branch she was on closer to the voices, not daring to use chakra. She breathed out a quiet sigh of relief when she landed soundlessly, then crept forward until she could see the six shinobi they'd been running after for half the night.

They were all men and they were wearing black pants and long-sleeved black shirts. No hitai-ate that she could see. Mostly nondescript, though they held themselves with a sort of readiness and easy grace that spoke of skill. This was a team of men who were used to slipping in and out of places unseen.

One had two short swords across his back, another was holding tonfa in his hands, one of them was twirling a shuriken as large as Bukimi around as though bored, and one even had an honest-to-god whip attached to his hip.

Mayu's eyes stopped on the man holding Chiasa. She recognized him and she had to take a deep breath at the confirmation of her suspicions. This was, for some reason, the doing of the Root remnants and now she knew without a doubt who the leader was.

She supposed she should be thankful that the leader himself wasn't anywhere to be seen. If she had to guess, she'd say this was the last of his organization, the rest having been systematically eliminated by her and Fugaku's investigation. Mayu put it out of her mind to deal with later - right now she needed to focus on rescuing Chiasa.

The toddler was huddled in the man's arms, wide-eyed and obviously terrified. There were tear tracks on her face and Mayu's eyes narrowed when she saw that there was blood on her pajamas. After a moment she relaxed - it wasn't Chiasa's. Probably Mikoto's, which was still not great, but at least she wasn't hurt.

She wasn't tied onto him, which was kind of stupid on his part, but good for Mayu. Chiasa was small - she could probably grab her out of his arms with her threads if she was close enough. With a vague plan in mind, she began slowly making her way around the edges of where the group of shinobi was standing.

She was only halfway to the spot she'd picked out, a high branch with thick leaves that would keep her hidden that was almost directly above Chiasa's captor's head, when Yuhui arrived. She stepped out of the trees, back straight, Sharingan activated, and a sword in her hand. She usually kept it sealed away but Mayu knew from watching her use it once to calmly and efficiently unarm two (idiot) chunin who had decided to duel over a girl they were both interested in that she was good with it.

"Hand over the child and I'll let you leave here alive," Yuhui said with a perfectly straight face and was met with a few disbelieving looks, though nobody commented or laughed because ex-Root was just creepy. Chiasa strained towards Yuhui, seeing the Sharingan and recognizing her as clan. The man tugged her close to his chest and told her in a gruff but not unkind voice to be still.

"Uchiha-san, this is not a battle you can win," the one with the tonfa said, face blank. "You should leave. I promise, we intend no harm to the child."

Yuhui raised an eyebrow in obvious disbelief at that. Mayu continued her silent jumping from tree to tree.

"I suppose if you won't give her to me, I'll just have to take her," she said and blurred forward.

Double-swords met her in a clang of metal and Mayu reached the branch just as Yuhui ducked and spun out of the way of a tonfa swinging towards her head. She swiped her sword at the man's legs and he jumped over the blade even as she pushed herself up from a crouch and flipped over Double-sword's head.

Mayu creeped further out onto the branch, wincing when Yuhui took a hit from the long, spiked whip on her upper arm when she engaged with Double-swords again. The man holding Chiasa had moved back out of the fight, placing him directly under her branch. Mayu chewed on her lip and started extending her chakra threads. She'd need to get this right on the first try.

She was momentarily distracted when she heard a hoarse cry and she glanced up to see that Yuhui had run the man with tonfa through with her sword. In the split second, it took her to remove it from his stomach Double-swords got a slice in at her side. Mayu grimaced at the sight of the deep cut, blood already pouring out to glisten in the moonlight, but went back to her task.

The man's attention was focused on the fight. She took a deep breath, then shot her threads forward and latched onto Chiasa's shoulders, hips, neck, and head, hoping to stabilize against whiplash, then tugged. Mayu's stomach lurched uncomfortably when her little body was launched out of the man's arms and straight into the air.

She let out a horrible scream and Mayu promised herself that she would build the girl something really, really cool to make up for this. The shinobi was taken completely off guard and the three seconds it took him to catch up with the change gave Mayu the time she needed to launch herself from the branch, head first and with enough force that wind whistled past her ears. She twisted to the side and snatched Chiasa out of the air, then did a flip as her momentum carried her across the clearing, landing next to Yuhui.

Chiasa was blinking up at her, eyes wide and a little dazed. "Mayu-nee?"

Mayu didn't answer, instead focusing on the shinobi that were now staring at the girl in her arms. They'd leapt back when she landed, probably unsure exactly what her plan was, but they were already bunching their muscles, getting ready to move on them just as soon as they figured out how to do it without killing the child.

"Take her," Mayu said to Yuhui and didn't react when Chiasa burst into tears at being handed to somebody she barely knew.

The action galvanized the shinobi and they all moved forward, including the man she'd taken Chiasa from, who looked more than a little put out. Mayu raced through the signs for the Giant Fire Dragon and there was some general scurrying backward as it roared through the clearing. It took a large chunk of her remaining chakra, but it bought her the time she needed.

She sent her chakra threads into various pockets, coming out with three beetles, four exploding tags and three smoke bombs. She slammed them down into the area between them and the shinobi and everything exploded into flashes of light, booming percussions, and smoke.

 _Please let Chiasa's ears not be permanently damaged,_ she thought as she spun on her heels and took off in a dead sprint, Yuhui's hair flying like a banner ahead of her, Chiasa's wails audible even over the explosions.

Kunai and shuriken were thunking into the branches and boughs of the trees around them. They were just throwing them randomly in the direction they had taken off in, deciding it was worth the risk of accidentally hitting Chiasa. Yuhui veered to the left, and Mayu followed, putting on a burst of speed to catch up.

She was almost behind the cover of three trees growing closely together when her leg gave out. She was still falling when the pain registered and she realized she had been hit. Mayu controlled her fall, turning it into a roll and without looking, reached down as she stumbled to her feet, grabbed what was definitely a shuriken and wrenched it from her leg.

Adrenaline allowed her to continue running after she returned their fire with some shuriken of her own, one of which hit flesh with a satisfying squelch and a cut off sound of pain. Mayu pushed as much speed into her gate as she could, knowing Yuhui was doing the same.

Every step jarred her thigh and she could feel a worrying amount of blood running down her leg, but she continued on, reaching into her flak jacket and fumbling out a blood replenishing pill before popping it in her mouth. For a while, they pulled ahead, but they were both slowing - Yuhui because of blood loss and probably chakra exhaustion and Mayu because her leg was starting to refuse to continue functioning properly.

Eventually, they had to take a break and Mayu stared at a silent and sleeping Chiasa. When had she stopped crying? "Is she -"

"I used Genjutsu to put her to sleep," Yuhui said tersely. "She's unhurt." Yuhui's eyes went to Mayu's leg and stopped.

Mayu increased the chakra flow to her ears. Damn, the fire dragon plus the use of her threads on top of the running at top speed for hours had really drained her.

"They're about five minutes out. Yuhui, we can't outrun them as is. I doubt I can run for much longer, period, and you've slowed because of your wound," she nodded at the large gash in her side even as she tugged bandages out of an inner pocket and wrapped them sloppily but firmly around her thigh.

Yuhui's lips pressed together. She had already figured out what they had to do and she didn't like it. After all, this exact situation was outlined specifically in the shinobi handbook under Rescue Missions.

"There has to be another way. You're a genius, right? Figure something else out," she gritted out between her teeth and Mayu would have to find time later to feel warm and fuzzy about the fact that her partner was so upset at the thought of leaving her.

"That's right, I'm a genius, which means I've already got a plan, one with a good chance of ending with me alive and them not. Follow me to the place I need to go to execute it and then continue on. Backup should be coming soon," Mayu said a little desperately. "I just have to stay alive until then."

Yuhui's face twisted, but they both knew it was the best chance they had. Chiasa was the priority and they could not stop and try to make a stand with her in proximity. Mayu's form of high-level combat was too destructive and, well, an Uchiha's favorite tool was fire.

"Fine, but I expect you to live," Yuhui said.

"Follow me," Mayu said, anxiety building as she turned to the west and took off. Her leg protested every step, but she silently begged it to just hold on for a little while longer. Two minutes later they burst out of the trees and skidded to a stop next to the cliffs they'd been running past on their way to engage the Root shinobi. They were standing on a shelf that was further out than the rest of the bluffs since it extended into a ledge that pushed past the cliff face.

On the far side, where it curved back in to meet with the cliff, large boulders ran right up against the edge of the drop. On the other side, it fell off into nothing, creating a half-moon shape that jutted out from the trees. The dirt seemed to glow in the moonlight and the whole thing would have been incredibly peaceful if they weren't being pursued by murderous ninja.

"Go," Mayu said, spinning and flicking her hands back to tug Bukimi from her back. Yuhui hesitated and Mayu spun to glare at her even as she unclipped another scroll and tugged it open, feeding chakra into it.

"Go!" she yelled as Wara Wara appeared next to her. Yuhui met her eyes, nodded once, then turned and ran.

Mayu held out her arms, the five blue threads on her right connecting to Bukimi, the five on her left controlling Wara Wara. She'd spent a year learning to use them simultaneously in combat and she could only hope that the hours of practice would pay off.

The five shinobi appeared in front of her moments later. The man with the double swords swore when he saw only her standing there. Chiasa's ex-captor narrowed his eyes.

"On, Nu, go after the other." Ah, so he was the team leader, then.

Shuriken guy and a man who didn't have any visible weapons, but seemed to be favoring his left leg ( _Ha, so that's where my shuriken went)_ turned to follow Yuhui, but with a flick of her fingers, Bukimi flew through the air and landed in front of them with a spray of dirt and expelled a hail of poisoned senbon at them. They jumped back, kunai flashing to knock the senbon off course, and tried to go around. Her puppet cut them off with his Rolling Thunder Technique, driving them back pretty effectively.

The three other shinobi attacked Mayu directly, trying to distract her, but she twisted out of the way and Wara Wara plowed into them. She was slimmer than Bukimi and had two round tubes mounted on top of her back, the sides pointed forward and tapering at the ends, where they ended in a nozzle. Her back four feet, unlike Bukimi's sharp bladed ends, were flat and square, though the four at the front of her body ended in the same sharp blades.

Mayu ducked the swing of a sword from one of them, spinning on her heel and connecting solidly with his stomach with a roundhouse kick, sending him flying back onto the ground. Wara Wara spun on the man with the whip and sprayed liquid from the tubes on her back directly into his side. He screamed as the acid hit him and then fell to his knees.

It wouldn't kill him, but the pain would probably make him useless for a few minutes. As Wara Wara skittered over towards the leader, who was pressing in on Mayu with the help of the man with double swords, a piece of paper fluttered out of the boxes on her feet. Nobody noticed, since of the two engaging with Bukimi, one had passed out from the sedative on the senbon and the other was avoiding his Bladed Volley, being pushed further towards Mayu and away from the direction Yuhui had gone in.

Wara Wara pounced and the team leader barely dodged as her front legs stabbed down. The ground where they hit cracked under the force, and he swore.

"She's about done in from her wound and exhaustion," he called. "Just keep pressing her." He wasn't wrong - Mayu's leg was wobbling under her and she felt the effects of blood loss acutely. Her chakra reserves weren't doing great, either, though she could probably keep fighting with her puppets for another half an hour if she didn't have to use jutsu or feed too much chakra into them.

Bukimi and Wara pulled in and stood between her and the remaining shinobi. Whip guy was struggling to his feet, though his whole right side was a mess of burns, the clothes melted away and flesh bubbling. She bit her lip and sent Wara Wara spinning out at Double-swords, who barely blocked her blades. More paper fluttered from the puppet's feet and Mayu really hoped nobody noticed.

The shinobi were silent as they fought and if Mayu hadn't been sure that they were the, well, remnants of the Root remnant group, she'd be sure now. Creepy, soulless assholes. Bukimi sent a spray of sticky glue at the leader, who dodged, and Whip Guy took the hole in her defenses as a chance to hit her in the side with his metal plated whip, the barbs digging in and tearing skin as it landed and then was pulled back.

The pain of it in conjunction with her other wound had her dropping to one knee and all four of them moved in a few steps, knowing she was almost done. Bukimi and Wara Wara moved in front of her in the ready position again, making them pause warily.

"You should surrender," the leader said and she scoffed.

"Oh? You think your leader will let me live?" she taunted as she let eight of her chakra threads slither across the ground, mostly unseen. The other four she used to keep a grip on her puppets, which the shinobi were still watching with caution.

The team leader froze. "What would you know about that?" he asked just as her strings connected to the paper littered behind them, and Mayu gave a slow smile.

"Oh, only everything," she chirped. "Though I am confused about why he'd have you kidnap Chiasa," she admitted.

The man studied her warily and then shrugged. "He wanted leverage over the Hokage," he said simply.

Well, if Mayu hadn't been sure they were planning to kill her before, she was now. No way would he offer up information to somebody he thought was going to walk away.

She knew they were trying to distract her, so she stopped chatting and sent a pulse of chakra into the exploding tags. Mayu jumped just before the blast hit, pulling her puppets with her haphazardly as she landed on the pile of boulders to the side, collapsing back onto her ass as the puppets fell into a messy pile of limbs next to her. She winced - she'd probably done some damage to them.

The four kidnappers had been blasted forward a few feet by the explosion, right to the edge of the ledge, and were now climbing to their knees, shaking their heads to clear them. The one with the whip turned towards her and they made eye contact just as the ground gave way beneath the four shinobi.

All of them tried to jump forward, reaching for the edge of the cliff, but they missed, unable to get the push they needed, too far from where the ledge had broken off from the rest of the bluff.

"Thank fuck," she whispered as she watched them fall, then reached up to rub her eyes, a little surprised that her plan had actually worked.

Her only warning was the cracking sound of a whip and then something wrapped around her ankle and yanked her forward roughly. She let out a scream as she was dragged across the surface of the boulder, eyes taking in the whip attached to her ankle. She reached behind her, scrabbling for purchase, nails breaking against the unforgiving stone before she slammed into the ground below.

Mayu was pulled rapidly through the dirt and over to the ledge. She spun her body and scrambled for purchase, rocks and debris tearing at her clothes. She barely noticed that she was still attached to her puppets, chakra strings pulling them along behind her. Her hair caught in a bush right at the edge of the jagged ledge and her head was tugged to the side, colliding with the ground and dazing her.

Her feet met air and she let out one last desperate sob, ankle throbbing as she continued to struggle against the whip wrapped around it. It was no use, though. The rest of her body followed and with one last cry, Mayu fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes I did pull a Gandalf with Mayu's fall. And I'll have you know I enjoyed writing every second of it.


	17. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff just kinda explodes, here.

Fugaku's eyes tracked the movement of Baken ahead of him, his hand resting on the sword at his waist. The twisting, roiling feeling in his gut felt like an old friend, not seen for years but also never fully forgotten. He had just left Chiasa and Yuhui with the two guards Itachi had sent with him for this mission and the medic he'd unceremoniously pulled from the blast site.

Yuhui's words were still chasing themselves in his head.  _Mayu stayed behind to slow them down, she was too injured to run._

Ensui and Shikamaru had been standing with Itachi when Fugaku found him after Haru reported the situation to him. The man had been covered in Mikoto's blood, who was now in surgery fighting for her life. Both Nara had insisted they be part of the team of backup that went after Chiasa, Mayu, and Yuhui. Since Ensui had a tracking summons Fugaku had agreed readily enough. Nara Ensui was also a good man to have at your back in a fight. He was ruthless, intelligent, and never hesitated.

Their group skidded to a stop as they exited the trees and came upon a steep drop. At the bottom, hundreds of feet below, was a large river. The edges of the cliff were blackened in places and there were craters blown into the ground right before it dropped off.

"There is somebody hiding behind the boulders and it is not Mayu," Baken said.

Fugaku made it there first, avoiding three kunai when they flashed out of the bushes that were flush against the rock. He drew his sword and advanced on the bush, activating his Sharingan.

Anzu, who had climbed up the other side of the boulders, jumped down into the greenery with a growl. There was rustling and grunts of pain before a shinobi came scrambling out a moment later, holding a kunai in his hand to try and ward off a prowling Anzu. It took only a moment to subdue the bland-looking man, whose limbs seemed to be struggling to obey his commands. Fugaku dragged him out from behind the boulders and tossed him to the ground. When he put his sword to his throat the man ceased his struggles.

Baken was sniffing around the packed earth, ears back and tail down. "Mayu was here. Her blood is..." he bounded up onto the boulders, scenting the area before jumping back to the ground.

There were drag marks there and Fugaku could see dark stains splashed throughout them. Blood. Baken followed them to the edge where he paused, going very still.

"What is it, cousin?" Anzu rumbled, coming up next to him.

Fugaku tightened his hand on his sword, already knowing what Baken would say.

"She went over," the summons said.

"No," Shikamaru said and dashed right up to the edge and looked over it. "No, she - she's around here somewhere."

Ensui had moved up to stand at the edge as well and was staring over it, face drawn. "Shikamaru," he said, but the boy was looking around frantically and didn't seem to hear him.

His eyes narrowed when they fell on the shinobi. He strode over, knelt down, and grabbed the man's shirt in his hand, tugging him up until their noses were inches apart. Fugaku adjusted the position of his sword so that he didn't kill the man by accident while still keeping it against his jugular.

"Tell me where she is," Shikamaru growled and the man returned his gaze steadily.

"It is as the summons said. She went over. She almost made it - she blew the ledge while my comrades stood on it and they fell. She leapt away but one of them was able to grab her and take her with them."

"You're  _lying!"_ Shikamaru snarled, putting a kunai to the man's eye.

"Tell me where she is," he repeated. The man remained impassive and Shikamaru gave him a little shake. " _Tell me!"_

"Shikamaru," Ensui choked out. Shikamaru looked over and froze when he saw what his uncle was holding. In one hand he had a metal tube - Fugaku recognized it as the apparatus from Wara Wara's back. In the other...Fugaku closed his eyes and turned his head away.

Pressure was building in his eyes, though he knew there were no more stages for his Sharingan to reach. In Ensui's other hand was a familiar black hitai-ate and a few strands of blue hair.

"This was in a bush, right at the edge. It's as if...as if it got yanked out when she went over." Shikamaru dropped their prisoner. His face was white and he stumbled over to Ensui and took the hitai-ate with shaking hands.

"She - she might still be alive," he said, voice strangled.

"Shikamaru...she couldn't survive that fall." Shikamaru dropped to his knees and stared down at the hitai-ate, eyes wide and blank.

"No," he whispered. "That's not - she wouldn't. She  _promised."_

Fugaku pressed his lips together and ignored the fact that the tip of his sword was trembling. He'd lost another apprentice and it was not any easier the second time than it had been the first. Anzu let out one loud, mournful yowl before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Fugaku assumed he had headed to his own realm to spread the news.

"She promised!" the boy yelled, then slammed a fist into the ground.

"I know," Ensui said, crouching next to him and pulling him in for a hug. His shoulders were shaking as he buried his face in Ensui's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru, I'm so sorry."

Fugaku didn't judge Ensui for the one tear that rolled down his face. He knew he'd shed a few of his own once he was alone. Movement caught his attention and he cursed when he looked over at their captive just as he ran the edge of a kunai across his own throat. Fugaku stepped out of the way of the spray, rage moving through him as the man began choking on his own blood.

Taking a deep breath, he sheathed his sword. He then turned and walked to the edge of the forest, putting his back to the scene. His chakra was flaring, body trembling with the urge to kill somebody - but there was nobody left to kill. Breathing harshly through his nose, he spun on his heel and walked to the edge of the cliff.

"I'm going to look for her body." He tried to ignore the horrible noise Shikamaru made.

After they'd made their way down to the wildly rushing river, all they found were two mangled corpses of the enemy shinobi and broken pieces of Mayu's puppets that had washed up on shore. If any of them had been holding out hope that she had survived the fall, it was lost at the sight of the twisted, broken bodies and splintered wood. They looked for hours, but the other bodies had been washed away by the deep, rushing water.

000

Shikamaru was numb. In the hours they'd spent looking for Mayu's body he'd vacillated between disbelief and rage until eventually, his mind had just shut down.

When they reached the gates of Konoha the guards took one look at the three of them and ushered them inside without a word. He was holding Mayu's hitai-ate in one hand, rubbing his thumb over the smooth metal surface. He tried and failed to avoid imposing Mayu's face onto the crushed bodies in the scrolls that Fugaku was carrying.

He didn't remember the walk up to the Hokage's office - hell, he didn't remember the walk back from the river. One moment the guards were staring at him with sympathy in their eyes and the next he was standing at Itachi's desk.

"Mother is fine and Chiasa is sleeping," Itachi was saying, though his eyes were strained as he looked them over. "Yuhui-san is also stable."

"That is good," Fugaku said and Shikamaru had a vague thought that he wanted to punch somebody. Why were Mikoto and Chiasa and Yuhui all okay when Mayu was...Mayu was...

"Dead," Shikamaru said out loud, his voice flat. Itachi started and Shikamaru met his slightly widened eyes.

"You're wondering where Mayu is. She's dead." He then turned and walked out of the office, ignoring Ensui's low voice as he said something to Itachi.

Shikaku was leaning against the wall in the waiting room. Feeling rushed back through Shikamaru at the sight of his father - panic. He didn't want to tell him what he'd just told Itachi. His limbs began to shake when Shikaku looked up at him and then froze.

"No," Shikaku said, voice flat and Shikamaru squeezed his eyes shut. Instead of speaking he slowly extended his hand and opened it, showing the hitai-ate lying flat in his palm, the torn cloth hanging limply from either side.

The room had gone silent, the few shinobi waiting for their turns to speak with the Hokage knowing what that hitai-ate meant, even if they didn't know who it belonged to. A few long seconds later Shikamaru was being crushed against his father in a hug. He wrapped his arms around him and let out a sob.

"Alright, son, come on," Shikaku said, voice choked. "Let's get you home."

Ensui joined them at their house later, Yoshino in tow, face white and drawn, lips pressed into a thin line. "Are we sure," she whispered, voice wobbling. "Are we absolutely sure?"

Shikamaru just continued to stare at the wall; the one that had been freshly painted over after Mayu was kidnapped over a year ago. He ran his thumb over the face of her hitai-ate, the lumps from the leaf symbol on it now familiar after doing it over and over again for hours.

"I don't see how she could survive that fall," Ensui said and Shikamaru shivered, despair rising up through the numbness that had been engulfing him at those words.  _She fell. She died._

His brain, which always caught on quickly, kept stuttering to a halt at the thought, unable to comprehend a world without her in it. Just yesterday he'd spent most of the day in his room, scribbling out and promptly discarding ideas for pranking Itachi.

He'd wanted it to be perfect, to be the most amazing prank Konoha had ever seen, something that would prove that they were still perfect together. That they could accomplish anything if they were just  _together._

His mother had thought he was working on a strategy or formation for his ANBU team when she'd seen how focused he was and left him alone except to bring him lunch. He'd thought it was funny and wondered briefly what she'd say if she knew what he was working so hard on. He had been so focused on convincing Mayu to forgive him, maybe even let him stay with her the next night.

Then the explosion had happened and just like every other shinobi in the village he'd raced to the scene. Why hadn't he seenthat it was a diversion? He was supposed to be one of the smartest people in the Elemental Nations, but he'd missed it. Mayu and her team hadn't though, and just like always he wasn't there when she needed him.

The plans for their date were finished, but it didn't matter anymore. It didn't matter because there was no Mayu to help him glue Itachi's furniture to the ceiling or switch out his hair products with dye or...

Because Mayu was  _dead._ And that meant she wasn't coming back. His mind chose that moment to click back on and suddenly there were days, years stretching out in front of him where he'd be continuing on and she  _wasn't going to be there._

"Oh fu-uck," he said, words hitching on a sob. He leaned over his knees and put a hand over his eyes. "She's dead," he moaned and didn't even recognize his own voice.

"Oh sweetheart," his mother said, voice thick with tears and then the couch sank next to him and her arms wrapped around him.

His father sat down on his other side and a large hand clamped onto his shoulder. It was shaking. That show of weakness from his father made the reality even more clear and tears began falling down his face more quickly.

The sound of Ensui swearing and punching through the wall he'd just been staring at barely registered. The hitai-ate he'd been clinging to for hours, as though it could somehow bring her back to him, fell from numb fingers to the floor.

000

Yuhui stared at Fugaku, doing her best to keep her face blank and hide her pain and shock from the Clan Head. Fugaku had spent his whole life around Uchiha, however and was not so easy to fool. It was okay because she could see her own sorrow and guilt reflected in his eyes.

"I left her," Yuhui said in a dull voice. She was sitting on the edge of her hospital bed, dressed in loose pants and a shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back that her mother had brought her. "Please forgive me, Fugaku-sama. I should have insisted that she take Chiasa while I stayed. I was the commanding officer."

Fugaku closed his eyes and shook his head. "You did what you had to do. From what you've described and the amount of blood at...the site where she fell, she wouldn't have made it far. You saved my daughter and for that, I'll always be thankful to you. If there is fault to be had, it is with me. I should have seen that the explosion was a diversion, but I did not and..." he trailed off and took a deep breath. Yuhui stared at him, surprised by his confession.

"Forgive me my rambling. The loss of an apprentice is...not easy."

To both of their surprise, Yuhui leaned forward and put her hand on his shoulder. "She wouldn't want you to blame yourself. She loved you very much, and would probably tell you that -" Yuhui's breathing hitched as she lost control, just for a moment, "-that you're being dull."

Fugaku smile was small and pained and he reached up and patted her hand once. "You're probably right." He stood. "I'm sorry, but I need to go check on my daughter."

"Is she well?" Yuhui asked.

The lines on Fugaku's face deepened. "She's still very upset about what happened. Right now the presence of myself or Itachi is all that will calm her. I'm sure she'll feel better once Mikoto wakes."

Yuhui had already heard that Mikoto was expected to recover, though it would take a few months for her to be completely back on her feet.

"Thank you for taking the time to tell me, Fugaku-sama," Yuhui said and he nodded once before leaving. Yuhui sat for a few minutes, the burn of the cut in her side nothing compared to the realization that her once-partner had died.

Mayu had been a constant, babbling, annoying presence at her side for a full year. She'd complain constantly about how boring patrol was, said whatever strange thing came to mind, and had a habit of deducing things about witnesses and criminals alike that sent people flying into a fury while she looked on with delight.

She had also bought Yuhui an ice cream on the day that she met Naya, the girl Yuhui had loved since she was fourteen. Mayu hadn't tried to talk about it, or looked at her with pity or judgment. She had just seen the situation for what it was: Yuhui loved Naya, but she loved her clan more.

Yuhui was willing to lose the woman she loved and eventually the career she loved when she allowed the elders to marry her off to a man. She was willing to accept this duty because at the core of her she was an Uchiha. She could not and would not chance losing her place in the clan.

She had expected Mayu to try and convince her to rebel against the system or follow her heart, or whatever other advice people who had figured it out in the past had tried to tell her. Mayu had kept her peace, though.

As she swallowed an overly large bite of ice cream while they sat on a low wall, she'd looked over at Anzu. The cat was lazing in the sun in a patch of grass a few feet away, looking content.

"You know, Anzu hasn't had an easy time growing up with the Serval Clan. They don't understand him, I guess. But he's still a Serval and I don't think he'd want to be anything else," she'd said, seemingly at random. "It's hard watching him have to deal with it, but I guess if he wanted out, he'd tell me."

Yuhui had hesitated as she went in for another spoonful. "I suppose...all you can really do is continue to be his friend," she'd finally said. Mayu had turned and given her a bright smile.

"Yeah," she'd agreed, then, "Ugh, that woman is not fooling anybody, she's obviously not an actual employee of that store, come on, we should probably stop this robbery. Another boring civilian committing a boring crime, why do I have to spend so much time on patrol..."

Yuhui breathed deeply at the memory and then stood, deciding that a distraction was in order. She still needed to write her report from the festival (she could not yet face the report of their pursuit of the kidnappers) and she may as well head into headquarters to do it. Her mother would only hover if she went home. She regretted the decision when she caught on to the somber mood at the MPF.

Mayu hadn't had a fan club in the organization. She was an outsider who had usurped the coveted position of Fugaku's apprentice. She also wasn't very good at filtering herself, though Fugaku's teachings and the maturity people naturally gained with age had helped curb that a bit.

She had never been able to gather any of the dignity and solemnity that their organization had always been known for in the past. That had been a major point of contention with many of the older officers.

They thought she was ruining the image of the Force as she flitted about by Fugaku's side. Her complete, transparent lack of care for their opinion didn't improve their outlook any.

She was also blindingly, unbelievably good at what she did, which somehow seemed to make it all worse. She had eventually gained a grudging respect within the Force and in the end she was - had been - one of their own. Losing an officer was never an easy thing, but losing someone that hit so close to home for their leader was worse.

Fugaku had loved her, anybody could see that. Probably despite himself, but still, he had loved her. And she'd died to save his daughter and protecting two members of their clan. As Yuhui overhead the low conversations around her, she was a little bitter when she realized that they seemed to like her better in death than they had in life.

She'd been there for about an hour when Hinata entered the building, eyes wide and frantic. Yuhui watched as she looked around and met her gaze levelly when the girl saw her. Hinata stumbled towards Yuhui's desk, her usual grace nowhere to be seen.

"Yuhui-san," her voice cracked. "Yuhui, I just heard - somebody just said -"

She stood and took hold of Hinata's upper arm in a gentle but firm grip. "Let's go into one of the conference rooms," she said. It was enough of a confirmation for the Hyuuga since every officer had either said or heard those words said to family members who were about to receive bad news.

"Oh no," Hinata said and a small choked noise escaped her mouth before she put her hand over it.

Yuhui sped up, knowing that the Hyuuga heir might not want a dozen Uchiha to see her break down. They made it to the conference room just as the first tears fell.

"Tell me," Hinata said, voice hitching. "Tell me all of it."

So Yuhui did.

000

"You did a good job," Tsunade said to Torii and Sakura as they collapsed next to each other on the couch in the lounge. "Not many medics could have assisted me with that procedure. I'm not sure I could have done that on my own."

Coming from anybody else, it could have been taken as false modesty. When Tsunade said it in her no-nonsense voice, however, they knew it could be taken seriously. She was not a woman who said things she didn't mean.

Two nurses entered the room as Torii took a bite of a ration bar. He'd been in surgery for hours on top of the initial healing he'd done to keep Mikoto alive and needed the calories. He leaned his head back on the couch and considered taking a quick nap before hauling himself up to get home.

"...I'm just so glad they were able to retrieve the girl. Poor Fugaku-sama, can you imagine? His wife in surgery and his daughter kidnapped!"

"He must be so relieved. But it's so sad - you know how close masters are to their apprentices. For her to die saving his daughter. I can't even imagine."

Torii sat up, eyes flying open and gaze landing on the two young nurses who were making themselves tea across the room. Next to him, Sakura had dropped her water bottle, the contents slowly glugging out onto the floor.

"What did you say?" she whispered.

Across from her Tsunade stood and spun on the nurses, who were now staring at the room's occupants looking a little pale.

"Mia, Kotori, report!" she snapped.

"U-um. We just heard - Uchiha Chiasa was successfully retrieved," the blonde one said, taking a step back.

Sakura stood and crossed the room in three long strides. Torii, however, was frozen on the couch, mind replaying what the woman had said.  _For her to die saving his daughter..._

"The rest! What did you mean, about his apprentice?" Sakura asked, voice desperate. "Has something happened to Mayu?"

Torii had the urge to shake the women when they both just continued to stare at her.

"Answer her," Tsunade said.

"W-we don't know her name!" The one with mousy brown hair said, voice shaking. "We just heard that somebody on the retrieval team didn't make it. Th-they're saying it was Fugaku-sama's apprentice."

Torii found the strength to stand. "That's not - that isn't right," he said. Sakura's hand had gone over her mouth and her eyes were wide and swimming with tears.

"She was with Yuhui, backup wasn't far behind her. She - she's too crazy to die," he continued nonsensically.

"You two, out," Tsunade said and the nurses scurried out of the break room, sans tea, relief on their faces at having escaped the Slug Princess' legendary temper.

"Come on," Tsunade said gently to Sakura, putting an arm around her. "Let's go find Itachi-san. It's more than a little possible that those two twittering idiots don't know what they're talking about." She then held up an arm and motioned for Torii to join them.

He followed and didn't protest when she put her free hand on his shoulder and directed him out the door. They found Itachi seated in a private room, a sleeping Chiasa curled on his lap, eyes red and puffy, Hana next to him, hand running through the girl's hair.

Torii didn't even need to ask. One look at the plain sorrow on the man's face was enough. He turned on his heel and left the room before he had to hear the words. He didn't leave fast enough to block out the sounds of Sakura's sobs and Tsunade's string of curses.

000

"You're being called back to Konoha," Jiraiya said and the solemnity with which he delivered the words gave even Naruto pause, who had opened his mouth to argue.

Kakashi kept his arms crossed over his chest and his body language languid as he leaned against the wall, but he had known Jiraiya long enough, worked with him frequently enough the past two years, that he could recognize when the man had bad news to impart.

"Why?" Sasuke said, voice bored from his spot next to Naruto. "We just got back from that stupid island."

Jiraiya took a deep breath. "Konoha was attacked." Kakashi straightened and alarm moved through him.

"What? What happened? Is everyone okay? Who attacked? How - ouch!" Sasuke had smacked the back of Naruto's head to get him to stop his stream of words.

"Idiot, let the man speak."

Both of Kakashi's male students had grown in the past year. Gone were the gangly, awkward bodies of their early teen years. Their backs were straight, movements graceful and deadly, though Naruto still did a fair amount of flailing around.

The two of them together looked dangerous, Sasuke in his black long sleeved shirt with the Uchiwa Fan on the back, hair longer than it had been in his youth. A sword was strapped to his back and his dark pants were loose down the legs and kept in place with bandages at the ankles. He wore simple shinobi sandals and a weapons pouch on his thigh, two scrolls attached to his hip.

Naruto wore his usual orange sweatsuit but had added a red haori over the top with black flames crawling up from the bottom. On his back was a large scroll and though he was still prone to his bouts of idiocy, there was a seriousness about him now that hadn't been there before.

"There weren't any casualties in the attack itself. It was some sort of localized explosion. It was a diversion."

"A diversion for what?" Kakashi asked, impatient when Jiraiya paused. The man sent him an irritated look before leaning back in his chair.

"For an infiltration into the Uchiha compound." Sasuke stiffened and his focus sharpened in on Jiraiya's face. "Uchiha Chiasa was kidnapped."

Sasuke had gone still, his fists clenched at his sides. Jiraiya knew as well as Kakashi did that it was a preemption to an explosion and he held up his hand in a signal to hear him out. Naruto shot Sasuke a worried look but for once kept his mouth shut.

"A rescue team was able to retrieve her and she is unharmed. Sasuke, your mother was wounded trying to stop them. From what I've heard, however, she will also recover."

Jiraiya took a deep breath and Kakashi's heart dropped at the sympathy in the man's voice. "Nomaka Mayu was one of the first on the scene. She and her partner on the police force pursued after sending a message requesting backup."

Kakashi took a step back, resisting the urge to cover his ears like a child as the world dropped out from under his feet. He could already see where this was going.

"They were outnumbered. Both were injured while engaging with the enemy, though they managed to retrieve Chiasa. Their wounds slowed them enough in their retreat that Mayu decided to stay back and slow them down."

"No," Kakashi said.

"I'm very sorry," Jiraiya said and the room was so silent that Kakashi wondered if his students had stopped breathing, as he had. "She didn't make it."

"What?" Naruto whispered and Sasuke's head lowered.

"The mission to retrieve Uchiha Chiasa was successful, but Nomaka Mayu is missing, presumably killed in action."

Kakashi stared at Jiraiya. His first instinct was to turn and run. Five years ago he would have. He would have run and kept going until he reached the memorial stone and sat beside it for days, ignoring everything else. But now he had others relying on him, so his feet stayed where they were.

In front of him Naruto was asking if Jiraiya was  _sure,_ and demanding to see the letter from Itachi, and what did he mean  _presumed_ dead? Sasuke's fists were clenched so tightly that they were white and a thin trail of blood ran from his palm and dripped onto the floor from where his nails dug into it.

"No! This isn't right, there's been some sort of mistake!" Naruto's yelling pulled Kakashi from the daze he'd fallen into, watching the blood drip from Sasuke's hand to the floor. There were tears swimming in Naruto's eyes, which had gone wide and pleading.

"Jiraiya, give us a second," Kakashi said, voice rough. Jiraiya studied him before giving him a small nod and disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto spun on him. "Sensei, it's not true, right? Mayu...she's not...she can't be..." the tears overflowed and Kakashi took a shaky breath as he felt his covered eye begin to shed its own tears.

He strode forward and pulled Naruto towards him, wrapping an arm around him as the boy buried his face in his shoulder. He wouldn't let his students handle this all alone, not like he'd had to. Or maybe like he'd forced himself to.

He turned and grabbed Sasuke's arm, who still hadn't moved and pulled him in as well. "It's going to be okay. We'll go home and get to the bottom of what happened. If she's alive, we'll find her. If she's not, we'll make whoever's responsible wish it had been them instead."

After a few moments of standing stiffly against him while Naruto sobbed into his shoulder, Sasuke lifted a hand and clung to Kakashi's bicep where it was wrapped around him. The other went up to rest on Naruto's back.

"Yes," Sasuke said, his eyes spinning and red, his voice low and gravely, "We will."

000

Mayu was freezing, so cold that she could barely feel her extremities, though she was still somehow registering an enormous amount of pain.

She took a few shallow breaths in an attempt to push through it so that she could think. Everything felt fuzzy and a throbbing reminiscent of somebody jabbing ice picks into her brain told her she had a head injury of some sort.

Once she was sure she wasn't going to vomit, Mayu cracked open her eyes. It took her several long moments to figure out where she was. The chill in her body was due to it being mostly submerged in water.

Her chest was draped across something lumpy that was bobbing in the small stagnant pool they were floating in, the river lazily flowing behind her. Even that gentle movement had her forcing bile back down her throat and she had to close her eyes against the moonlight reflecting on the water.

 _Okay_ , she thought to herself.  _How did I get here?_

She reached back into her memories. She had been...fighting. Fighting Chiasa's kidnappers to buy Yuhui time to escape with the girl. Then...the cliff. The drop had been high - too high for most shinobi to survive. So how was she alive?

Mayu could feel the memories there, swimming up to the surface of her whirling and disjointed thoughts. She waited patiently, because she was in too much pain and too exhausted to be impatient.

She had been pulled over the edge by the whip, which would explain why her ankle was throbbing. She wondered if the metal spikes had left any of the flesh intact.

Mayu shuddered with the remembered panic, the feeling of her stomach dropping as she plunged towards the river hundreds of feet below. Her limbs had been flailing, grabbing at nothing, the wind tearing at her clothes and hair. She'd been staring up at the sky, frozen with the realization that she was going die.

Then she'd seen them. Her puppets, still attached to her by a few chakra strings, careening through the air above her. She had extended her hands and made a jerky come hither motion with her fingers. As they got closer she attached the rest of her threads to them with difficulty. It had been almost impossible to breathe, let alone think clearly and perform complex techniques while falling towards her death.

Once they attached, the joints of her puppets had fought her commands, the pressure of the air against them forcing her to use a lot more chakra than she usually would to pull them closer. Finally, with a judicious yank and use of her reserves, they closed the distance between them and her.

She had curled into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut just as they both wrapped around her, one on either side of her body, legs interconnected to form a cocoon-like structure. Knowing she was almost out of time, she had breathed deeply, once, and pulsed as much chakra as she could through the threads, forming a barrier around her makeshift shell.

Seconds later they hit the water. Her body had slammed against the side of Bukimi with so much force that something cracked in her shoulder and she felt some of her ribs give beneath the pressure. She had bounced back into Wara Wara, her skull and knee colliding painfully with metal and hardwood.

The next few minutes were a confused jumbled mess. She'd been tossed and rolled in the swiftly moving water, fighting to maintain her hold on her puppets and keep the protective barrier up. It was a losing battle. Bukimi had fallen apart when they initially hit - even with a protective barrier of chakra they'd slammed into the water with too much violence to avoid damage.

Only her hold on him was keeping him from flying into pieces. They kept being dragged and rammed into obstacles - most likely boulders - and with every jolt to her broken bones and ripped flesh, Mayu had felt her hold on her concentration breaking.

She had retreated as much as she could into her mind cave, but keeping her puppets in position required her to have at least part of her consciousness remain outward. She was being spun around and around and water was beginning to rush into her haven through cracks forming in her defense. Her vision had started to darken at the edges from a mixture of pain, blood loss and chakra depletion.

Mayu had felt the moment her chakra sputtered out and she lost her hold on her puppets. She had grabbed onto one of them as they separated and pulled it to her, hoping she didn't impale herself on her own weapon. She'd wrapped herself around it and squeezed her eyes shut. The last thing she remembered was her body slamming against something hard and unyielding.

No wonder everything on her hurt. Mayu wondered if she had any bones that  _weren't_ broken. Taking another breath, she opened her eyes again. This time her vision was steadier, though she was thankful that it was dark out.

It had been dark when she fell, hadn't it? She was pretty sure she remembered a faint pinkish tinge starting to lighten the sky as she fought the Root remnants. It was now fully dark. Did that mean it had been at least a full day since she was pulled off that cliff?

The obvious answer was yes. Which meant that her backup hadn't been able to find her. They must think that she was dead - that fall had been no joke. If she hadn't had her puppets and the ability to think fast in such a (terrifying) tense situation, she wouldbe. Her family was probably so upset...which was just depressing to think about.

Right. Time to focus on getting home and, well, not dying. Not necessarily in that order. Mayu glanced down at the piece of flotsam that was keeping her from sinking to the bottom of the river. It was Wara Wara...or what was left of her.

Mayu thought she might be draped across the puppet's abdomen. She could see three legs extended out into the water next to her, the stump of the fourth bobbing pathetically next to them.

Her poor puppets. She turned her head a bit to look at her surroundings, wincing as her whole body seemed to protest the small movement. Mayu had been in pain before, but never something this all-consuming. She wondered if she was as broken as she felt and if even Tsunade and her mother would be able to put her back together.

Putting aside the thought as something she should worry about later, she eyed the rocky shore. It was about fifteen feet away, a stretch of flat pebbled beach that merged into the long grass around it. There were pine trees lining the other side and she wondered if she was even in Fire Country anymore.

Mayu pulled up a map in her mind of where they'd been, roughly, when she'd made her stand against the pursuing shinobi. They'd been moving southeast for the most part in their headlong chase through Fire Country. The river would have been moving towards the Hanguri Gulf...which meant that, yes, she was still in Fire Country. Most likely she was close to the ocean, where the geography changed to smaller trees with needles, rocky beaches, and cooler weather.

That was something at least. There would be port towns close by. She just had to get to one. Right after she made it to shore.

The water wasn't that cold, but her injuries and blood loss were making it difficult to regulate her body temperature. If she didn't want to die of hypothermia, she had to get out of the water.

_Right, you can do this. Just need to doggie paddle, not that hard, really -_

She made a low, ragged noise when she tried to move, tears forming in her eyes. "Oh no," she croaked.

She was much worse off than she'd thought she. Mayu squeezed her eyes shut and tried to catalog her injuries. She thought maybe she had broken something in her pelvic area. Her right arm was useless due to what might be a broken collarbone. She could move her left arm with only some pain, though the wrist was swollen and purple.

Her left ankle was a mess and of course, there was the head injury. Her right knee was also throwing some complaints her way and she remembered the cut to her side from Whip Guy (she really hated him) and the shuriken she'd taken in her thigh. The sheer enormity of how badly she was injured hit her and she spent long minutes breathing through her panic.

 _You're wasting time,_ she told herself firmly.  _You don't have to keep yourself afloat thanks to Wara Wara. You just need to get yourself to shore. Your left arm works even if the wrist is screwed up. So, paddle._

Mayu opened her burning, gummy eyes, now full of renewed determination. She had promised Shikamaru she would come back to him no matter what. She couldn't just give up. She had her team and her friends and her family and she couldn't just leave them - especially since they were all in danger.

Mayu couldn't stop her sobs from escaping as she lifted her left arm. The movement caused the muscles in her torso to activate, which reminded her that she also had a few ribs that were at least cracked. It was a pathetic first attempt, but she cupped her hand in the water and pushed.

Mayu blinked through the stars that burst across her vision as every injured part of her let her know what they thought of this idea. "We're just getting to shore," she assured her body. "We have to, you know."

Her voice was slurred but it felt less lonely under the starry sky surrounded by dark trees when she used it. She continued talking herself through her movements as she slowly pulled herself towards shore.

Mayu was pretty sure she lost consciousness a few times because by the time Wara Wara bumped against shore the sun was up.  _At least,_ she thought to herself,  _you have plenty of water to drink._

She then spent a long time turning her body until it was parallel to the shore, whimpering at every movement. The pain in her pelvic area was...well, it was pretty horrific and made everything else pale in comparison. Which is why she had to spend minutes upon minutes readying herself for her next move.

She had to get out of the water, though, and let the sun warm her. Then she had to see if there was anything of use left in her flak jacket. Then...well, she'd figure that out next. With one last shallow, shaky breath, she flipped herself from her stomach onto her back on the already sun-warmed pebbles of the shore.

When she woke up after (thankfully) passing out from the spasms of agony that had wracked her body she was much warmer, though her right arm and leg were still partially submerged. The sun was setting which meant she'd lost hours of time again. Mayu used her left hand to check the pockets of the tattered remains of her vest that she could reach and get her swollen fingers into.

In the end, she found a ration bar which she was able to tug out with two extended fingers. Her wrist made it impossible to bend her hand at the angle she needed to properly search her other pockets. She ripped open the package with her teeth and thought while she took small bites of the bar and chewed slowly through a swollen jaw.

Her chakra reserves were practically nonexistent. She knew that drained reserves took a very long time to replenish in a body as injured as her own. At this rate, it would be weeks before she could hope to summon Anzu or Momo, so that was out. She couldn't exactly walk home. Or crawl home, for that matter.

Mayu's only hope was to wait for rescue which was...pretty unfortunate. She couldn't imagine anybody holding out even the tiniest bit of hope that she'd survived. Even she couldn't believe it, despite the proof otherwise.

On top of that, she was pretty sure she'd been washed miles and miles from where she'd originally entered the river. She continued to stare at the sky until she fell asleep.

The next time she woke it was nighttime and her body felt heavy and overly warm.  _Fever. Probably infection,_ she thought. She felt disinterested, cut off from everything but the pain moving through her.  _I'm probably going to die,_ she admitted to herself before fading back into unconsciousness.

When she woke up again it was to the sound of voices fading in and out. "...no hitai-ate, but that's a flak jacket, or it used to be one. And it looks like there's some sort of symbol on her shoulder, it's torn, though..."

"...Uchiwa fan...Konoha nin? That looks like a puppet, though. Usually, puppeteers are from Sand Village."

"...Rōshi, her hair is blue."

"So what?"

"So you know who she is! Who else would have blue hair and what was clearly a large spider as a puppet? This is Naruto's teammate. We owe him..."

"Ruto?" She mumbled.

She wished he was here, instead of her being alone with just her thoughts. The voices had stopped talking and Mayu was a little sad, but mostly she was stuck on the fact that everything  _burned._

"...we can't leave her here. If it weren't for Naruto we'd be..." They faded out again for awhile.

She woke back up when her body was shifted. "No," she choked out. "Hurts."

"I know it does," a gravelly voice said. "It's no wonder, I think there's not a body part on you that isn't fucked. Try to sleep, okay? We'll get you home in a day. You concentrate on not dying."

"I swear to everything, if your bleeding heart gets us captured, Han..."

"Please, like Konoha will want to fight off two jinchuuriki, plus Naruto-san and Sasuke-san won't let them..."

"Konoha?" Mayu asked, thoughts fighting to surface past the shaking and shivering mass of raw nerve endings her body had become.

"Yep. We owe your old teammates, you know. Got us out of a bad situation that involved a very creepy plant and Rōshi caught  _literally_ with his pants down..."

"Yes, Han, that joke got old about the third time you told the damn story -" a voice said and Mayu snickered at their sniping long enough for her vision to white out and  _ouch, no more laughing for a while..._

Her body was lifted off the ground and she peeked her eyes open in confusion because the surface below her was still flat. The sun pierced her eyes and her body must have decided that enough was enough because she spent an indeterminate amount of time vomiting up her ration bar. By the end of the episode she was crying, letting out pitiful, desperate noises of pain.

A large rough hand was pushing her hair out of her face and somebody was saying soothing things to her. "...hurts now, but we'll get you home..."

Mayu let herself pass out, hoping that whoever these men were they would keep their promise and take her home. Her sudden longing for her mother was intense and she thought it might break her if she woke up later and was still on that rocky shore, convinced she was going to die.

000

Itachi returned to his home for the first time in over three days for something other than grabbing a quick nap to find his future in-laws there. Many people assumed that he wouldn't get along with Inuzuka Tsume and her son Kiba, but they were wrong. He was very fond of them and though he wasn't quite sure how to return them, appreciated their exuberant shows of affection.

He relaxed when he picked up Tsume ribbing Kiba about "getting his ass kicked" by the older brother of one of his most recent...girlfriends. When he entered the kitchen Kiba was sitting at the table, ice pack on the side of his face. Despite the topic of conversation, the general atmosphere of the house was subdued.

Tsume's laughter was half-hearted and Kiba just shrugged, for once not rising to the bait. Hana was sitting next to him with his hand in her own, wrapping his wrist.

"Somebody I need to talk to?" Itachi asked, leaning down and kissing Hana's temple. She glanced over at him and smiled.

"Nah. Mom already put him in his place. Kiba might be an idiot, but he's not actually leading these girls on," she said with a sigh.

Kiba shrugged. "I haven't even seen her for weeks, don't know why he decided to take offense to it now."

He'd been down the past few days, his exuberance dimmed by mourning. In the corner, Akamaru huffed and shifted in his sleep. Itachi sighed and didn't comment. Kiba might tell the women he casually dated that it was just that - casual - but it was obvious to him that it was going to continue to blow up in the boy's face.

He supposed this is what a normal youth looked like, however, making normal mistakes and then eventually learning from them, so he kept his peace. Hana shot him an amused, knowing look as he stood and walked over to Tsume to give her a kiss on her cheek.

"Tsume-san, how are you today?" Tsume stirred the vegetables she was sautéing and shrugged, eyes darting to Kiba in evident concern.

"Oh, you know. A day at a time." He patted her on the shoulder awkwardly in support, but she still seemed to appreciate the show of comfort.

Hana had told him that Kiba was the first friend outside of Shikamaru that Mayu had ever made. They'd spent a lot of time getting into trouble together in their youth and had still been close. He was taking her death hard, especially since this was his first experience with losing a close friend.

Itachi moved to the cupboard and pulled down some plates. Hana appeared at his side and took them from him. He raised an eyebrow and she grinned at him before leaning in and giving him a peck on the lips. Itachi never thought he'd be one for public displays of affection but found that any sort of affection from Hana was welcome, always, so didn't protest.

"You're exhausted. Go sit down next to Kiba and try to convince him to start acting like a grown-up, mature individual." She said the last part in a raised voice so that Kiba would be sure to hear. He grumbled something unflattering that Itachi chose to ignore. "I'll get you a drink, you relax, okay?"

He leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers, affection and gratitude for her presence overwhelming him. "Okay," he agreed.

He'd taken only a few bites of the dinner Tsume had prepared when Sai appeared next to him, bowed on one knee. Itachi set his chopsticks down when he saw the tension in his guard's shoulders. His face was as blank as always, though.

"What is it, Sai-san?" Tsume and Hana hadn't shown a reaction to his appearance, but Kiba had sworn and jerked in surprise, sending a piece of pork to the floor that Akamaru pounced on with glee.

"Hokage-sama, please forgive my intrusion. There are two jinchuuriki at the gates who claim to have found one of our shinobi injured and are asking for entrance. They say they have a personal connection to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

Itachi stilled. He had a fairly good idea of who the two jinchuuriki could be. He'd received a report from Kakashi detailing assistance they'd provided to two older jinchuuriki who had been attacked by a mysterious creature months ago.

"Alright. I will go out and meet them. Please have Team Kakashi, including Sakura, meet me there."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Sai agreed before disappearing.

"You want me to come?" Tsume asked and Itachi shook his head.

"No, but if you would alert Shikaku-san and my father I would appreciate it. Tell them it's a possible Code Grey if you would." Code Grey meant that they needed to start evacuating civilians to the caves in the mountains. Tsume nodded grimly.

Itachi ran the back of one finger down Hana's tattooed cheek before heading out to deal with the next potential crises that had arisen. Anybody who wantedthe job of Hokage was unbalanced, in his opinion.

He appeared at the gates seconds later, hair and robes moving lightly in the wind. There were fifteen very tense shinobi and kunoichi standing in a half circle around two figures. One was tall and covered in armor, only his eyes showing beneath his hat. One hand was holding the edge of a makeshift stretcher made from driftwood latched together. The other was tucked inside his armor.

The second man was shorter than the first and older. He was wearing a large headpiece over his red hair with a distinct metal band across his nose and like his partner was in armor that was old-fashioned. He was holding up the other end of the stretcher. These two had been jinchuuriki for much longer than even B.

Itachi's attention was pulled to the person that was lying still between them, and shock ran through him. "Mayu," he breathed. "Is she -?"

"She's alive," The shorter man said. "Barely. Got a few nasty cuts that are infected and too many broken bones to really count."

She looked awful. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was labored. Her MPF uniform was in tatters and she was covered in bandages. There was a sheen of sweat across her pale skin that was worrying and even in sleep her brow was furrowed in what had to be an enormous amount of pain.

"Alright," Itachi said. "I assume you're not here to cause any trouble?"

"We're not," the man confirmed, posture stiff and eyes darting to the shinobi and kunoichi surrounding them. "We recognized her from stories Naruto told us about her. We know she's precious to him and we owed him, so."

Itachi signaled the ninja surrounding them to stand down and both the jinchuuriki relaxed. "Alright. If you - "

"Rōshi-san, Han-san! What are you doing here?" Naruto called. Itachi took a deep breath and readied himself for more drama.

Rōshi's lips curved up. "Hey, Naruto-san. We found something of yours and thought you might want it back."

"What? What do you -" all sound of movement stopped as, Itachi assumed, the new arrivals finally made their way through the gathered shinobi and got a good view of what the 'something' was.

Naruto, Kakashi and Sasuke had returned to the village only half a day ago and by the looks of them, they had run all the way from Grass Village. Itachi had spent a full hour calmly explaining why there was no body and why they never expected to find one. He had insisted that there was no way Mayu could have survived the fall.

He'd lost his temper enough to snap at his brother when Sasuke had demanded that he have somebody from the original rescue team take them to the scene. He'd stood and his voice had gone very low and sharp, something he'd been assured numerous times was appropriately terrifying.

"I will not ask three people who are still in the midst of intense mourning to return to the scene of Mayu's death to satisfy your curiosity. If you don't believe me, Sai will take you to view the bodies of the fallen enemy that they  _did_ find. I warn you, however, that it is not pretty and it will only distress you."

 _Because you won't be able to get the image of Mayu's similarly destroyed corpse from your mind,_ he didn't say out loud, but then he didn't really have to. They had understood.

Naruto had looked stricken before turning and leaving without another word. Kakashi hadn't bothered walking out, instead disappearing in a shower of leaves. Sasuke had studied him for a moment before asking where he could find the rest of their family. He hadn't needed his brother to voice his disappointment in the way he'd handled that situation out loud. They knew each other well enough that it wasn't necessary.

As inappropriate as it was, Itachi couldn't help but internally bemoan how insufferable Sasuke would be about him not allowing them to go looking for Mayu. Then he pushed it away and focused on the situation at hand. He could sense of all of the former Team Seven were there, so he spoke without looking at them.

"Sakura-san. If you would please attend to Mayu. Haku-san," Itachi said to one of the ninja standing around gawking at the drama, "Go and find Tsunade-sama, tell her that she has a patient that will need her expertise." The man saluted and disappeared.

"Biro-san, Kira-san," he said to two others, "one of you will inform Nara Shikaku and his family of the new development. The other will do the same with my father."

Sakura had already rushed over to Mayu, her three teammates on her heels. "Alright, let's get her to the hospital. Tell me what you know," she snapped at Rōshi and Han as she bent over Mayu, lifting her eyelids to look at her pupils, either not knowing or not caring about their status as jinchuuriki. Knowing the girl, it could be either scenario.

Itachi followed as the group moved into the village, signaling to the surrounding ninja that it was fine for the two foreign shinobi to enter. He listened closely as they described the shape they'd found her in and the first aid they'd performed since.

"She hasn't kept anything down since we found her, ma'am," Han was saying. "That was about fifteen hours ago. We would have gotten here sooner, but it was difficult to move fast and keep her stable."

Naruto was crying messily, Kakashi's eye was focused on Mayu's bruised, sickly face, and Sasuke was almost as pale as Mayu. He had reached out and grasped a forearm, visible through the shredded material of her MPF uniform shirt. It was one of the few places on her that didn't look bruised or cut or broken.

They entered the hospital seconds before Tsunade, who stopped, took one look at the person on the stretcher and snorted. "Torii was right, the girl's too crazy to die."

Rōshi blinked in surprise when Tsunade bustled right up next to him and much like Sakura lifted an eyelid. Sakura began speaking in rapid-fire medical terms, some of which Itachi didn't understand. What he did, however, was upsetting. Broken pelvic bone, dehydration, torn rotator cuff and a broken collarbone, broken wrist, blood loss, four cracked ribs, probable concussion.

More medics poured into the area and there was some discussion before they decided on the best way to move Mayu onto a stretcher without causing further harm. Everyone who wasn't a medic was ushered back out of the way and Itachi put a hesitant hand on his brother's shoulder, relieved when it was not shaken off.

They'd just finished getting her moved when Yoshino and Shikamaru skidded into the emergency room. Yoshino pushed through the other medics, eyes wide as she took in Mayu. "Oh," she breathed, frozen in shock.

Shikamaru joined her a moment later and made a small, rough sound. Itachi hadn't seen him since Shikamaru had told him Mayu was dead. He looked awful - deep bags under his eyes, hair messy and greasy, and his face was pale and gaunt. The past three days hadn't been easy on him. He reached out and put a gentle hand on her cheek, eyes darting over her.

"Alright, people, trauma room two," Tsunade said. She turned to a medic. "I want you to find Fukui-san and..." she drifted off and turned sharp eyes to Yoshino, who was still staring at Mayu, face slack with disbelief.

"Yoshino-san, I need a good trauma medic to assist." Yoshino looked up at Tsunade as another medic busied himself inserting an IV into Mayu's arm even as the stretcher started to move.

"I - yes," she whispered and her face cleared into a look of determination.

"Harumi!" she called and her apprentice appeared at her side. Itachi hadn't seen the girl for at least a year. She'd grown, unsurprisingly, becoming even more striking now that she was older. "Get me some scrubs and a coat."

"Yes, shishou," Harumi said, sending a worried look at Mayu before taking off.

Shikamaru was being not-so-gently pushed back by the medics as they picked up speed, in a rush to get Mayu into their care. Itachi stepped forward and put a hand on his arm as he started struggling to stay next to her.

"No, I need to stay with her," he said and spun on Itachi, eyes unfocused. "I - Mayu!" he called as she disappeared through the door. Kakashi stepped forward and took Shikamaru's other arm.

"Come on, Shikamaru, you have to let the medics do their work," Naruto said, stepping in front of Shikamaru when he strained against their hold. "They can't make her better if you're in there. Plus Sakura will punch you through a wall if you get in the way."

Naruto gave Shikamaru a soft smile and patted his shoulder. "Hey, why don't you come sit over here, huh?"

It took a bit more convincing from Naruto but eventually, Shikamaru came back to himself. They gently moved him over to the chairs and sat him down.

"She - she's alive," he whispered, face a mix of joy and anguish. "Oh fuck, I left her out there and she was  _alive,"_ he put his face in his hands.

Itachi was at a loss, but when Sasuke nudged his foot with his own and glared at him he sat down next to Shikamaru and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You searched for hours for any sign that she survived," he said, keeping his voice gentle. "Ensui-san said even Baken could find no indication that she had and you went up and down both sides of the shore for miles. This is not your fault."

Shikamaru took a shaky breath from behind his hands. "I should have kept looking. I should never have stopped."

"Shikamaru, you know she wouldn't want you to beat yourself up. Even we agreed that she hadn't survived after what Itachi-sama told us. What we need to do is concentrate on being there for her when Tsunade-baachan is done saving her," Naruto said.

Shikamaru dropped his hands, letting them hang between his knees as he stared at the floor. "She's alive," he whispered.

Ensui and Shikaku chose that moment to burst into the emergency waiting room. They looked as wrung out as both Yoshino and Shikamaru had, but wore identical expressions of disbelieving hope.

"Mayu -" Ensui rasped.

"She's alive," Itachi said and Shikaku had to put a hand on the wall to steady himself.

Itachi had never seen the man falter before and it was sobering. Shikaku ran a hand down his face before straightening and turning to Itachi.

"Explain, please," he said in a clipped voice.

Itachi motioned towards the two men who were standing awkwardly off to the side, Rōshi looking ready to bolt at any moment. "Rōshi-san and Han-san found her. They recognized her from descriptions Naruto had given them and returned her to Konoha."

Shikaku's sharp eyes focused on them and they both stiffened. "Rōshi and Han...that's..." Shikaku knew who they were, as he had access to the more confidential files of Konoha. He strode towards them, ignoring the way they both tensed. To their surprise, he put gentle a hand on each of their shoulders.

"You brought my daughter back to me," he said. "Thank you. I can never repay you fully, but anything you need from me that I can give, it's yours." The two men stared at him, shocked, while Naruto smiled widely at them.

He then turned and walked back towards the seating area, settling next to Shikamaru after Naruto jumped up to give him the chair. Ensui was still standing where Shikaku had left him, face blank.

"So we left her to die," he said and Sasuke sighed explosively.

"No," he snapped. "You looked for her for hours but all you found were the mangled bodies of a few of the other shinobi who went over with her. It's not your fault, she wouldn't want you to blame yourself, now just sit down and shut up. We have enough to worry about what with her  _multiple horrible injuries_ without dealing with your guilt complexes."

Everyone stared at him in shock, but he just glared back before crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. Sasuke must have been more stressed by the situation than he was letting on because long-winded outbursts were not his typical style.

"Multiple horrible injuries?" Shikaku asked in a low voice. Shikamaru was looking even more stricken than before and Naruto shot Sasuke a disappointed look, which he ignored in favor of more glaring.

Itachi gave a detailed account of what Sakura had said about Mayu's condition to Tsunade, hating that Hokage seemed to equal 'bearer of all the bad news' some days.

"I don't understand," Ensui said after they all took some time to absorb the information. He moved over to the chairs and collapsed into one of them. Kakashi straightened from where he'd been leaning against a wall and moved to sit next to him. "There's just...no way a shinobi of her experience and power level could survive that fall."

Han cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Well, we'll just be going, then. Here, she had this on her when we found her."

He tossed a scroll to Naruto, ignoring the way half the shinobi in the room flinched at the action. "Aw, hey, wait! Don't go yet. You should stay and hang out," Naruto said.

Shikamaru reached over and plucked the scroll from his hands while Rōshi replied, shifting slightly. "Ah, I doubt your Hokage is comfortable with...our type of people staying in your village."

"If you mean the type of people who save my shinobi with no personal reasons to do so - in fact with many personal reasons notto do so - then please be assured. You are welcome here, so long as you follow our laws." He wasn't looking over at them so he didn't see their reaction, gaze instead locked on the scroll Shikamaru was unfurling and pushing chakra into.

"We don't have a place to stay," Rōshi protested as a small puff of smoke appeared.

"You can stay with us," Ensui's voice said. "We - is that Bukimi?"

Lying at Shikamaru's feet was the cracked, tattered remains of one of Mayu's puppets.

"No, it's Wara Wara," Shikamaru said slowly, color coming back into his face as he picked it up and examined the pieces. "Or what's left of her."

"Do you think..." Ensui said and Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah. She must have used her puppets as a protective barrier. Maybe wrapped them around her? Like when Kankuro used Salamander to protect me from Deidara's suicide jutsu."

There were collective noises of understanding and Kakashi let out a choked chuckle. "She always was my favorite student," he said loftily before pulling out a book to hide behind. Naruto made a few half-hearted noises of protest and Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"Right. So, my place," Ensui said into the awkward silence. "Kakashi and I have a guest bedroom and a pull-out couch. It's on the edge of the village so you'll have space when you need. Like my brother said, anything you need, ever, you got it. You can stay for as long as you want."

This time Itachi did look at the two shinobi. Rōshi looked taken aback and Han's eyes, the only part of him visible, were wide. Naruto was beaming at the two Nara and even Sasuke had a small smile on his face.

"This proves it," Rōshi said, voice suspiciously rough. "Konoha shinobi are all crazy."

Ensui huffed out a laugh. "You're probably tired. I'll...summon Baken. The guards'll let you through if they've got something from Itachi and Shikaku saying it's fine."

Itachi held out his hand and one of his guards appeared, handing him an empty scroll with his seal on it and a pen. As Mayu liked to say, having your own team of personal elite ninja follow you around was 'super handy.'

He scribbled out a short note and then handed the scroll and pen over to Shikaku, who added his own note before tugging a stamp from his pocket and biting his thumb to use his blood as ink. Itachi felt a moment of amusement over the fact that he and Shikaku did so much paperwork that they carried the supplies to complete it around in their pockets.

Ensui stood and summoned Baken who glanced around before leaning in towards his summoner, body tense.

"Ensui, I am glad you summoned me. I need to speak to you about something urgent in private."

Ensui stared at the cat before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers.

"Of course you do," he grumbled and Baken gave the most offended cat expression Itachi had ever seen. "Listen, can it wait? These two nin just found Mayu and we're waiting on news -"

"Mayu lives?" Baken asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Uh, yes," Ensui said. "That's what I'm -"

"Ah. Well, nevermind then, no conversation is necessary. I must go let the Clan know that the contract still holds." The cat disappeared, leaving Ensui gaping at the spot where he'd just been standing.

"Well. Alright. I guess I can take you and then come right back," Ensui said with a sigh.

Half an hour later somebody must have realized that they'd left the Hokage and a clan head sitting in the public Emergency Room waiting area. A nervous intern showed them into a private waiting room. Itachi had his personal elite ninja bring him some of his paperwork from his office and shortly after Yuhui arrived.

She looked nervous as she took a seat on the far side of the room, probably worried that Mayu's family blamed her for leaving her and getting Chiasa to safety. Itachi doubted it, as quite frankly the two women hadn't had many other choices.

Naruto soon pulled her into a conversation, however, asking her for stories about patrolling with Mayu that had even Itachi chuckling a few times. Hinata showed up next and sat down close to Yuhui, gripping the Uchiha's hand. She looked a little surprised but didn't take it back.

Fugaku had swept in not long after, face tense as he asked for an update. Itachi assumed he'd been held up by coordinating for the possible Code Grey Itachi had called for, but he could see that his father was no less affected than the others in the room by the news that his apprentice was alive.

"We're still waiting. I know that you have mother and Chiasa at home and you have to get back," Itachi said. Fugaku's fingers twitched - a sure sign of stress. "I promise that I will send somebody to let you know as soon as we hear anything. They need you with them more than Mayu needs you in this waiting room."

Fugaku pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're right. Please do send me any updates," he said before leaving.

Kiba and Hana had joined them at one point, Hana taking the seat next to him and Kiba sitting at her feet. Mayu's team from the MPF filtered in and out as they came off of rotation, relief obvious. Torii ended up lying across the floor at Hinata and Yuhui's feet and falling asleep.

Finally, the doors opened and Yamanaka Ino stepped into the room. Shikamaru scrambled to his feet.

"Ino, is she -" he started and she gave a tired smile.

"You're lucky you found such a tough girl, Shika-kun. She's going to live, though she's going to be one unhappy lady for a while. Fukui-san and Tsunade-sama say that most of her injuries will make a full recovery with physical therapy. The only one they're worried about is her ankle, but Tsunade thinks that with some multiple healings, and if you can get Mayu to sit still, she can get it back to ninety-five percent functionality."

Shikamaru had sat back down and Shikaku was rubbing a hand across his forehead grumbling what sounded like, "Oh thank god," under his breath.

"That's great! Wow, you must be really talented," Naruto said, jumping to his feet and smiling widely at Ino, who blinked and then blushed.

"Yes, well," she said, clearing her throat. "It'll be a fairly long recovery - three months, probably. She'll be bedridden for a month while Fukui-san continues to heal her knee and ankle." She looked over at Shikaku and smiled. "Fukui-san is the best medic we have for that type of injury."

"When - when can we see her?" Shikamaru asked.

"It'll be another few hours," Ino said apologetically. "We're finishing up still. And I'm sorry, but only family will be allowed in for a day or two. Um, I think the Nara will count even if she's not technically your ward anymore." Shikaku made an unimpressed face at that and Itachi hoped there weren't any medics or nurses stupid enough to try and stop him from seeing Mayu.

Itachi stood and began gathering his work. "Thank you, Ino-san," he said. "Sasuke and I will be taking our leave until tomorrow, then." He ignored his brother's glare with the ease of long practice.

000

Mayu felt good in a way that told her she was on a lot of really strong painkillers. She wasn't confused when she woke up - she remembered everything that had happened to land her back in the hospital. Even if it was a messy, floaty jumble in the back of her mind.

She had thought she might be hallucinating the men that had found her. Hadn't they been talking about Naruto? Her ridiculously cheerful friend truly did make friends absolutely everywhere he went.

She heard two people talking over the beeping of equipment and her breath caught in her throat. Mayu had thought she'd never hear their voices again. She blinked her eyes open and kind of wished she hadn't when she saw what looked like three-quarters of her body in casts or bandages. That would explain part of the heaviness in her limbs, then.

"Yoshino," a voice said and Mayu turned her head to take in Ensui's anxious face.

"You're so handsome, Ensui-nii," she slurred and the furrow in his brow smoothed as he chuckled.

Yoshino's floating head joined him and Mayu closed her eyes at the feeling of a cool hand against her forehead. When she blinked them open again it was dark and Ensui and Yoshino were gone. She made a small noise of distress that sounded more like a croak and Shikaku appeared.

"Papa," she whisper-rasped.

"Sweetheart," he said, big hands coming up to cup her face. "You want an ice chip?"

She just hummed and a moment later there was a piece of ice moving past her lips. He was talking to her - something about fake dying and maybe some jinchuuriki? She was fading back into sleep, but she didn't want to fall asleep because she hadn't seen...

This went on for awhile until finally, she woke up feeling a little clearer - and a lot more in pain.

"No," she moaned. Where had all her nice painkillers gone?

"Mayu," a familiar voice said and she opened her eyes, discomfort forgotten in favor of catching a glimpse of the owner of the voice.

He was sitting in a chair next to her bed staring at her with bloodshot eyes. His clothes were rumpled and he probably hadn't slept in a very long while.

"Shika," she said.

He stood and moved towards her, motions hesitant and slow. She closed her eyes when his hand cupped her cheek. A moment later his forehead was touching hers. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, breathing each other's air, but eventually he pulled back.

Her eyes opened and she saw he was frowning at her as his thumb moved across her cheek. "You're crying," he said, voice accusing.

She blinked and, huh, her eyes  _were_ a little wet. "Hurts," she said and his face twisted.

"Alright. Let me get a doctor. They changed your meds to something that wouldn't keep you asleep all the time. Just let me -"

He darted out of the room and came back a moment later with a protesting medic. "Nara-san, I'm in the middle of rounds -"

"She's in pain," he snapped, the  _fix it or else_ implied.

The medic turned to her and adjusted his glasses.

"Ah, Nomaka-san, you're awake." He bustled over and started doing all of the normal checkup things.

"On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst pain you've ever felt, what are you at?" he asked as he looked into her eyes with a flashlight, causing her already throbbing headache to worsen.

She made a small sound of distress and Shikamaru twitched forward. She wasn't sure if it was an aborted attempt to comfort her or to throttle the medic.

"Um," she said, widening her eyes, hoping to tempt Shikamaru closer from where he was now wringing his hands in distress. "An eleven."

Her dastardly plan worked and the medic huffed when Shikamaru crowded in and put his hand on her cheek again. She realized that it might be the only place that wasn't covered in bandages or casts from the waist up.

"Do something," he gritted and the medic narrowed his eyes but seemed to sense that arguing would be futile. Mayu did her best to continue looking pitiful, which was pretty easy since she was  _feeling_ pretty pitiful.

"Alright. We'll need to talk to her attending tomorrow to work on a different series of drugs since what we've been giving her can't be used long term. For tonight, though, we'll administer it."

"Fine, just do it," Shikamaru grumbled and the doctor left to go give a nurse some instructions.

Mayu gazed up at him and nuzzled against his palm. Even through the pain, she was incandescently happy to see him again.

"I've decided you can stay with me again," she mumbled and he huffed out a laugh.

"That so?" he asked as his other hand came up to pet what she could tell was some very greasy hair.

She hummed, the pleasure of his hands running through her hair offering a slight distraction from the rest of her body. "Yeah. You signed on for another year in ANBU and I played dead for a few days. We can call it even?"

She stared up at him, eyes wide and little watery with guilt. Shikamaru looked  _awful_ and she couldn't even imagine what he must have been feeling. If it had been him...Mayu probably would have lost her mind a little. His face twisted and his breath hitched, making her own eyes tear up in response.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," she whispered.

He just shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't find you. I thought - we thought -"

"Don't be dumb," she grumbled, then sniffled. "I know what if must have looked like. I actually didn't think...I didn't think that I would..."

He shook his head and put his forehead against hers again. "Let's just. Let's not talk about it right now, okay?"

His voice was pleading and she wished she could hug him. Her injuries were going to get old fast,  _especially if the damn nurse didn't show up with her painkillers soon._

"Water?" she asked, more to distract him than anything. She could feel that her body wanted to sleep, but the pain was just too intense for her to relax enough.

He pulled back and she immediately regretted asking for the water. She must have made a pathetic noise because one hand reached out to curl around the side of her neck - two spots that weren't in bandages! - as he poured water with the other. It took him a few tries to get the straw out of the package, but soon she was sucking up water, eyes still focused on Shikamaru.

"I love you," he said when she was done and she stared up at him with what was probably a creepily sappy expression.

"Love you too," she said and was rewarded when he leaned down and carefully pressed his lips to hers.

A moment later a nurse bustled in with her meds and expertly put them into her IV. She fell asleep with Shikamaru carefully seated on the edge of her bed, hand running through her hair.

000

The next three days consisted of Mayu falling asleep in the middle of conversations with people and generally feeling awful and looking worse than awful if everybody's reaction to seeing her was any indication.

Her right arm was in a sling due to her broken collarbone and a torn rotator cuff. Her left arm was in a cast from her elbow down to her fingers thanks to a broken wrist. Her ribs were wrapped and she had enough bandages on her various gashes and cuts to keep a commune of mummies well stocked.

Her pelvic fractures couldn't have a cast and she was avoiding watching when the nurses changed the bandages around the bolts that were currently keeping her bones in place. Her right leg was in a cast thanks to a busted kneecap and her left ankle was in a thick layer of bandages thanks to that  _godforsaken whip._

Sakura had gone into Medic Fuss Mode and had yet to come out of it, which meant she was in Mayu's room multiple times a day, muttering over bandages and looking over nurse's shoulders. Shikamaru, the traitor, seemed to approve and actively egged her on by reporting every single thing that the staff had done. Since he refused to leave her side, his reports were lengthy and overly detailed. Mayu had never had anyone care about the color of her pee so much before.

She became tired of emotional scenes by her third day of being conscious. Hinata had cried quietly while reading over her chart, then declared that Mayu was her best friend and she was sorry she'd never said it out loud before. Yoshino's and Shikaku's first actual conversation with her was...well, it still made her whole body clench with  _feelings,_ so she tried not to think about it too deeply.

She had, annoyingly enough, cried when the whole Investigations Unit had shown up with a card that detailed the supplies they'd pooled their money together to buy for the rebuilding of her puppets. Kakashi-sensei kept just  _staring_ at her and Ensui had spent a good ten minutes lurking outside her hospital door before entering the room, looking wretched.

Naruto had hugged her and grinned and then cried on her. Even Sasuke had been weirdly affectionate, putting a hand on her arm while he bitched about their crappy apartment. She was a little confused as to why he wasn't complaining about the mess she'd made of his walls, but decided if he wasn't going to mention it, neither was she.

The guilt that the backup team and Yuhui had expressed for either leaving her or not looking hard enough for her corpse was annoying and a little heartbreaking and Mayu at one point decided enough was enough.

"I'm not writing that down," Shikamaru said, voice flat. They entered a staring contest that Mayu broke by letting her frustrated tears come into play.

"Well,  _I'm_ sure as hell not writing down!" she snapped, flapping her two useless arms and then whimpering in pain as her collarbone told her exactly what it thought of the movement.

Shikamaru slumped, then picked up the paper and marker that Sakura had brought her when she requested it. He stared down at it, then back up at her hopeful expression.

"Fine," he grumbled and wrote EMOTION FREE ZONE in big letters. He then stood and swiped up some tape, also provided by a cheerful Sakura, and went to the door. Mayu watched as he stuck it somewhere to the side of the entrance where everybody would see it and smiled brightly.

"You're such a good boyfriend," she said, voice more upbeat than it had been for awhile. He just glared at her, though it was half-hearted.

"What? I'm bedridden and can't escape all the tears and self-recrimination. I'm pretty sure it's bad for recovery, so. Hey, you deserve a kiss for saving me from the horror of more crying."

He rolled his eyes but obediently bent down and gave her a kiss. When he pulled back she sighed.

"We had just gotten to the fun parts of dating, too," she bemoaned. "We won't be able to have sex for  _months."_

She was delighted when Shikamaru's cheeks turned a fetching shade of pink and would have continued to tease him if a throat clearing at the door hadn't pulled her attention.

"Shishou!" she exclaimed. He was the only person who hadn't exploded his feelings all over her, so she was always cheerful when he came to visit.

The first time she'd seen him he'd walked in, glared Shikamaru out of the room (the only person to do this successfully, when she had other visitors he just sat on the cot Yoshino had brought in for him and looked broody), sat next to her and told her he was "Glad to see her well."

She knew what he really meant was  _I'm ecstatic that you're alive!_

He had stayed for two hours, reading out loud from case files that she probably did a crappy job of helping with, but it did distract her somewhat from her pain. She was pretty sure she blamed a pet hamster for the disappearance of a family heirloom after she got particularly aggressive with the button that she could press to self-administer more pain medication.

Fugaku was outright glaring at Shikamaru again, who did the smart thing and backed away from her bed. "Fugaku-sama, if you're going to be here for awhile, I might run home and shower," he grumbled.

"Oooh, bring me Pink Bear!" Mayu called as he edged around Fugaku and then out the door.

"You don't have to look so scary when he's around, you know," Mayu said as Fugaku sat down. He ignored her comment and pulled a large pile of paper from a folder that had been under his arm.

"I thought that you might want something to keep you busy," he said and yes, please, Mayu was dying of boredom, it was horrible.

Her expression must have shown her desperation because his eyes crinkled in the corners. "Tsunade-sama informed me that your recovery may take up to three months."

"Yeah, it's awful," she grumbled. "At least the cast on my wrist can come off in a week and I'll be able to write again."

"A full week?" Fugaku asked, eying the cast as though it had personally offended him.

Mayu shrugged. "My chakra reserves are all messed up and I guess they needed to focus my body's energy on something, something, blah, blah, blah," she said, then cringed when he sent her an unimpressed look.

"Well, I thought that, with assistance from somebody on the team, you could work on the procedural handbook while you're still in convalesce. I've spoken to Itachi and we'll hold off on the creation of the Internal Investigations Unit until you are well enough to take the test to become a jounin and lead it."

"Oh, that's great news - I was worried you'd give it to someone else." Mayu bounced once in place, then winced as she jostled her ribs. Fugaku sighed.

"Can I have Torii?  _Please,_ can I have Torii? He's a very good assistant," she said.

"...Fine."

"Yay." She yelped when she tried to clap out of habit and twitched her shoulder.

000

"My neck is sticky where the nurse dripped ice cream on it," Mayu whined and had to give Shikamaru credit when he didn't even sigh.

She'd been in the hospital for a week and was starting to burn with a low-level frustration that was making her snippy and prone to fussing. Well, more snippy and prone to fussing than usual. She was getting the cast off her wrist later that day, but until then she was having trouble doing anything on her own.

"I'll get a washcloth," he grumbled and she stuck her lower lip out, annoyed that she couldn't even get herself a  _washcloth._ He stood and went into the bathroom attached to her room. She admired the stretch of his shirt across his shoulders as he went.

"Mayu-chan," a voice said and she turned her attention to the door.

"Oh, hey, Harumi," Mayu said as the girl stepped into the room. She eyed her and leaned further back against the pillows, remembering the last time she'd been in a hospital bed with the girl in the same room.

Harumi snorted, an adorable attractive thing, damn her. She then walked in and reached behind Mayu to adjust her pillows. In the bathroom, the water turned off. Mayu tilted her body away from Harumi.

"Mayu, I'm not a thirteen year old with a crush anymore. I'm not going to kiss you again," Harumi said, voice exasperated.

In the bathroom, there was a  _clank_ and a cut off swear word. Both girls turned towards the sound. When it remained silent Harumi turned back to her and started checking her vitals.

"Well, that's good," Mayu said and Harumi lifted one perfectly groomed eyebrow. Mayu's eyes flitted over her in interest - she'd been avoiding her for years, but it seemed as if she wouldn't have to bother anymore.

"So, who are you dating? Hmm...a kunoichi, huh?"

Harumi tilted her head to the side. "How did you...?"

Mayu scoffed. "Please, what would a civilian medic need with oil primarily used for weapons upkeep? You've got some splashed at hip level - you walked by somebody as they were sharpening a blade this morning. You're also wearing a necklace, heart-shaped, gold, not to mention the self-satisfied smile on your face. You've got a girlfriend, probably prettier than me," this time the sound from the bathroom sounded more outraged, "and you wantme to guess who she is."

Harumi shrugged a little sheepishly. Her blonde-white hair was pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her skin was clear and pale and her eyes were still a gorgeous green. Mayu wouldn't have minded going on a date with her if she wasn't, you know, desperately in love with someone else.

Harumi gave her a slow smile, probably guessing the direction her thoughts had gone. A throat cleared and Mayu looked behind Harumi to see Shikamaru leaning against the door of the bathroom, wet washcloth hanging from one hand. His face was pulled into an adorable scowl.

"What's that about you kissing Mayu?" he asked, voice mild in a way that was not at all deceptive.

Harumi jumped a little and spun to look at Shikamaru. "I - she didn't tell you?" she asked in a high-pitched voice.

"Nope," he said, popping the 'p' and straightening.

Mayu smiled at him because he was just so, so adorable when he was annoyed. "I didn't? Huh, guess I forgot. Whoops."

He looked up at the ceiling with a deep, dramatic sigh. Harumi was backing towards the door and he sent her one narrow-eyed look before crossing the room and turning his attention to the sticky spot on Mayu's neck. She stared up at him, heart swelling as he grumbled to himself, hands gentle.

"Aw, you aren't jealous are you? Don't worry, I shut her down. Now she's dating somebody...hmm, I wonder if I know her," she mused. Shikamaru leaned in and kissed her and she made a happy noise.

"You're a trained kunoichi and you couldn't dodge one kiss from a civilian girl?" he asked when he pulled back before stalking back towards the bathroom.

"Hey! She took me by surprise. And I'd just been  _stabbed!"_ she yelled, then leaned back against her pillow. "Jeez, somebody's grumpy."

000

Rika-sempai visited the next day. She took one look at Shikamaru and kindly but firmly herded him out of the room, citing the need for 'girl time' and not-so-subtly suggesting that he shower, eat real food, and take a nap.

They were leaning over schematics for puppets discussing blades and projectiles when Kiba sauntered into her hospital room.

"Yes, Mayu-chan, I  _can_ do it that way, but if you had serrated edges here, don't you think you'd do more damage when it exited? They might even bleed out instead of getting back up and save you some trouble," Rika said, brown eyes wide and earnest in her round face.

Mayu huffed. "Well, yeah, but then they won't matchand serrated blades are harder to maintain."

"Kohai, don't be lazy! If you're going to stab someone, do it right," Rika scolded, pushing a hunk of blonde hair behind an ear.

"Aw, Rika-sempai, that's not - oh, hey, Kiba," Mayu said. "Are you here to break me out? Because I really, really need to get out of here. Please, Kiba, nobody else will listen to me, but I'm legitimately  _dying_ of boredom and...you aren't listening to me."

Kiba was staring at Rika, eyes wide, frozen in place a few paces inside the door. Rika sent him a polite look before turning to roll up the schematics.

"Right, well, I'm going to go work on this. No, don't argue! It'll be weeks before you can do any proper woodworking and I don't mind. I'm just glad you aren't dead - Akinobu-san spent three days straight drinking, it was horrible!" she said cheerfully.

Mayu smiled at her. "Aw, Rika-sempai, you're like one of those priestesses, you know that are all perfect and sweet and virginal -" Kiba broke down into a coughing fit as Rika slapped at her arm.

"Stop it, you're ridiculous." She turned and made her way towards the door. She was just edging around a still-coughing Kiba when he turned towards her.

"Go out with me!" he blurted and Rika jumped in surprise and took a step away from him. She glanced behind her as though looking for the person he was talking to.

"No!" Mayu yelled. "No, Kiba, you cannot do your grab bag thing with my sempai! Leave her alone!" She had the urge to go over there, twist his ear, and drag him away since he was ignoring her in favor of staring at Rika with wide eyes. Alas, she was still bed bound.

Rika raised her eyebrows. "You want to go on a date with  _me?"_

"Yes! I can - we could go to that nice restaurant that just opened across from -"

"No," Rika said, then seemed to remember she was actually made of sunshine because she tacked on a, "but thank you."

Mayu tilted her head to the side when Kiba's expression turned from hopeful to devastated. Rika must have seen it, too, because she gave him a pat on his arm.

"Sorry, but, you dated my cousin last month. And one of my friends a few weeks before that. And one of  _her_ friends before that. I'm just...not looking for that type of, um, connection. So...I'm just going to..." she pointed down the hallway before turning and walking away with quick strides.

Despite the pain in her ribs, it took a long time for Mayu to stop laughing. Kiba was slumped in the chair next to her bed, eyes wide and jaw working as he kept opening his mouth to say something and then closing it.

"Oh, wow, I've never seen you strike out so hard before," she said, leaning back against her pillows.

Kiba's frown deepened. "I - she's amazing!"

Mayu tilted her head to the side. "Well, yeah, she's pretty great. She's the one who taught me metalworking and always helps with my puppets. Kiba, she's also a really nice person. Like, genuinely nice. She won't handle it well if you do your heartbreaker thing on her."

Kiba sent her a look that was full of hurt. "Mayu, you know I'm always upfront with girls about what I'm looking for and I don't just want to 'do my heartbreaker thing' with Rika." His eyes went far away and dreamy. "I'm going to marry her."

Mayu's mouth parted and her eyes widened in genuine shock. "You - you've just met her!"

"Yeah," he said and turned a glare at Mayu. "Why have you never introduced us? That's pretty selfish, Mayu."

She sputtered and tried to flail, then spent some time gasping in pain while Kiba panicked. When she was settled back against her pillows, she took some time to study him. He was wearing a familiar stubborn expression on his face.

"No," she said, annoyed. He looked at her. "You will not harass Rika-sempai for a date."

"I wasn't going to  _harass_ her -"

"It will just make her uncomfortable. She thinks you only want sex, Kiba, so you following her around would be annoying and possibly scary for her. She's a civilian, you're a shinobi. The power dynamics are all off."

Kiba collapsed back against the chair and Mayu winced at his hopeless expression. "I don't just want that, though! She - she's amazing. She's kind and smart and talented and takes stabbing people seriously -"

"You don't actually know her -"

"And she puts up with you! That's something mom is always saying will be a problem for any actual girlfriends I have -"

"Hey!"

"So what do I do?" he finished, sending her a pleading look. "How do I show her that I'm serious?"

Mayu eyed him. "Well. I guess you could stop taking every girl you come across to bed," she allowed. "If she sees that you've turned over a new leaf, maybe she'll be more receptive towards you."

Kiba nodded. "Okay. I'm going to go...do that," he said and stood.

"You're going to go...not sleep with people?" Mayu asked, bewildered.

"Yep. And maybe I'll start volunteering at the animal shelter Hana runs with all my extra time. Girls like guys who are good with animals, right?"

She watched him leave, wondering what had just happened. Maybe somebody had given her too many painkillers and she'd hallucinated the whole thing.

000

A few days later Shikamaru had left to prepare her room at Yoshino and Shikaku's house. Her family had unanimously come to the decision that her walk-up apartment on the fourth floor wasn't ideal for her recovery. For multiple reasons.

It was late evening and she was due to check out the next morning. The hallways were silent and she was reveling in just being alonefor awhile. She loved her family, she did, but did they have to hover? All of the time? She wasn't going to get into trouble in a hospital full of ninja if they left her for an hour.

The only light on in her room was a desk lamp Yoshino had brought her since she was still getting headaches and the bright overhead light exacerbated them. There was also a bit of light coming from her door, cracked open a few inches so that nurses could peek in at her without disturbing her.

She was busily scribbling messy notes (yay for having a hand back!) on the first draft she and Torii were working on for the procedural handbook when the sound of her window opening drew her attention. She froze when Shisui stepped through.

She had seen him once already - he'd come by with Hinata, smiling indulgently when she fussed with a vase full of flowers from her own garden. He'd listened in on their gossip session about the goings-on at the MPF and had even added his own quips, smile as bright as always.

Mayu had thought maybe she was safe, that he hadn't realized that she _knew._ You'd think she'd have learned by now that Shisui was an exceptional actor.

They studied each other for awhile, him standing by the window, hidden in shadow. Mayu felt a little bit like a deer staring down a wolf. She was, for all intents and purposes, not mobile. Her right leg was still in an unwieldy cast, her pelvis was still being held together by bolts, and one arm was still in a sling. Not to mention her ribs twinged with every movement.

"It's not visiting hours, Shisui-san," she said and he huffed out a laugh.

She watched as he turned and walked to the door, shutting it the rest of the way with a faint  _snick._ She snuck her hand under her blankets to palm the kunai hidden there within easy reach. Hey, she was a kunoichi, not being armed felt weird. Not that it would do her any good against a shinobi that would give Itachi a run for his money. Her family was never going to let her live this down.

She waited patiently while he applied a silencing seal and didn't speak until he was standing next to her bed. She met his gaze levelly and for a moment they flashed red. She winced, a memory of the last time he'd done that to her surfacing.

"Ah, so you do remember that," he said and she cursed herself for reacting. "I had wondered. It seemed to work so well."

"I didn't remember until I realized there was something I should look for," she admitted, seeing no reason to deny what he already knew.

Shisui narrowed his eyes. "I knew that regular genjutsu didn't work on you, so I wasn't sure if my Mangekyo would do the trick. It seems as though it did. Almost too well - I didn't expect you to find and eliminate Orochimaru so quickly."

Mayu sniffed and sat back against her pillows despite the fear that was causing her pulse to pick up and sweat to form on her brow. "You can make people do things without even realizing that they're not doing it of their own free will. That's...pretty impressive. I had to clean up quite the mess in here thanks to you," she said, tapping a finger against her temple. "It was smart, pulling my focus from Root and putting it into something you knew I already feared."

Shisui shrugged and sat down in the chair. "I needed time to hide a few of my trails. If you and Fugaku-sama were looking together, you might have figured it out. Both of you would have a long time ago if it weren't for my Sharingan."

Mayu stiffened. "You used it on shishou?"

Shisui sighed and rubbed the back of his head, looking sad and worn out. Mayu didn't have it in her at the moment to feel sorry for him.

"I had to. What I'm working towards is important. I'm trying to savethe world, Mayu." He leaned forward, expression earnest.

She gave him an unimpressed look. "By sabotaging Konoha and the other Great Nations? You've killed your comrades! Betrayed your village, your  _clan._ How are you painting yourself into some sort of savior here?"

He stood abruptly and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

Mayu raised an eyebrow. "Maybe not me, but what about your family? What about Hinata?What will she say?"

Shisui winced at her name before his face went blank. "She won't say anything about it. She'll be happy and won't even - she won't even remember this."

Well, that sounded...not good. He spun on her and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm guessing you figured out it was me when you recognized the man who kidnapped Chiasa? It was you and Hinata on surveillance at Uta and Kenichi's house that day, so you probably saw us speaking outside the bank."

Mayu pressed her lips together but gave a jerky nod. If he wanted to waste time with conversation, she'd allow it. "Yes. I...found the small opening that goes into the bank vault, as well. The one that I'm guessing your family owns. I was still working on figuring out how to get that information without stealing it when I ended up here, thanks to your goons."

"There was no mention of the hidden opening in the official reports," Shisui said and Mayu lifted her uninjured shoulder in a shrug.

"I knew that if I said anything Hinata would figure it out, too. I didn't think she'd be able to keep acting the same - you know, like she wasn't heartbroken that the guy she loves is a traitor and criminal. I didn't want you to kill her, too." Shisui's fists clenched at his sides, and Mayu thought he might punch her. Instead, he sat back down.

"So who did you tell, then?"

Mayu rolled her eyes. "Nobody. I was waiting for more proof before I went anywhere with the information. I didn't want to tip you off and have you start taking out my friends and family. Or messing with their minds."

Shisui tilted his head to the side as he studied her face. "You expect me to believe you didn't tell anybody. Not even Shikamaru-san?"

Mayu scowled. "We were broken up around that time, remember? And right after he got back you  _kidnapped a toddler,_ and what the hell was that about, anyway?"

Shisui had the decency to look ashamed. "He wasn't going to hurt her," he said almost to himself, "he was just going to use her as leverage so that Itachi would give us the jinchuuriki."

Mayu gaped. "You - you mean Naruto? And are you telling me you're working with crazy Akatsuki? That's your endgame?" She sat back and let herself process that.

"So all this underhanded bullshit has been about attempting to weaken the village from within. To make them, what, an easier target? What is up with these guys? What is up with  _you?_ You can't actually think you can 'save the world' by destroying it, do you?"

One moment, Shisui was in the chair. The next, he was bearing her down against the bed, face in hers and a tanto against her neck. "Don't judge me. Don't you  _dare._ You never saw what villages were willing to do to people. This world is flawed, irredeemable. In it, there can only be pain."

"So this is what it looks like when pacifism goes wrong," she gasped, the pressure from where he was leaning his weight against her injuries making it difficult to breathe. Well, that and the fear and adrenaline pumping through her.

Shisui's eyes were whirling and red and she could still remember what that meant. In the memory she'd unburied the day she realized Shisui was the leader of Root, his face had looked just like this when she'd opened the door to find him standing on her porch. Then he'd burrowed into her, pulled her fears to the front of her mind and created a nightmare that made her believe it was her ownidea to forget Root and go after Orochimaru.

Then he'd stuffed it into a dark, dank part of her mindcave that  _had not been created by her,_ leaving behind cracks and a general feeling of discomfort. Only when she'd started looking for him specificallyin her folders had she been pulled to the memory. Mayu had spent hours creating fail-safes to prevent something like that from happening again.

So when Shisui tried to enter her mind, he found resistance. Mayu stood on one side of bulletproof glass amongst her files and he stood on the other. He reached forward and put a hand to it and tugged it back with a curse when a bolt of electricity went through him.

"Mayu, you need to let me in," he said and she shook her head.

"It's okay," he soothed. "This way, I can turn your attention elsewhere and I won't have to kill you. I don't wantto kill you. Please, Mayu."

"I'd rather die than let you into my mind again."

Shisui fisted his hands in his hair and she thought he might be genuinely distressed, but she'd stopped trusting her ability to read him weeks ago.

"Mayu, it's okay. I saw the research on Sasuke's bedroom walls. I couldn't decipher your notes, but I assumed it must be about me. I took it all down, so it won't tip you off. You can just go back to the way things were. You can live and when our plan goes into effect, you can be happy."

Mayu crossed her arms over her chest (and oh, it was so nice to have all her limbs in working order, even if it was only in her mind). "I amhappy, Shisui-san. Well, mostly. But nobody can just be happy all the time - that's not how life is."

Shisui slumped. "Please. I don't want to kill you. I don't want to kill anybody." His voice sounded small and lost and despite herself, Mayu felt her heart softening a little.

"Shisui-san, I know...I know being in Root must have been horrible. Danzo was an awful human being and Sarutobi-sama shouldn't have given him the power that he did. But things are different now. They're getting better. You don't...you don't have to single-handedly save the world. You don't have to keep going against your nature."

Shisui continued to stare at the ground and Mayu felt a little flare of hope. Maybe she could change his mind. When he looked up, though, his eyes were blank and cold.

"It's too late," he said. "This is my path."

Mayu opened her mouth, desperate to change his mind, but they were both wrenched from the genjutsu. She slammed back into awareness, the sudden onset of pain from her wounds disorienting.

Her attention sharpened at the sound of a familiar voice. "Shisui, what are you doing?"

Mayu blinked a few times before the room came into focus. The door was open now, flooding the room with light. There was blood dripping down Mayu's neck, but not enough for it to be anything other than a superficial cut. Standing between her and Shisui, who was sprawled across the floor, limbs splayed and sword still in his hand, was Fugaku.

"He - he's the leader of Root," Mayu croaked. The time for being secretive had ended the moment Fugaku walked in on Shisui holding a sword to her throat.

Fugaku's back stiffened and Shisui winced before climbing to his feet. He lifted his chin and stared at Fugaku. 

"Shisui, how could you?" Fugaku's voice sounded wretched, full of hurt and betrayal and Mayu kind of hated herself for figuring it all out.

"I am doing this for the good of the world." Shisui glanced at Mayu and smiled. "I guess I don't have to kill you after all - cat's out of the bag."

Fugaku took a deep breath. "Shisui, you have shamed me, your clan, and yourself." Shisui flinched, the end of his sword jerking with the motion. "I am placing you under arrest. Put down your sword and come quietly."

Mayu's eyes widened as she realized where this was going. Fugaku was strong and she was pretty sure he also held the Mangekyo, but in a fight against Shisui she didn't think he'd come out of the other side of it without substantial injury. She also knew that nothing she said would get him to back down. Bringing Shisui in was his duty and Fugaku always did his duty.

Shisui knew it, too, because his face twisted before clearing. "Okay, Fugaku-sama. If this is how you want it to be."

 _Of course, it isn't, you jerk!_ Mayu thought.

Just like when he'd jumped her earlier, Mayu couldn't track his movements when he attacked Fugaku. A clang of metal and sparks signalled that Fugaku had blocked a slash from his sword. They stood, inches apart, before both of their bodies flashed and ended up by the window, Fugaku standing in front of it and blocking Shisui from exiting.

Fugaku's eyes were, indeed, spinning in a similar pattern as Shisui's - both of them had activated their Mangekyo. Mayu struggled to sit up, a vague plan of making a hobbling run to try and find some backup that might actually be useful flitting across her mind.

The sound of voices filtering down the hall, however, stopped her - and the two men - from further movement.

"...eh, I think we're as set up as we can be, Itachi-sama. Thanks for giving me a few weeks of leave time." It was Shikamaru, returning from his errands.

"Of course. I understand that your family needs some time together," Itachi responded.

Shisui was tense, eyes wide and staring at the window. Mayu watched the expressions play across his face and knew that he understood the odds were not going to be good if Itachi and Fugaku both attacked him at once.

He was going to have to take Fugaku out of the picture before Itachi arrived. Fugaku's attention had been pulled, momentarily, to the hallway. That moment was all Shisui needed. His muscles bunched and then his sword was blurring forward.

Mayu pulled her kunai from beneath her covers and threw it with as much force as she could, gritting her teeth against the pain that the full body movement caused. Fugaku started to twist out of the way, but he was going to get hit - Shisui's sword was heading for his heart.

The tip of the sword moved downward, however, when Shisui ducked to avoid her kunai. It sank deep into the flesh of Fugaku's stomach. All three of them stared at where the sword was buried, Fugaku with a grim expression, Shisui with a devastated one, tears on his face.

Mayu leaned forward and her body flushed with panic and disbelief. She had never seen Fugaku bleed before. "Shishou!" she screamed. His eyes flicked to hers and his mouth turned up into a small, soft smile.

Itachi flashed into the room in response to her cry. Shisui pulled the sword from Fugaku's stomach with a spray of blood across the linoleum. Mayu awkwardly swung her legs over the side of the bed as Shikamaru entered the room a second behind Itachi.

Her legs and hips screamed in pain when she tried to put weight on them and she hit the ground whimpering but didn't pause before she scrambled to crawl the few feet between her and Fugaku, who had sunk to his knees and was futilely holding his hands over his wound. Mayu dragged her cast behind her and held her weight up with one arm until she was in front of him, hand and knee slipping in the blood on the floor.

She reached out with a shaking hand and put it over his, pressing against the wound.

"You're fine," she sobbed, "you're going to be fine."

"Shisui," Itachi's shocked voice said. "What have you done?"

Fugaku made a choking noise and slumped back against the wall. Blood flecked over his lips and Mayu took a shuddering breath, blinking tears out of her eyes.

"He's the leader of Root," Mayu choked out and this,  _this_ is why she hadn't told anybody yet. She knew he would just mow down anybody in his way. Her hand was already slippery with Fugaku's blood.

"Mayu, you need to come over here," Shikamaru's voice, icy and calm, said from next to Itachi.

Mayu just shook her head, unwilling to leave Fugaku alone. She also doubted that Shisui would just let her crawl past him to Itachi.

There was the sound of movement and Shisui's shoes squeaked as he adjusted his position. Mayu didn't flinch when she felt cold steel against her throat. She'd already figured out that Shisui would use her as leverage to get away.

"Don't move, cousin," Shisui said in a level tone. "I'm going to take Mayu and the both of us are going to leave the village."

"No," Fugaku choked out and the words were wet with the blood in his throat. Mayu met his desperate expression with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, Fugaku-shishou. Shisui doesn't want to kill me. You - you'll be fine and then after Shisui escapes I'll limp back here and we can be hospital buddies."

Fugaku shook his head, but Shisui was already grabbing her and pulling her away. Mayu made a sound of distress and pain as she was tugged away from Fugaku, and he lifted a hand as though to pull her back. The room spun in front of Mayu when Shisui swung her around, putting her back to his chest and placing his sword across her throat.

She gasped when his arm went around her ribs to hold her up and she wondered if she was actually feeling them bow and rebreak under the pressure or if that was her imagination. Well, at least she'd be an unwieldy hostage. Itachi was standing a few paces inside of the door, face pale and eyes red. His lips were pressed together and he had no expression on his face. He might have been one of the scariest things she'd ever seen.

Shikamaru came in a close second. His eyes were riveted on her, hands already up in the Rat sign as his shadows began moving across the floor. Shisui pressed his sword closer to her throat and she stopped breathing when it broke the skin there.

"Put the shadows away, Nara. I can kill her before they get ahold of me."

Shikamaru's eyes glinted in the low light and his face was cold and bathed in shadow. Mayu wanted to reassure him, but was afraid the movement would cause the sword to go deeper, which would be bad.

"Why?" Itachi rasped and Shisui let out a small laugh.

"The fact that you even have to ask me...proves that what I'm doing is right," he said, the cryptic asshole.

"Shisui, let's talk about this." Itachi lifted one hand towards him, beseeching. "We can figure this out. What you're doing will not bring her back, or change the past."

Shisui's chest moved against her when he gave another small, humorless bark of laughter. "No, but I can make sure that nobody else ever has to feel that pain."

"Shisui -"

"Enough. You will let us pass through Konoha or Nomaka Mayu will die."

Itachi stared at him, then met her eyes. She returned his gaze, fear receding. Itachi wasn't going to let Shisui just walk out of the village, but he wasn't going to let her die, either. If she had to guess, she'd say his next move would be to let Shisui leave the hospital and then ambush him when he was further away from civilians.

Plus, the sooner they were gone, the sooner the medics she could hear standing in the hallway could help Fugaku.

"Alright, Shisui," Itachi said. Mayu flicked her eyes over to Shikamaru, who was clenching his teeth so hard the muscles in his jaw were working. She gave him a shaky smile just before the world blurred away around her.

For an indeterminate amount of time, all she could focus on was the way agony rolled through her as the air itself battered against her injuries. She squeezed her eyes shut against the landscape rushing past her. Mayu had thought that she was fast, but it was nothing compared to how Shisui moved.

She was starting to wonder if Shisui would get away after all when they were knocked out of their headlong flight by something slamming into them from the side. Mayu's disorientation only grew as she spun and tumbled through the air, though she was aware that Shisui had let go of her.

All she could think about was how much worse everything was going to be when she hit the ground, but at least she wasn't a hostage anymore, how embarrassingwas that? A pair of arms that were familiar even when she was dizzy and reeling caught her and she let out a sob of relief when they landed crouched on the ground, thankfully still.

"Are you okay?" Shikamaru whispered and in response, she leaned over and heaved and choked until the sushi he'd brought her for dinner was laying in a pitiful little pile of mush and floating fish on the ground.

"Ow," she said and Shikamaru pulled her against him.

"Is any - is any of the blood yours?" Mayu shook her head.

"No. What - what happened? Where is -" The roaring, crackling sound of fire coupled with the night around them lighting up signaled where Shisui and Itachi were.

Shikamaru swore and lunged back. Mayu blinked spots out of her vision. They were in a park - which one she wasn't sure - and Shikamaru had hidden them behind one of the few trees dotting the large field they were in.

"You betrayed me. You betrayed the village," Itachi's voice said and Mayu squirmed in Shikamaru's hold until she could peek around the tree, ignoring his attempts to tug her back.

Itachi and Shisui were standing in what probably used to be a very nice grassy area. Now whole swathes were burned and smoking, the grass gone, revealing blackened and cracked earth beneath the pale light of the half moon. Both of their eyes shone red, glowing in the shadowed clearing.

"The village betrayed me first!" Shisui screamed. "It betrayed all of us! The Will of Fire is a lie told to the shinobi who lay down their lives for her to cover that we're all just pawns of blood and war!"

Mayu's eyes widened when he flashed towards Itachi, who spun out the range of his sword, white robes fluttering around him.

"No. It is true that you were betrayed, but you cannot put the misdeeds of a few men on all of the village. You cannot put them on the world,"Itachi replied before disappearing and then reappearing behind Shisui, who went flying.

Mayu assumed he'd kicked him, since his leg was extended, and holy crap they were quick.

Shisui scrambled to his feet, then threw three shuriken at Itachi, which multiplied as they sailed through the air until at least two dozen of them were zinging across the clearing. Itachi didn't flinch. He reached into his robes and threw his own shuriken with sure, precise movements, one after the other. He knocked each of Shisui's projectiles out of the air.

"Why can't I?" Shisui yelled. "It wasn't Danzo that killed Yui. It was those so-called 'good men' you're alluding to who now help you run the village. She didn't ask for her clan to step aside and let Danzo take her. She didn't ask to be twisted and warped into his tool. Yet instead of saving her, Shikaku-sama killed her."

His hands began flying through signs and Itachi, whose face was drawn in sorrow, began to rush through his own. At the same time, they released their jutsu. Mayu caught sight of six huge spheres of fire coming from Shisui, rushing to meet the same number of twisting spires of water from Itachi before Shikamaru tugged her behind the tree and bent over her, covering her body with his own.

The sound of them colliding was reminiscent of the hiss of boiling water hitting snow, but the scale was so all-encompassing that she couldn't hear anything past the sizzling and hissing. The area around them filled with steam and droplets of hot water raining around them. Mayu flinched when one hit her hand - hot enough to sting, but not to seriously burn.

Shikamaru made a small grunting noise as he took the brunt of it and Mayu glanced up at him in worry.

"It's fine," he whispered, "but we need to get out of here."

Mayu shook her head. "There's barely any cover for a good forty feet - the chances of getting caught in friendly or not-so-friendly fire are too high."

"You know Shikaku-sama didn't want to kill her - he didn't want to kill any of them," Itachi's voice said, followed by the sound of more shuriken being thrown and then knocked out of the air.

A small rustle next to them had both of them stiffening and Shikamaru lifting his body from where he was still crouching over her and spinning around.

Mayu heard the slap of flesh on flesh before she was able to twist her own battered body around. She relaxed when she saw Kakashi crouched next to Shikamaru, hand around his wrist to stop the kunai in his hand from stabbing into his neck.

Shikamaru let a breath out and lowered his hand after Kakashi released it. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were with him. Sasuke's eyes were wide and shocked and Mayu didn't miss the blood on his hands. He must have been with Fugaku, then. She wanted to ask if he was okay, but Shisui was responding to Itachi.

"No, but he still did, didn't he? Nobody wants to kill and torture and maim," Shisui's disembodied voice said. They couldn't see anything through the steam still floating through the air, "but in this world, there's no choice. That's why I want to help Madara-sama succeed in creating a world where there  _is_ a choice, where everybody's dreams are real and pain doesn't exist. Please, Itachi, you're like a brother to me. Join me."

"...Madara? Uchiha Madara? You've gone mad," Itachi said. "He's dead. He has been for years."

"He's not. He came to me, Itachi. After I read the files on what Danzo had planned for you, for our clan. After I saw what I'd reallybeen serving all those years, while I longed for peace. I was an instrument of war - all shinobi are instruments of war. But we - we don't have to be. This is the only way we don't have to be!"

The sounds of flesh hitting flesh came in rapid succession sounded and then the tree they were hiding behind exploded in a shower of splintered wood. Mayu couldn't stop her small scream when two pairs of arms latched onto her and pulled her across the grass to the next tree closest to them. It felt like the bones in her pelvis were grinding together and she wondered if the bolts were still where they were supposed to be.

The reason the tree exploded became clear as Shikamaru and Kakashi lowered her to the ground. 

"Fugaku-?" Mayu gasped out as Shisui stood, shaking wood out of his clothes and hair.

Itachi's two guards had joined them and Sakura was already hovering next to her, stopping the bleeding of the cut across her throat. "Yoshino-san was with him when I left," Sakura said in a clipped voice.

"We need to get her out of here," Kakashi said to Shikamaru as Itachi stalked across the grass towards Shisui.

Once again they were blurring at each other, only stopping long enough to show them pausing in various stages of combat. Here, Itachi was stabbing at Shisui with a kunai. There, Shisui was sending Itachi flying with an open-handed hit to his sternum, then zipping after him to slam him into the ground, only for the clone to explode.

Nobody moved to help, most likely because they'd just get in the way or get themselves killed. Well, maybe not Kakashi-sensei, but he seemed pretty set on staying next to Mayu.

"We can create an opening," Sai said, "try to cover you..."

The earth erupted fifty feet away into multiple columns of rock and Itachi and Shisui were zipping across and through them, sending fireballs and shuriken and wind at each other.

"I don't think we should move her so roughly again, we might rupture a blood vessel if this bolt moves and she'll bleed out..." Sakura whispered, joining the conversation.

As both opponents released a fire jutsu and then blurred away, Mayu released a small breath of air.

"It's like watching two clones fight," she said, pulling them all from their urgent discussion of 'how to get Mayu away without her and/or us dying horribly.'

Shikamaru huffed out a laugh that sounded more stressed than humorous, then reached up and pushed her hair out of her sweaty face. "What's your pain scale, sweetheart?" 

"Like...a twenty?" 

Sakura gnawed on her lip as Sasuke kept a hand on Naruto's arm, who seemed ready to burst into the fight and take care of Shisui himself.

"You have to let Itachi-nii deal with it," he was saying urgently. "Shisui-ni - Shisui was his best friend. People need to know he'll take care of it, that he's not like Sarutobi-sama."

"But he hurt Mayu! He's the one that had Chiasa kidnapped and he - he's been -"

"I know, but we have to let him do this. Plus, these are S-ranked shinobi, Naruto -"

"Pfft, like we haven't -"

Their conversation kept getting covered by background noise when Itachi and Shisui slung each other into the ground or sent gales of slicing wind at each other.

Mayu watched it all, unable to quite believe the displays of power she was seeing. If she tried to fight one of them seriously she'd be dead about fifty times over by now. Good thing she wasn't harboring any secret dreams of becoming the Hokage.

"Okay, Mayu, we have to move you," Sakura said and Mayu couldn't help the little whimper she let out at that. She was leaning against Shikamaru's chest now - and when had that happened? - and knew that movement meant things were going to start hurting a lot worse.

"I know, baby, but we need to get out of here, okay? Staying this close to a fight like this is...not a good idea," Shikamaru said.

The whole argument was made moot when a horrible choked off noise came from the other side of the field. All movement and noise had stopped and Mayu could clearly see Itachi and Shisui in profile, standing in the middle of the field, barely six inches of space between them.

Itachi was leaning forward, one knee bent, the other foot set firmly into the ground behind him. Both hands were wrapped around the hilt of Shisui's sword which he must have acquired at some point in the fight. The other end of the sword was pushed through Shisui's chest.

The worst part of it all was that Shisui was smiling. He was relieved,and Mayu looked away at the devastation on Itachi's face.

Shisui fell to his knees and Itachi let go of the sword and stumbled back. He would have fallen if Sasuke hadn't appeared at his side and put his arm around him. He was shaking and his hands were over his eyes.

"Sakura!" Sasuke's voice, unusually panicked, called and Sakura moved to join him as Itachi sank to the ground, letting out a low pained noise.

Ten feet away Shisui had fallen onto his side after tugging the sword free and lay there, unmoving. Sakura and Sasuke were talking over Itachi in low, urgent tones. Next to her, Kakashi was talking to Itachi's guards about getting Mayu a stretcher while Shikamaru kept running his hands through her hair, whispering reassurances to her that she thought were maybe more for himself.

People were starting to appear in the field, drawn by the chakra and fire and general explosions that happen when two high-powered Uchiha fight. Mayu was the only one still looking at Shisui's body when it twitched.

"He's still -" she started to say, but it was too late to warn anybody.

Shisui was on his feet, the only sign of his recent stabbing the stain of blood on his shirt. He swiped up the sword that had been in his chest a few minutes ago and the screams had barely started when he blurred forward towards Itachi.

Sasuke and Sakura were still bent together talking, Itachi still kneeling on the ground, shaking in what Mayu thought might be pain, hands over his eyes. They both looked up when they heard the screams, but by that point, the blur was almost upon them.

Mayu sat up despite the pain, mouth open and heart stuttering, wondering if Shisui would just kill Itachi or if he'd go for Sasuke and Sakura, too. Itachi's guards and Naruto and Kakashi were already running towards them, but they wouldn't make it.

Hinata appeared between Itachi and Shisui, hands glowing blue as they reached up and clapped on either side of the blade of the sword. His strength and momentum pushed against her and Mayu's hand slapped over her mouth as the blade pressed forward through her hands a few inches.

Hinata dug the balls of her feet into the ground and the chakra flared in her hands. The sword stopped its progress through her hands and instead, her body was driven backward, feet making small grooves in the dirt. She came to a stop inches from where Itachi was kneeling in the dirt.

Shisui's eyes were wide, his mouth dropped open in shock and distress. He was no longer pushing forward, the tip of his sword coming to a stop to rest lightly on Hinata sternum. There were tears on her face and Shisui stared at her, his own eyes glistening.

"Hinata," he breathed.

"Shisui...how could you?" Her hands were still on the sword and blood was starting to drip from them and down the blade.

He stared at the blood before swallowing. "I had to," he whispered, voice low and rough. "I have to create a world where evil cannot touch the people I love. Where it - it can't touch  _you."_

Hinata studied him and her lips twisted as she tried to hold back tears. "I don't - I don't need you to make me a different world," she said, her voice breaking on the last word. "I don't need a perfectworld. One where - one where you're beside me would have been enough."

Shisui stumbled backward at her words, sword falling to the ground as he let go of it, face white as he shook his head back and forth. Hinata's hands dropped to her sides as she continued to watch Shishui. Behind her Itachi had stood and Mayu blinked rapidly when she saw what looked like blood running down his cheeks from his eyes.

Naruto and Kakashi had moved to flank Shisui and Itachi's guards had joined their Hokage. Shisui looked around, taking in their cold expressions and the faces of the spectators that were filing into the field.

"I killed you," Itachi said and Shisui's eyes darted to him.

Mayu squeezed Shikamaru's hand when she realized what had happened, why he was alive. The missing sharingan eyes that she and Fugaku had never been able to find. Shisui really had them the entire time. Itachi reached up and put a hand to his cheek, pulling it back and staring at the blood that came away dispassionately.

"Yes," Shisui said.

"So far you have fallen, my friend," Itachi whispered. "Taking the eyes of your clan? You truly are Danzo's disciple."

Shisui let out a small choked sound and Itachi stepped forward, face cold. "I will kill you as many times as I must."

"No!" Hinata said and spun on Itachi. "Please, don't - don't kill him," she pleaded.

Shisui's eyes widened as she put herself between them. "He is a traitor, I understand that. But you can - you can put him in prison. You can help him, right? He's your best friend, he can -"

"Hinata..." Shisui whispered. "You can't...there's no fixing me."

She sobbed and he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I hurt you," he said to her back. "When Madara-sama and I are done with our plan, you won't even remember it. I promise."

He flashed behind her, reached over her shoulder, and tugged lightly on a lock of her hair. Everyone moved forward at once, but Shisui was already across the field, Itachi on his heels. Hinata just stared straight ahead, face white, tears running down her face.

000

Shisui got away because that's just how their lives worked. Itachi returned, eyes now spinning in a pinwheel, face twisted in rage, only saying that he'd had help from the leader of Akatsuki, who may or may not be Uchiha Madara, in his escape.

Mayu was being shifted onto a stretcher and she was moving in and out of consciousness, because  _ouch,_ this night had not been fun.

"I was like seven hours away from going home," she said, burying her face in Shikamaru's chest and trying not to burst into tears. "Can I just - can we just go home instead of the hospital? I want to go home."

"Mayu," Itachi said and she stiffened. He did not sound happy. She turned her face until one eye was looking at the Hokage, the rest of it still plastered against Shikamaru's chest.

"Hokage-sama?" The blood streaked across his face was not making him look any less frightening.

"Why was Shisui in your room in the first place?" he asked.

Shikamaru's arms tightened around her and Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura were suddenly crowded around her stretcher. Naruto was kneeling next to Hinata where she had sat down in the middle of the field, unaware of his teammates' potential distress.

"Hokage-sama, can't this wait? Sakura said she's in danger of her injuries becoming life-threatening," Shikamaru said in a stiff voice.

"No," Itachi replied in a flat tone. "It cannot."

Sakura stepped forward but Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder and gave a small warning shake of his head. Itachi was...not feeling patient. Mayu swallowed.

"He came to use his Sharingan on me again to make me stop...stop investigating him. And to find out if I'd told anybody that I suspected he was the leader of Root."

Everyone around her fell silent. Shikamaru had gone completely still and she cringed.

"What do you mean, again?" Sasuke asked while Itachi just continued to stare at her.

"I mean...when I went a little crazy over finding Orochimaru last year? That was...that was him. He got into my mind. I didn't know until a few weeks ago when I realized that Shisui was probably the leader of Root and I went looking in my mind cave for more information." Her body started to shake at the remembered feeling of violation when she'd found his footprints there.

"You suspected him, but said nothing," Itachi finally said, voice bland. "Why would you do this?"

Mayu met his red gaze levelly. "Because I didn't have any real proof yet. Because I knew that he'd probably kill me or...or get into my mind and the mind of anybody I told if he suspected I was on to him. I had to be surebefore I told anybody. Shisui is - was a powerful figure."

She glanced up at Shikamaru. "I was going to tell you, but, well, first we were broken up, then I was dead, and then I was in a hospital room where we were never really alone."

Shikamaru relaxed, though his expression was still pinched. Itachi cleared his throat and she brought her attention back to him. They had another staring contest before he sighed and brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were black again.

"He obviously figured out that you knew," he said and Mayu swallowed.

"Yes. One of the men that took Chiasa. I saw Shisui talking to him outside the bank next to the Kiri Brother's house. I guess he knew I was there that day, so he assumed I must have made the connection when I went after Chiasa. But I had already figured him out before that, because...I found a small hidden hatch in Uta and Kenichi's house that looked into one of the bank's vaults. I assumed he was at the bank that day to exchange information with them."

Itachi's jaw clenched but he didn't say anything, so she continued in a rush. "I needed one last piece of information before I could come to you - proof that Shisui had access to the vault. The bank guards the information on their clientele pretty rigorously, though, and I was having trouble getting it without potentially tipping somebody off.

"Once I had it, I would have used the information to convince you and Fugaku that he was at least involved in the Kiri brothers' crime ring, then we could go straight to Shisui and, you know, take him down?" She looked down and scratched at some dried blood on her shirt.

"I also didn't know if...if he'd done the same thing to you and Fugaku-shishou that he did to me with his Sh-Sharingan," she said and Shikamaru pressed his lips into her hair when she stuttered.

"I was just - I was scared. If we couldn't arrest him right away, I didn't think you'd be able to act normally around him," she admitted.

Itachi looked across the clearing at the people who were milling around, faces a mix of shock and anger. "I suppose you're right about that," he said.

Mayu gave him a small, sad smile. Itachi had loved Shisui, after all, and she couldn't imagine what he must be feeling. They all should have been looking closely at him as a suspect from the beginning, but Shisui was just so  _likable._ His love for the village and his clan and comrades wasn't faked, either, and it was hard to picture him as the evil person they'd been searching for this whole time.

Shisui had done all of those horrible things over some misguided, twisted version of love. The pain of his past had made life something to fear, to try and control, and it had all just...spiralled. Mayu wondered what depths she would fall to if the village used and then killed Shikamaru. She decided not to think about it - an evil version of her was pretty disturbing to picture.

"Alright," Itachi said, "I agree that you didn't have enough information to come to myself or my father yet. I expect a full report tomorrow, though.

"I suppose we can assume Uta and Kenichi were just another way to distract our forces. Perhaps they threatened to reveal his identity or just lost their usefulness and that's why he killed Kenichi and probably Uta," Itachi said, sounding distracted. Mayu supposed that once you'd been an investigator it always stayed with you.

Mayu let out a breath of relief. It wasn't unheard of for Investigators to keep the information to themselves until they had indisputable proof - they were shinobi, after all, sneaky was part of the job description - but she'd been a little worried that the personal nature of it might make Itachi do something awful to her. Like, murder her with his Sharingan.

"You know," Kakashi said as Itachi turned and swept off into another direction, "I think it might be a good idea to stick around the village for awhile. Some people just can't seem to stay out of trouble."

000

Hinata came to see her two days later. Shikamaru stood and left the room without needing to be asked, though she knew he'd be just across the hall in his own bedroom. She'd only been at her parents' house for a few hours and was still reveling in the silence and comfort of her own bed.

"Hinata," Mayu whispered, twisting her hand in the blankets. She looked better than Mayu thought she would, but then Hinata always did handle things with grace.

"Mayu," Hinata said in a stilted tone, sitting on the edge of armchair Shikamaru had just left and clasping her hands together. "How are you feeling?"

"Um. Better. Shikamaru washed my hair, so that's an improvement," she said and Hinata's lips trembled up into a smile, as though she'd forgotten how to do it properly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hinata blurted and Mayu winced and looked down at the hand sticking out of her sling.

"I didn't want him to hurt you if he found out you knew," she whispered and then, because Hinata deserved the truth, she added, "and I didn't want to make you investigate the man you loved. I guess I was just trying to protect you."

She glanced up and sniffled as her eyes grew damp. "Was that...was that bad?"

Hinata turned her face away and looked out the window, face thoughtful. "I...no, I don't think so. I don't know. I just know I don't want to be mad at you." Hinata blinked rapidly as her own eyes filled with tears.

"I don't want that either. You - you could come lay next to me if you want. I can have Shikamaru put on a movie and bring us ice cream."

"...Okay," Hinata said and wiggled into place between Mayu and the wall, settling in next to her, back against the pillows. Mayu waited patiently, sensing there was more Hinata wanted to say.

"I feel so stupid," Hinata whispered and her voice hitched on the last word. "I thought - I really thought he cared about me, even if it wasn't the way I loved him."

"Hinata, he  _did_ love you. The only reason he didn't kill Itachi, in the end, is because he couldn't stand the thought of hurting you," Mayu said earnestly, turning her head to face her friend.

Hinata fiddled with a loose thread on the comforter and Mayu put her hand over Hinata's so that she would look at her. Mayu had been thinking on the subject of Shisui a lot the last few days and had come to some conclusions.

"Shisui wasn't pretending when he was with people. That's why it took so long for us to catch him. Shisui really  _does_ love you, and the village, and Itachi-sempai. He just...he's just a little broken and he went about trying to protect the things he loves in a really awful way. So, you aren't stupid. Just stupidly loveable," Mayu said. "Obviously. I mean, you're  _my_ best friend, aren't you? That should really tell you something."

Hinata's hug hurt a little bit, but Mayu didn't wince or protest and instead returned it the best she could.

000

Sasuke and Naruto were not so forgiving of her keeping her investigation to herself. When they came to visit she had to suffer through Sasuke's glares and Naruto's sad eyes and speeches about trust.

"Ugh, it wasn't about trust, you morons! Investigating people so that I can offer proof of wrongdoing is my  _job,_ you know. I couldn't risk him being tipped off because I knew he'd do the exact thing he did. He almost killed Fugaku-shishou and tried to kill me and Itachi when he figured it out. So get over it or go eat dinner somewhere else," she snapped.

"Mayu!" Yoshino scolded from across the table and Shikaku pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What? It's not like I tell them how to run around being powerhouses," she grumbled and Sakura giggled. Kakashi was leaning against Ensui, whose arm was slung casually over the back of his chair, watching them bicker without comment.

"But - why didn't you tell  _anyone?"_ Naruto asked.

"Well, I was going to, but then I  _fell off a cliff._ Ugh, you're insufferable now that you know you were the Fourth Hokage's son -"

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Not!"

"You are!"

"Enough," Kakashi said mildly and they both snapped their mouths shut. Mayu poked at her rice and slumped over in annoyance.

Sasuke reached over and casually pushed against the side of her head with one hand. She flailed and fell into Shikamaru, luckily on her side withouta broken collarbone.

She turned and glared at him after Shikamaru gently pushed her back up into a seated position.

"Watch your back, Uchiha," she hissed and he scoffed.

"Please, you can't even walk. Just what are you going to do to me?" He raised an eyebrow and took a delicate bite of food.

Sakura laughed again and Mayu's lips twitched. "You guys suck," she grumbled and Naruto threw a piece of zucchini at her, then cringed when Yoshino gave him a  _look._

Mayu turned big eyes on Shikamaru, who twitched. "You'll defend my honor, won't you?" His eyes darted to the side. That was a yes.

She turned back to Sasuke, who was eyeing Shikamaru with what she was pretty sure was wariness. She gave him her smuggest smile.

Mayu leaned back in her chair and met Shikaku's gaze across the table. He smiled at her and winked, as though they were sharing a joke, and she beamed back at him.

Being alive certainly had its perks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o.O
> 
> Please don't kill me to death.
> 
> Those of you who guessed who the leader was...congratulations? Do congratulations work here?


	18. And This is How it Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayu's finally cleared for active duty, Shikamaru proves he is still the best and more shit goes down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the last chapter! 
> 
> Thank you so much for all the support that you have given me throughout this adventure. Every person that left kudos or a kind or encouraging comment (or ten) - you were such a help in giving me the inspiration and confidence to keep going.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the ending. :)

Shikamaru twisted his body to avoid Akamaru's spinning attack but didn't let go of the jutsu that was holding the ninken's partner in place. "A little help here, Ino, Chouji," he gritted out.

"I'm kinda busy!" Ino snapped as she flipped backward to get out of range of Hinata's precise jabs.

Chouji was attempting to get close to Kiba, but Akamaru and Shino were both blocking his attempts and Shikamaru could tell that his chakra was being drained steadily by the kikaichu. They were also starting to eat away at the chakra holding together Shikamaru's shadow jutsu and he sighed and released it.

"We forfeit," he grumbled and ignored Ino's indignant gasp.

"We lost the moment  _you_ decided to deviate from the plan," he said in response to her expression and put his hands in his pockets.

He was annoyed, both because he didn't seem to be gelling as well with his old team as he used to thanks to their long separation and because there was a sharp piece of mesh poking him in the side. It must have popped out of a seam of his undershirt.

"I only deviated because  _you_ didn't account for -" Shikamaru tuned her out when he picked up a familiar chakra signature.

He looked over and sure enough, Mayu appeared on the edge of the field, walking with Torii and talking animatedly with him. Well, at him.

She gave him a big smile and a wave and he lifted his hand. Ino followed his gaze and her eyes narrowed.

"No, Shikamaru. We need to have an after-battle strategy session. You  _promised,"_ Ino said.

Shikamaru flapped a hand at her in agreement as Kiba came bounding over, grinning and looking generally proud of himself. "Ha! Look at that. I can finally say I beat a Nara." 

Shikamaru looked up at the sky, studying the clouds as they floated past, and decided it wasn't worth it to snap at him. After all Hinata, Shino, and Kiba had done them a favor by agreeing to a freeform spar once a week. Itachi had suggested that Shikamaru begin training with his old team in preparation for him leaving ANBU. When he did go on missions again as a regular jounin and advisor to Itachi, it would most likely be either solo or with them.

"Well, I think the issue is that we just don't know each other's strengths anymore," Ino said, crossing her arms and cocking her hip to the side.

Shikamaru looked over at her, surprised. He hadn't expected her to do anything but bitch about his failed plan. That was a good summation of the problem. Maybe he wasn't the only one who had changed the past few years.

"Um, I think Ino-chan's right," Hinata said. "You just need to practice together again - you almost had us, but your timing was a little off."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement, already planning out practice sessions that would help them get used to each other's fighting styles again. He lifted his arms to stretch, then cursed as the bit of metal sticking into his side scraped at the already raw skin with more force.

"Stupid shirt, I'm never buying from Halu's again," he muttered, then grabbed the hem of both shirts and tugged them over his head.

"Damn, Shika," Ino said and let out a low wolf whistle. He ignored her in favor of attempting to tug his black overshirt free so he could put it back on.

"Mayu!" Torii's alarmed voice said from across the clearing and Shikamaru's head snapped up. His heart almost beat its way out of his chest when he saw Mayu sprawled at the base of a tree rubbing her forehead, Torii kneeling next to her.

Shikamaru made a hand sign and blurred across the field. Mayu's lower lip was sticking out and there was a red spot on her forehead and a small amount of blood coming from her nose. Torii seemed to be holding back laughter as he removed a bandage from his pouch and gently wiped at the blood.

"Mayu," Shikamaru said and knelt next to her. Her gaze went from Torii to him and then widened.

"Shika!" She squeaked and her eyes lowered to his chest before glazing over. "You...still don't have a shirt on."

He looked down, a little annoyed that she was talking about something so inane when she was hurt. "What happened? Did you get dizzy and fall? Did Fakui-san push you too hard again in physical therapy?" Shikamaru was going to kill that glasses-wearing slave driver one day. Mayu had forbidden Shikamaru from coming to their sessions because he 'couldn't handle it,' otherwise, he would have been there to make sure he didn't force her to overwork herself.

Mayu's eyes went wide and she plastered herself against him while Torii huffed. "No, she's fine. She just got a little distracted and didn't see the tree."

His lips quirked up and Shikamaru looked at the tree in question with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't exactly diminutive. He then jumped as Mayu's hands ran up his chest and she made a happy noise.

Behind him Kiba broke into raucous laughter - they'd all followed him over when he came to check on Mayu. "Oh, I wonder what could have taken her attention so thoroughly," Kiba said and Hinata giggled.

Mayu leaned back so she could smile widely at her friend. The last four months had been trying for Hinata and Mayu had told Shikamaru that she didn't laugh nearly as much as she used to.

Shikamaru's cheeks heated. "Are you saying you ran into the tree because I took my shirt off?"

Mayu unashamedly groped at one of his pecs. "Well, you're very distracting."

Ino laughed and she must have leaned over to offer Mayu a hand because Mayu brought her own up and the sound of a high five sounded by his ear. Of course, something like this is what they'd bond over. He sighed and tried to push her away so he could put his overshirt on, but she made a sound of protest and clamped onto to his shoulders. He slumped.

"Mayu. Can you please let me put my shirt back on so I can do a debrief with Ino and Chouji?"

"What? But - but I. I think I feel a little dizzy. You should take me home," she leaned back and stared up at him. Any resistance he might have mustered crumbled away into dust.

"No way! Shikamaru is going to stay here with us and finish team practice," Ino snapped.

"We - we do need to do a breakdown still, Mayu. We all agreed," Hinata added.

Mayu's shoulders drooped and she ran a finger across his abdomen. "Fine," she muttered.

Shikamaru let out a breath of relief when she crawled out of his lap and stalked over to a tree to sit under it and look generally annoyed. Things would have become (more) embarrassing for him if she had kept wiggling around on top of him and groping him.

Torii rolled his eyes and followed and soon the two were bent over a sheaf of papers, arguing over first aid procedures. "...if they aren't bleeding out, then the case comes first!" Mayu said. Torii gave her  _a look_ and she shrunk back a little.

"I mean, of course, the health of my partner comes first," she muttered and Torii went back to looking bored.

Shikamaru finally managed to separate his overshirt from the torture device that his mesh armor had become and pulled it over his head. Then he went back to his original task of trying to make his team a unit again. At least he had another seven months before they'd be expected to be in fighting shape as an elite team of Itachi's shinobi. Half an hour later he wandered over to Mayu and Torii.

"But  _why_ can't you be on my team?" she asked and Torii looked up at the leaves above them and sighed.

"I told you, I've already accepted a different position in the MPF. Besides, don't you want Hinata? You shouldn't have more than two non-Uchiha on your team, you know it's a balancing act right now."

"...I guess," Mayu grumbled. "But I hope you know that wherever you're at it won't be as cool as being on the Internal Investigations Unit."

Shikamaru tilted his head to the side, a little surprised. He'd assumed Mayu would strong-arm Torii and Hinata both into being on her team (not that Hinata would need to be strong-armed) and to hell with the politics. Sometimes he forgot what a significant influence Fugaku had on her.

"I can't say I'll miss running around at odd hours looking for murderers," Torii said and Mayu's eyes sharpened.

"So you're not taking a captainship or position on one of the other investigation teams. Interesting. That really just leaves -"

"Sweetheart, you ready to go?" Shikamaru asked, deciding to save Mayu from herself before she started deducing information that wasn't supposed to be public yet.

She was immediately distracted. "Yes! Bye, Torii." She shoved the paperwork at him before jumping up and skipping to Shikamaru's side, ignoring the medic's good-natured grumbling.

"I have a surprise for you," she whispered into his ear and Shikamaru couldn't stop the small shiver that moved down his spine.

They'd only had sex the once before Mayu was injured, but the memories had been a little torturous the past few months. The past month specifically, when Mayu was reasonably mobile but her body was still in the process of healing.

Shikamaru had ended up having to stay strong a few times when Mayu got a little too enthusiastic in a makeout session. Well, he'd mostly stayed strong. Last week he'd ended up letting her give him a handjob. In his defense, it had been six in the morning and his brain wasn't in high gear yet.

"Oh?" he said as casually as he could, reaching out and threading his fingers through hers.

He waved goodbye to his team and Mayu called out a more enthusiastic one to Hinata and Kiba before they made their way across the field.

"Mm. Fakui-san cleared me."

"For active duty?"

She tilted her head and looked up at him through her lashes. "For all physical activity."

Shikamaru stumbled and just like that he'd lost the battle of keeping his body under control. "Right," he said and pulled her against him before speeding through the hand signs and blurring the rest of the way to her apartment.

She was laughing when they landed outside of her apartment building. She grinned up at Shikamaru and they both ignored 2C's indignant muttering about their sudden arrival. She unlocked the lobby door, then took off running through it. Shikamaru chased after her, heart thumping and a grin spreading across his face.

She was fast, but he was motivated and he stayed on her heels until they slammed out of the stairwell and skidded to a stop in front of her door. She was out of breath - he didn't envy her the physical conditioning she'd need to do to get back into shape - but she still managed to unlock the door and then tug him inside.

She slammed him against the door after it closed behind them and his breath left him in a _whoosh._ Then her lips were attached to his own and her hands were in his shirt and rational thought fled for a while. 

000

"Oh," Mayu collapsed against him on the bed a good half an hour later, skin damp with sweat. "I think we should quit our jobs and just do that all the time."

He laughed but didn't have time to answer before the sound of the front door opening reached them. Mayu looked up, alarm clear on her face, and Shikamaru realized belatedly that they hadn't closed her bedroom door and  _she had a roommate._ They sat, frozen, as all movement in the hallway stopped, and then Sasuke's calm voice could be heard from around the corner.

"Mayu, I'm just going to assume you dropped yours and Shikamaru's laundry on the floor while bringing it to your room to put away."

Shikamaru closed his eyes and banged his head back against the wall. Well, there went all of the goodwill he'd been building up with Sasuke and Kakashi the past few months. They had not taken the news of Shikamaru's and Mayu's mini-breakup well at all and had shown him just how much they disapproved with a 'friendly' sparring session. Or three.

"Uh, wow, Sasuke, you should probably join the MPF," Mayu called from where she was still perched on top of him. "I mean, you figured out exactly what happened!"

Sasuke sighed and a moment later the sound of his door closing a little too firmly reached their ears.

"Oops?" she whispered and then giggled at Shikamaru's unimpressed expression.

000

Mayu hummed as she left her bedroom the next morning, a little sore from the additional two times she and Shikamaru had made love (and it was making love, with the way he'd rocked into her and looked into her eyes like she was the best thing he'd ever seen), but regretting nothing. He'd left half an hour ago for a mission after kissing her thoroughly and telling her he loved her. So cute.

Sasuke was in the kitchen looking grumpy, but then that was his default expression, so she just bustled past him to grab a banana and put together something for their lunches. It felt good to be back in her uniform and she was looking forward to working with Fugaku and Hayao on putting together her team.

It would be at least a month before she would be in good enough shape to try for jounin, but that didn't mean she couldn't start looking through files and choosing her team members and discussing the overall structure and role of the unit in more depth. Maybe there'd even be an interesting murder to solve that week.

"You know, there are these things called privacy seals," Sasuke grumped after a few minutes and Mayu's eyes widened. She turned to Sasuke and swallowed a bite of banana.

"Uh," she said. 

"If you're going to force me to live with you -"

"I didn't force you!" She cut him off hotly and he sent her a disbelieving look before continuing.

" - the least you could do is make sure I'm not having to listen to you hump your boyfriend."

"We were making love!" she protested, but he continued to ignore her as he stood and moved to help her put together their bentos, slamming the sliced vegetables down on the counter.

"I mean, honestly, I don't need to hearhow hot Shikamaru thinks it is 'when you do that,' whatever horrendous thing 'that' is," he grumbled.

Mayu's cheeks heated as she remembered  _exactly_ what 'that thing' was, but she just sniffed and put her nose into the air.

"Just because  _you're_ not interested in the beautiful and very pleasurable act of sex -" he made a gagging noise while placing rice balls into each of the open containers, "-does not mean that others don't enjoy it."

"I didn't say you couldn't enjoy it," he said while she handed him his complete bento before tossing her banana peel in the garbage. "I just said I don't want to  _hear_ you enjoy it."

"...Fine," she said, because he had a point, and nudged his sandals towards him while he made sure his sword was strapped into place.

"Fine," he replied and they exited the apartment together.

He crossed his arms and tapped his foot while he waited for her to lock the door and they made their way down the stairs. They didn't like to take the window because the alley their windows looked out into was, frankly, disgusting. One of their upstairs neighbors was also in the habit of peeing out of his window when drunk, which was often, and she didn't want to chance getting caught in the spray.

They walked towards the MPF in silence. When they reached it she turned to him, still a little amused that everybody seemed to think she needed actual escorts to go places, but not stupid enough to argue. You fake-die one timeand everybody freaks out. Honestly.

"What is team Kakashi up to today?" she asked, waving hello to another officer coming on duty when he nodded at her. Huh, he usually pretended she didn't exist. Maybe he just saw the uniform and greeted it before realizing who was wearing it.

"Practice," Sasuke said with a shrug. "We still on for team dinner tonight?"

"Uh-huh," she said, then yawned. She blinked when his eyes darted to the side, a sure sign that he was nervous.

"What is it?" 

He shrugged. "Having lunch with my father today."

Mayu wrinkled her nose. "So you're going to get another 'the elders have found another perfect match for you and oh, look, being clan head is so fun!' lecture?"

He snorted. "You make it sound much more interesting than it is." 

"Well, you can bitch to us about it tonight all you want." 

"I do not 'bitch' about things," he said in a bitchy tone and she laughed and patted him on the head.

He leaned away from her hand and jumped down the steps, glaring up at her. "Don't blow anything up today."

"Sure, as long as you avoid setting anything on fire!" she called. He made a rude gesture and she snickered before turning to enter the building.

She stepped into the bullpen, humming under her breath and swinging her bento in one hand. After a moment she realized it was uncharacteristically silent. She looked up and froze when she saw that every eye in the place was focused on her.

"Uh," she said and took a step back.

Had she done anything weird lately that would make a hoard of Uchiha stare her down? Maybe they'd heard that she had accosted their expected future clan head's virgin ears the night before with the sounds of her naughty relations?

Dai was leaning against his desk and she sent him a pleading expression that she hoped conveyed  _please don't let me die by Uchiha today._ He raised an eyebrow and then lifted his hands. She twitched. Slowly, he began to clap them together.

She blinked rapidly when the other officers in the room joined him. She stood in the doorway, gaping, as the officers that had always looked upon her with either disdain or wary acceptance applauded her. Sure, some of them still looked like they had smelled something particularly awful while they did it, but they were still...clapping.

Mayu glanced over her shoulder, but, nope, it was still just her standing there. Was she supposed to bow or something?

Thankfully, Fugaku saved her from herself when he made his way through the crowd. He held up his hand and just like that everyone was going back to their days as though they hadn't just caused Mayu's brain to short circuit.

His eyes crinkled at her and he motioned for her to follow him. "Mayu, I'm glad to see you back."

"Uh. Yeah, me too. Hey, Fugaku-shishou, what just happened?" she whispered.

He glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow. "You were badly injured protecting the clan and the village. You sacrificed yourself to save my daughter. They are thankful."

Mayu let him lead her into his office and plopped down in the chair he held out for her at her desk. "But...they hate me," she said and he sent her a sharp look.

"You are different than what they expected my protegé to be, but they do not hate you."

"Huh," she said, then shook her head and looked down at her desk, which had a pile of files on it.

"Ooooh," she breathed. "Are these -"

"Those are officers who applied to join the Investigation Unit in the past six months. I've gone through and made a list of those I think might do well. I want you to choose one person from there and your other two members will come from the team you currently work on. I assume Torii-san already informed you that I have other plans for him."

"Yes," she grumbled, then tacked on, "but honestly, I planned on making sure half the team consisted of Uchiha anyway."

She opened the file and raised her eyebrow at the smiling round face of a young man named Uchiha Luto.

"Explain." Fugaku lowered himself into his seat. He was technically still healing from his own injury, but the medics had only been able to keep him away from the MPF for a month before he simply stopped listening to them.

"Well, I had a few reasons," she said, running her eyes over Luto's stats. "The first is that there's still a bit of push-back on the integration of non-Uchiha officers, so I don't want to make a team that's mostly made up of non-clan members."

The bitterness about the integration was less intense than it was three years ago, but she still had to be careful not to push it. Itachi and Shikaku bringing multiple Uchiha onto teams in other village departments had gone a long way towards soothing ruffled feathers, though.

Fugaku hummed his agreement, so she continued. "The second reason is that I want to show that just because a...a high ranking member of the clan turned out to be, um..."

"A traitor," Fugaku supplied calmly - too calmly -and she grimaced.

"Right. One traitor doesn't mean that I, or the village, don't trust Uchiha in general. Putting two on the Internal Investigations team will make a statement."

"Very good," Fugaku murmured and she lifted her head to smile at him at the praise.

"I'm assuming you've already chosen who you want on your team, then?"

"Yep! Akito and Hinata and then I want to get a heavy hitter with at least a modicum of reasoning skills for our fourth - we'll need some serious firepower if we're going to be focused on keeping our forces in line. Gotta have enough bite to go with our bark, you know."

He was silent and she looked over at him and chewed on her lip. "Do you not approve?"

Fugaku drummed his fingers on the desk. "It's not that I don't approve, exactly. Akito is an obvious choice - he will balance your more excitable nature nicely. I'd suggest making him your second in command.

"Hinata is a good addition because her clan techniques are invaluable in a close-ranged fight against shinobi. She also has a talent for investigation and her Byakugan is useful for surveillance and tracking."

"I sense a but coming," Mayu said.

He studied her. "But you must be above reproach, Mayu. You cannot let misconduct slide because somebody on your team is a good friend."

Mayu opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. What would reprimanding Hinata even  _look_ like? She couldn't remember Dai doing it even once - all he had to do was give her a gentle reminder when she messed up.

"Huh. I suppose...I could have a grown-up conversation with her before officially requesting her transfer." Mayu wrinkled her nose in distaste, but Fugaku nodded.

"I think setting clear expectations is always best, yes." Mayu slumped as visions of her and Hinata doing what they wanted when they wanted crumbled. Ugh, being an adult sucked sometimes.

"Luto-san is quite strong," Fugaku finally said after she'd sulked for a while. "His captain also mentioned that he's good at thinking on his feet."

"Yeah and he's what, twenty-three? That would make a good mix of ages with Akito-san on the team," she muttered.

They worked in silence for a few hours before Torii sauntered in.

"Fugaku-sama, Dai-taicho was wondering if you would come to look something over in Investigation Room Three."

Mayu perked up even as she shifted in her chair to relieve some lingering discomfort. Maybe she and Shikamaru shouldn't have gone for that third round, even if it had been -

"Are you okay, Mayu?" Fugaku asked and she looked up, cheeks heating.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine, totally fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked with a nervous laugh and Fugaku raised a brow.

"You seem to be experiencing discomfort. I know you were cleared for light duty, but if you are still in pain, you can take another few days before returning to work."

Mayu blanched at the thought of going back to the boring existence that had been her life the past four months. Her recovery had taken longer than originally expected thanks to her little field trip with Shisui.

Torii was edging towards her, hands twitching, and she scooted her chair back a few feet and held up her hands.

"No! No, my pelvis is totally fine. I just - I'm not used to sitting in one place for so long!" Torii narrowed his eyes and she was pretty sure her cheeks had somehow flushed an even deeper red.

"Really, my pelvis is totally healed, shishou. Uh, hey, you want me to come along with you to help Dai-taicho? Cause I can -"

"No, thank you," Fugaku said, though he was looking at her with a familiar expression of suspicion. Torii's face had cleared in realization, however, and he proceeded to glare at her.

"Take a long lunch break, at least," Fugaku said and she resisted pointing out that he wasn't moving like a spring chicken at the moment either when he stood.

Since she preferred living the rest of her life without being burnt to a crisp, she stayed silent. He had barely left the room when Torii stalked around her desk and reached for her.

"Idiot," he grumbled. "When your doctor cleared you for light duty he didn't mean you and Shikamaru should hump like rabbits."

Mayu made an indignant noise and slapped at his hands as they moved towards her pelvis. "Why does everybody keep calling it that! We  _made love,_ we didn't hump."

"Well, I don't know what else to call it if you're this uncomfortable the next day. He obviously didn't use much finesse - will you hold still," he hissed at her.

"No! And he used plenty of finesse! It's just that by the third time it was -"

" _Three times,_ do you have no self-control?" Torii snapped and slapped back at her, one hand succeeding in making its way to her abdomen.

"Hey, it's been months and he's just really good at it, okay, and stop that, I'm fine!"She yelped as his other hand joined the first.

"Stop struggling! I need to make sure you didn't injure your pelvis again with your hormonal display of adolescence."

"Well, now you just sound like an old man. I'm fine! Hey, your hand is cold, stop it -"

A throat clearing in the doorway had both of them freezing, Torii with one of his hands rucking up her shirt and the other resting on her hip. Mayu's hands were wrapped around his wrists and she was leaning so far over the edge of her chair that she looked like she was going to fall out of it.

"Am I interrupting something?" Kakashi asked in a pleasant tone and Torii gulped. He jumped back so fast that Mayu lost her balance and would have toppled out of her chair if Kakashi hadn't flashed across the room to steady her.

"Uh, nope, no. Torii was just giving me a check-up, making sure I'm good on my first day back," she chirped, pulling her clothing back into place.

Shikamaru was already nervous around Kakashi, if he made her boyfriend 'spar' with him again over this he might never recover.

"I heard something about you injuring yourself?" he said, his eye narrowed on her.

"Oh! Well, um. Torii's worried that I did too many...squats yesterday. Though  _I_ think it's none of his business," she said with a sniff. "But Fukui-san said I was cleared for squats and he didn't specify how many were too many."

"Well," Torii said between gritted teeth as Kakashi turned one interested eye on him, "Let's keep it at one set a day for the next month, huh?"

"One set!" Mayu gasped. "But that's -"

"Perfectly reasonable," Torii said. "I'll make sure to let Shikamaru know."

Mayu deflated and Kakashi eyed her. "Weren't you going to ask Gai if you could join his new exercise group in the mornings? You should let him know, too."

Mayu was pretty sure her face did something strange at that, but she gave Kakashi a pained smile and patted his arm. "Um, yeah, that's a good idea Kakashi-sensei," she said as Torii made a strangled noise.

"You are not letting that  _maniac_ be in charge of your exercise program, you'll end up in the hospital again by the end of the week -"

"Um, bye Torii!" she called and grabbed her lunch before dragging Kakashi out of the room. Why were all medics so uppity, anyway?

A few minutes later they were sitting on a low wall sharing her bento while she filled him in on the team she was putting together. "And Fugaku-shishou is worried that I'll give Hinata preferential treatment, but really, doesn't everybody already do that anyway? You'd have to be crazy not to love her -"

He was nodding along with her, his eye curved up in one of his proper smiles when she spotted a familiar hat and headpiece walking through the crowd.

"Oh! Hey, Rōshi-san, Han-san!" she called.

They both stopped and turned towards her and she waved until they caught sight of her. They made their way over, weaving through the crowd.

"Hey, Mayu-san, Kakashi-san," Rōshi greeted. "Having a lunch break?"

"Yep. What are you two up to?" she asked and kicked her legs against the wall.

Han's eyes crinkled up at the corners and Mayu realized how weird it was that she could read facial expressions just from looking at somebody's eyes now. Ninja were a strange bunch.

"We just finished meeting with Uchiha-sama. We've been approved to join the Allied Shinobi Forces," he said.

"Oh?" Kakashi said. "That's a big deal."

As missing unaffiliated nin, they had to be sponsored by a village in order to join. Itachi had taken on a big political mess to do so since Iwa was pressuring them to return to their home village. Naruto told her that Gaara had gone through something similar when he sponsored Utakata, though Kiri was still so politically and economically weak that they hadn't put up much of a fight.

Mayu assumed that when Rōshi and Han had point-blank refused to go back (they had made their opinions on Iwagakure very,  _very_ clear) the Allied Forces had collectively decided that having them under somebody's control and protection was better than them running about getting attacked by evil Akatsuki plant people.

"Yeah, we're leaving after Uchiha-sama's wedding. So I guess we'll be out of Ensui-san and Kakashi-san's hair soon," Rōshi said.

He looked bored but Mayu could see he was pleased. He had told Ensui once, while Mayu was laying on his couch with her head in Ensui's lap looking pitiful, that he'd like to feel as if he was doing something against the threat of the Akatsuki instead of running scared all the time.

"Hey, you'll be here for my birthday then," she said with another yawn.

Kakashi sent her a concerned look before turning his attention back to the shinobi in front of him.

"We don't mind having you around," he said with a shrug before taking out his book. Mayu leaned around him to see what part he was at but he expertly angled the page so she couldn't read it.

"Yeah, well, we figure four months is a long time to intrude on your hospitality," Han said and Kakashi lowered his book enough to send him a one-eyed unimpressed stare.

"You know Ensui and Shikaku-sama don't think you're intruding since for some reason they're happy you brought this one back from the dead," he said and pointed a thumb at Mayu.

"Hey," she said mildly, then, "but it's true. I wouldn't be surprised if Papa had a notebook somewhere with 'Nara Rōshi' and 'Nara Han' written on the front in sparkly ink with little hearts drawn around it."

Kakashi snorted but didn't comment and Rōshi glared at her. "What? He and Ensui-nii love you guys. Like, a lot. I think mom is starting to suspect something untoward is happening."

Mayu waggled her eyebrows and laughed when Rōshi turned and walked away, his usual response to her.

"Uh, bye Mayu-san, bye Kakashi-san," Han said and she giggled when she saw a red tinge on his cheeks above his mask.

"Uh oh sensei, Han might have a bit of a crush on Ensui-nii," she teased.

He ignored her while pointedly turn a page in his book.

Mayu went back to work shortly after that and was a little freaked out when officers who usually ignored her entrance gave what amounted to enthusiastic greetings for them (mostly nods and once or twice a "Nomaka-san"). She hid in Fugaku's office the rest of the day, who seemed mildly amused by the whole situation. He was, in fact, in a weirdly good mood after his lunch with Sasuke, which was the opposite reaction of what she had expected.

Generally after they got together they were both complete grumps. It made her suspicious, but no matter how much she poked and prodded and not-so-subtly asked, Fugaku wouldn't reveal what they'd talked about.

Sasuke was waiting for her when she got off work and she frowned at his general twitchiness as he walked her home. She opened her mouth to pester him, but he just shook his head at her once. "I'll tell you at team dinner."

She would have argued but was feeling more worn out from her first day back at work than she wanted to admit, so let it go. They took turns showering and she put on a knit dress with long sleeves since it was still fairly cool out. When Sasuke sauntered out into their living room she had already put on a thick jacket and scarf.

The whole winter had been miserable for her since she seemed to always be cold.Yoshino said it was because her body's energy was all going into healing - not to mention the weight she'd lost when she was recovering. Ugh, it was going to be awful getting back into shape.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her bundled up figure. "It's sixty degrees out."

She just stuck her tongue out at him and buttoned her coat.

They met Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura at a BBQ restaurant despite Naruto's whining about the lack of ramen. They'd started eating together once a week where possible now that everybody was back in the village. Mayu also planned to start doing team practices with them every once in awhile, though she doubted she'd be sent out of the village very often with her new job. As a  _captain_ of her very own investigation team.

They'd just finished ordering when Sasuke spoke. "I met with my father today," he started, then stopped and pressed his lips together, his expression a complicated mix of frustration and acceptance of the inevitable that meant he was about to say something feelings-related.

Naruto poked his cheek when he continued to just sit there. "Spit it out, huh? I want to hear about Mayu-chan's first day back."

Sasuke swatted at Naruto's finger. "I've made a decision." He twitched in what might have been nerves. Kakashi had put his book away, probably sensing that this was about to become an Important Discussion.

Sasuke sighed when he saw all of their eyes were focused on him. "I've agreed to take over as clan head when I turn twenty-one."

Mayu's jaw dropped, Sakura's eyes widened, and Naruto flailed. Kakashi just hummed and nodded, as though he'd seen it coming. Maybe he had - Sasuke had been his apprentice, after all, and they were still pretty close.

"But...I thought you didn't want to be clan head?" Sakura said, a lilt at the end making it a question instead of a statement.

"I don't, not really." Sasuke shrugged. "But it's my duty. My brother and father have worked hard to integrate the Uchiha into the village and have been fairly successful. It's recently come to my attention that there are other issues in the clan they have not had the capital or time to address. I can do something about them if I become the next head of the clan. People will take my actions as an example and my word as law."

Mayu stared at him. "Like...what issues?" Of course, she had some opinions, but who knew what he was talking about. Maybe he didn't like their stupid high collared shirts.

"Like the way women are generally pushed into the role of homemaker," he said.

They all stared at him and Mayu's jaw dropped open again. Since when was Sasuke a feminist?

"Don't look so surprised," he grumbled. "I had two stubborn, talented kunoichi on my genin team, of course, I don't think you should just make babies and then quit. Uh, unless you want to."

His mouth twisted at the end of his ramble and if he were any less poised and Uchiha-ey he might have banged his head on the table after blurting that out.

Both Mayu and Sakura were beaming at him. Naruto clapped him on the back, and Kakashi eye-smiled at him.

"That's not all," Sasuke said.

"There's more?" Mayu eyed him while reaching for her glass. Wasn't Sasuke supposed to be the steady, non-dramatic one?

"I mentioned living by example," he grumbled, then stopped and his eyes darted to Sakura for just a moment.

Mayu knocked her water glass over as she put the pieces together. "But you don't want to get married!" she blurted, then cringed when Sasuke glared at her.

Kakashi had gone still and was staring at his student. Naruto was gaping and Sakura's face had paled.

"I changed my mind," he said. "Today the elders also approved my betrothal to Uchiha Yuhui."

"Ooooh," Mayu breathed once she connected the dots. "You mean - you're going to encourage her to keep working at the MPF? Take on the elders about it?"

He nodded and for some stupid reason Mayu's eyes filled with tears. She'd been seriously worried about her old partner's future. She stood and scurried around the table, ignoring Sasuke's protests when she bent over and hugged him fiercely.

"Sasuke! That - that's amazing. When you said live by example, you really meant it. And Yuhui doesn't have to be sad and miserable just to keep a good standing in the clan. You - you two are going to lead a revolution! Now Chiasa-chan can be my apprentice and not just be forced into marriage at a young age. I love you!" He pushed her face away when she tried to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"What do you mean, Chiasa can be your apprentice? I refuse to allow this, as clan head I'll -"

"Aw, but Sasuke, I've already started teaching her how to do chakra threads. She says she wants a centipede puppet, isn't that so cute? I haven't told her yet that it'll be a little too advanced for her until she's, like, a jounin. I think we'll start with a grasshopper."

"Mayu,  _no -"_

"Chiasa is going to be a puppeteer? That's great! I can't wait to tell Gaara that Sand's Puppet Corps is about to get some serious competition -"

"Do not encourage her, Naruto. Chiasa is going to have a nice, calm Uchiha for a master. Even a  _Hyuuga_ would be better." Sasuke's nose wrinkled in distaste and Mayu made an affronted noise on Hinata's behalf.

"So you - you're getting married?" Sakura said, voice so low Mayu almost didn't hear her speak.

Mayu stopped trying to shove her face against Sasuke's and her eyes went wide. In front of her Sasuke's expression went blank and his hands dropped from where they'd been straining to hold her away from him. Right. Sakura was still in love with Sasuke.

"That - that's really. That's just. Congratulations," she said and when Mayu looked over her eyes were overbright and her smile looked plastered onto her face.

"And to Yuhui-san. She - she's a hero in your clan like Mayu, right? And she's so - so pretty," her voice cracked on the last word.

"Sakura..." Naruto said and reached a hand towards her.

"Oh, crap, look at that. I totally forgot about something shishou asked me to do," Sakura said and stood, ignoring the way her chair clattered onto the floor in favor of taking off.

Mayu moved to go after her, but Kakashi waved her away. "I'll go."

Mayu eyed him, wondering what possible comfort he thought he was going to give his female broken-hearted student. "Uh, Sensei -"

"Mayu, I doubt she wants to hear from somebody who found her future husband at the age of six," he said and she slumped.

"...Right," she said, but Kakashi was already gone.

The walk back to their apartment was silent after they said goodbye to a fretting Naruto, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Sasuke's face was drawn and he was staring down at the ground.

"It wouldn't have been right," Mayu said after they'd entered their apartment and taken off their shoes. "To marry Sakura, I mean. She - she loves you in a way that you couldn't love her back. With Yuhui-san...I'm guessing you two have an understanding?"

Sasuke glanced at her before heading into the kitchen and pulling out a bottle of sake. She sat at their small two-person table and waited patiently while he grabbed two mismatched sake cups and set them down. He then sat across from her and spent some time filling them.

"...Yes."

"You know...there are other ways to go about getting around the whole 'you must marry and make little tiny Uchiha,' decree," Mayu said, then took a sip of the sake.

"I know." He downed his own shot before reaching for the bottle again. "But I wanted to do this."

"Why?" she asked before draining her full cup at his pointed look. He refilled it.

"Romance and sex are never going to be something I want," he said after gulping down more sake. Mayu followed his example because apparently, they needed to be drunk to have this conversation.

"Right," she said, because she'd strongly suspected that Sasuke was aromantic and asexual for years.

"That doesn't mean I don't want a family." Sasuke glared down at his cup. Yep, even tipsy Sasuke hated talking about his feelings.

"Well...I think you could adopt." She accepted another refill, blinking slowly as her body started to feel warm and relaxed.

"Yes, but," he ran a hand through his hair, struggling with whatever it was he wanted to say. He downed another cup.

"My mother and father. They love each other, but it's more than that. They're partners, too. They know that they'll always back each other up. I wanted something like that."

"You want a partner," Mayu said, voice slurred. "Without all the icky sex n' sappy feelings."

He nodded once, then refilled her glass. "I met Yuhui-san when you were in the hospital. I overheard her arguing with...I don't know, an ex? I realized from their conversation that she was in a similar position as me.

"So we started talking and...at first it was just nice to have somebody to talk to about it that could understand," he said, fingers playing over his cup. Mayu stared at him, eyes wide at the admission.

"Then we became friends. I think - I mean I know - that I can trust her to be my partner. She won't have to pretend to want something she doesn't and neither will I. We'll find a medic to...make it happen when we're ready for kids at some point. And the whole thing was her idea. She knew that together we could make things better for the next generation."

Sasuke flapped a hand in the air and Mayu giggled when she saw how red his cheeks were getting from the sake.

"Torii'll do it," she declared and took a large gulp of the sake. "He'll be all, not-judgey and stuff. You know, you two will make adorable babies."

Sasuke looked smug at that and she rolled her eyes.

"It's sad though. I wish...I wish you two could just be who you are and not have to worry about the clan. Especially Yuhui."

Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I tried to convince her to just say fuck 'em, you know? Fuck the stupid elders and their bullshit old-fashioned views. The rest of the village has caught up, why haven't they? But she's determined to do this, so I thought that I could at least make it better for her. This way she won't be married to some man who thinks it's his right to grope her and force her to stay home. And together we can work towards a system that's not so...so...'our way or you're dead to us,' you know?"

Mayu swayed in her chair. "Hey, you know - you know most Uchiha are okay, once you get past all the...seriousness and stuffiness. I think that the elders are just, really old. It's like...the Nara elders suck too.

"Did you know - did you know they have to  _approve_ our engagement before we can get married? Because they can't let just  _anyone_ into the clan. Pfft. And they're not very nice to Torii and they even said something to papa 'bout Ensui-nii and how he wasn't doing his duty by making little baby geniuses to uphold the family line or whatever."

There weren't a lot of negative feelings about same-sex couples in general in the village, but there was this old-fashioned idea that strong shinobi and kunoichi should serve the village by creating morestrong shinobi and kunoichi. It tended to make long-term same-sex relationships (or people who wanted no relationships at all) a little frowned upon by the older generations.

Mayu figured it was still some left over ideals from the warring era when people were dropping like flies and all the shinobi in a clan just dying out was a real concern. Even Tsunade had to deal with disapproving grumblings from the council on her decision not to procreate and she was terrifying.

Sasuke scoffed. "Please, like the world needs more Nara."

"Hey! Ensui-nii would have awesome babies. Too bad Kakashi-sensei doesn't have a womb," she said sadly and took another drink while Sasuke choked on his own.

"You're so drunk," he said when he'd recovered.

They both sat in their chairs drinking for a few minutes, cheeks red and eyes unfocused. When Sasuke spoke again, his voice was slurred but still strong.

"I amgoing to make things better. And Yuhui is going to be a good partner in that. We - we're going to make things better."

Mayu reached over the table and patted his hand, a little burp escaping her before she answered. "I know you are. Chiasa is lucky to have such an awesome brother that - that is working hard to make her clan a better space for her."

His lips quirked up into a small smile and Mayu beamed at him.

000

The next morning she practically crawled home from training with Gai and the few other shinobi and kunoichi he'd rounded up for his insane exercise group. The fact that she was a little hungover didn't help, but she forced herself to do it anyway. She really needed to get into fighting shape again.

She showered and got dressed before slinking into work. Dai put her on cold cases and she sat at her desk in the bullpen to look through them. After the sixth Uchiha officer had come up to her with well-wishes she grabbed a stack of files from a bewildered passing intern and took off for the silence of Archives.

Sakura found her there half an hour later, glaring at a shelf that some idiot intern had misfiled a bunch of closed cases in. Where had Fugaku found these interns, anyway?

"Mayu," Sakura said and she jumped. She needed to get better at the whole sensing people thing...someday.

She spun around and paused when she took Sakura in. She looked like she hadn't slept much and her eyes were a little puffy. Her hair and medic uniform was neat, though, since Sakura was pretty much never a slob.

Her lips were pressed together and one of her hands was fisted at her side. The other was on her hip and her eyes were staring straight into Mayu's.

"Sakura! Hey. Uh, you look kinda...angry," she finished lamely and resisted the urge to step back when Sakura took a deep breath.

"You knew," Sakura said in a shaking voice. "There's no way you didn't know."

Mayu swallowed. "Knew what? Because there's a long list of things that I -"

"That Sasuke was dating somebody. And you - you just let me continue to - to -" She cut herself off and Mayu's jaw dropped as she realized that Sakura was mad at  _her._

"Okay, first of all, I was just as surprised as you" She held up a hand when Sakura opened her mouth to respond, "but if I had figured something like that out and Sasuke wanted to keep it a secret, then I wouldn't have told."

Mayu crossed her arms over her chest and glared. It wasn't herfault that Sakura had been unwilling to let go of her ridiculous crush on their teammate.

"Why? Why would you choose him over me? You've always liked him better!"Sakura yelled and Mayu blinked at the outburst.

"What? What are you talking about? I have not!"

"You didn't even ask if I wanted to be your roommate."

Mayu held her hands up as Sakura's eyes filled with tears. "Sakura! That had nothing to do with playing favorites. Sasuke and Fugaku-shishou were always fighting when he was home. It just made sense -"

"And you never - you never even bothered to tell me Sasuke didn't love me." Sakura's breath hitched on the last word and Mayu sighed.

"That's because you already knew and didn't want to hear it."

Sakura stared at her for a long moment before all of the anger seemed to just drain out of her and Mayu was left with a crying girl in the middle of Archives while she was supposed to be working. Luckily Fugaku didn't walk in on her awkwardly hugging Sakura and staring at the ceiling while she cried.

She showed up at Sakura's house with ice cream and the sequel to Chiha the green-haired man-killer that evening. They stuffed themselves on junk food and Sakura watched Chiha go on a killing spree with too much glee.

Mayu woke up the next morning with her face plastered to the Haruno's couch by a puddle of melted ice cream and Sakura snoring in her ear. Gai's exercise group was still horrible.

The rest of the week was thankfully drama free and on the sixth day after her return, Dai let her go out into the field. It was a case involving a kidnapped pet parakeet of a rich merchant who had too many connections on the Village Council. She'd requested Fugaku's apprentice specifically. It seemed Mayu was gaining a reputation.

Mayu found the parakeet at a park dropping twigs on children's heads from a tree branch. The merchant sheepishly admitted she 'may' have left her door open 'just for a moment' earlier that day. Dai spent the afternoon calling her their 'very best animal detective' in an Uchiha-serious tone while secretly laughing at her.

Mayu crawled into bed that evening feeling a little disappointed. The next day was her eighteenth birthday and Shikamaru still wasn't home. She'd been hoping for...well, it didn't really matter. He'd be back when he was back.

She woke up at what she was pretty sure was past midnight when he crawled into bed next to her. Mayu made a happy noise and snuggled in close to him, unsure if she was actually awake. He was still a little damp from a shower and she breathed in the scent of spices and Shika-pheromones happily.

"Happy birthday," he whispered before giving her a gentle kiss that she sleepily returned.

"Parakeets," she grumbled and fell back asleep to the sound of his low laughter.

Mayu made a high pitched noise when she woke up later that morning and realized that she hadn'tbeen dreaming. He groaned and buried his face in the pillow.

"Too early," he said as she crawled onto him slipped her hands under his t-shirt.

"It's my birthday. I want birthday sex," she declared.

That's how she discovered it waspossible to motivate a Nara before seven am because the next thing she knew she was on her back and his lips were on hers.

000

Shikamaru was making her pancakes when she got out of the shower later that morning. She sat at the table and put her chin in her hand, admiring the way the muscles in his arms flexed when he flipped the pancakes.

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head when he placed her breakfast in front of her, then took the other chair. She wrapped a foot behind his ankle and spent a few happy minutes stuffing pancakes into her mouth and updating him on her week.

"Sasuke's engaged? Huh," he said when she finished telling him about Sakura's mini-breakdown in Archives. He stared down at his plate with a glum expression. She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you secretly in love with my roommate and I didn't realize it?"

"What? No. It's just..." he ran a hand through his hair - which was still down, and how mad would Shikamaru be if she just forgot to mention her 'one set of squats per day rule' before Torii got to him - and then stood abruptly.

"I want - can we go for a walk?" he asked.

"Uh. Yes?" she said, confused and a little disappointed that her plan of seducing him in the kitchen was ruined.

"Okay. Just. I'll be right back."

She stared after him as he darted out of the room, perplexed but knowing from the stubborn set of his shoulders that she'd have to wait to discover what had him acting all adorably sulky and nervous.

He came back fully dressed and holding one of his old sweaters for her to wear even though it looked like the day was going to be pleasant and sunny. He'd noticed she was having trouble staying warm and had taken to shoving extra clothing at her before they left the house.

Mayu rushed through the dishes since Sasuke always complained if she left the kitchen messy, then followed him to the door. They slipped on shoes before heading out and she smiled up at him when he grabbed her hand in his own. It didn't take her long to figure out that they were heading for the Nara compound but she didn't comment, instead enjoying the clear day and Shikamaru's presence at her side.

"...and thenthe woman tried to tell me that her parakeet would 'never just run away,' and that it must have been her evil ex-husband. But it was obviousnobody had broken in, so I..."

Shikamaru's shoulders relaxed as she rambled on about silly parakeet owners and movies about angry green-haired women. When they reached the compound Mayu turned towards their parents' house out of habit, but Shikamaru tugged her in the other direction.

They entered the woods at the side of the trail and started walking in a familiar direction towards the tree they used to spend time under every summer when they were kids. Mayu's steps became springy, looking forward to some time for just the two of them before they were sucked into birthday festivities.

When they reached the trunk of the tree, which was wide with roots that came out of the ground to create a little 'V' that was perfect for sitting in, Mayu walked over and ran her hand down its bark.

"This is a good tree," she said and patted it.

Shikamaru cleared his throat and she glanced over at him. He was staring at her, his face pale and fingers twitching.

"Shika, are you -?" she squeaked when dropped down on one knee.

"Oooh," she breathed.

She'd been hoping for this, of course, but just because Shikaku said they had to wait until they were eighteen didn't mean Shikamaru would do it the moment she was old enough. Except, apparently, he was. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box, clearing his throat and fumbling with the lid as he opened it. She stared down at the ring in awe.

The band was white with tiny diamonds set into it that sparkled in the light coming through the leaves above them. The stone was dark blue and shaped like a teardrop and was ringed by a halo of diamonds like the ones on the band.

"Yes!" she blurted, cutting off Shikamaru when he opened his mouth to speak. She reached for the ring and he pulled it back and scowled up at her.

"You have to let me ask first. I have a whole speech planned," he grumbled.

She put her hands behind her back and bounced up on the balls of her feet, unable to control the smile stretching across her face.

Shikamaru had relaxed now that she had given him a preview of her answer and he took a deep breath.

"Mayu. I knew you were special since the first time I played shogi with you," he began and she laughed because it just didn't get any more Nara than that. He flashed a grin at her and her heartbeat picked up.

"I've spent the last twelve years by your side and I want to stay there for the next fifty. So. Nomaka Mayu. Will you marry me?"

Mayu dropped to her knees and flung her arms around his neck and he swayed back with the force of her hug.

"Yes," she said again and couldn't stop her delighted peal laughter. "Of course. There's nobody else for me," she said, then pulled back so that she could kiss him.

The hand not holding the ring tangled in her hair and she opened her mouth so that they could slide their tongues together. She pressed closer to him, body buzzing with the realization that this was it - they were going to officially be together for the rest of their lives.

He pulled back and she stared at him, taking in his rare wide smile, heart full to bursting. She made a sound of protest when he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then stood, pulling her up with him.

"Let me put it on you," he whispered, plucking the ring from the velvet it was nestled in.

She held out her left hand and let out a breath as he took it gently in one hand, then slowly slipped the ring onto her finger with the other. The metal was cool against her skin and they both stood and stared at it for a long moment. Then Shikamaru looked down at her, eyes intense.

"I don't ever want to be without you," he said seriously. "When I thought you were..." his body shuddered and he shook his head. "I just want you by my side."

She stepped forward and stood on her toes and he stooped so that their foreheads were touching. She reached up and cupped the back of his neck with a hand, the one wearing his ring fisting into his shirt.

"I love you. As long as we're both here on this earth, I'm yours. Probably beyond that, really," she admitted.

Their next kiss was slow and tender and Mayu leaned forward to deepen it. His arms wrapped around her and she backed up until she was leaning against the tree. She smiled into the kiss and he pulled back.

"What?" he whispered and she looked at his red, wet lips in interest.

"Doesn't this position feel familiar?" she asked and after a moment of thought, his expression cleared.

"We made out for the first time against this tree."

"Mm-hmm," she said and grinned up at him. "You know, I can think of a few other things we could do against this tree..."

"You're ridiculous," he said, but it wasn't a no.

000

They went back to Mayu's apartment after they were done since Mayu had dirt and leaves in her hair and Shikamaru was looking entirely too self-satisfied for anybody to not guess what they'd been up to.

They showered for the second time that day and Shikamaru watched as she put on a black skirt and light pink scoop-necked shirt. She dried her hair and added some makeup, then declared herself ready.

He tangled their hands together while they walked to a dumpling stand and ordered a small lunch. Then he took her to a store that specialized in scientific equipment and materials and told her to go crazy, his treat. An hour later he staggered into her lab under the weight of the large crate that the ecstatic (but not as ecstatic as Mayu) owner had given him to carry everything in.

"You're such a good fiancé," she said and his crankiness faded at the word. They were almost late for her own birthday party because they ended up making out against one of her lab benches.

When they entered the restaurant that Shikaku had rented out for the event (everyone was a little sentimental about her still being alivefor her birthday party), it was already full of guests.

"Mayu, you were supposed to be here ten minutes ago," Yoshino scolded as she hurried up to them.

"Mom," she said and held out her hand. Yoshino screamed. Mayu thought it said something about her life that there were suddenly twenty weapons being held in the hands of people of various ages as they looked around for a threat.

"Oh, Shika-kun! You did it! You're engaged! Oh, look, the stone is the exact shade of your hair, how sweet,  _Shikaku get over here!"_ She yelled the last part.

Shikaku sauntered over and stared at the ring for a moment. He raised his eyebrow at Shikamaru, who just rubbed the back of his neck and became interested in the wall. Shikaku then grabbed them both and tugged them into a rough hug, making Shikamaru grumble and Mayu beam.

"Congratulations," he said in a gruff voice.

Kakashi and Ensui were next. Ensui clapped Shikamaru on the back while Kakashi patted Mayu on the head and offered her candy while giving Shikamaru a narrow-eyed look.

Mayu was distracted when Fugaku and Mikoto entered, followed by Sasuke, Yuhui, Itachi, and the Inuzuka. Mayu pushed past Kakashi and darted over to Fugaku. She held up her hand in front of Fugaku's face, who startled.

"Shishou! I'm getting married!"

Fugaku stared at the ring for a moment, then turned his head slowly towards Shikamaru, who had frozen in place and was looking similar to the deer that his family herded. "Hmm. Well, perhaps he did some things out of order, but at least he got there in the end," he said and Tsume laughed loudly behind them.

Fugaku's eyebrow twitched. Mayu smiled up at him while Kakashi shot Shikamaru a suspicious look in the background.

000

Mayu plopped her finished report on Dai's desk, admiring the way the stones in her ring shone in the overhead lights. Taking it off to wear on a chain around her neck when they were out in the field had been uncomfortable, even after only two days of wearing it. Its weight was a constant reminder that she was Shikamaru's and he was hers.

"Yes, it's very beautiful, we know," Dai grumbled. Mayu ignored his comment.

"I think I explained very succinctly why it was totally necessaryto drop that armchair on the suspect from a fourth-floor window," she said.

She hadn't even used the words  _because she was a horrible woman who killed her husband and then tried to take all their money and run, leaving her kids penniless._ Self-restraint was a thing she had now.

"Uh-huh," Dai said, raising one skeptical eyebrow. "You're just lucky she only got a concussion and broken arm out of it."

"It's not luck,it's an inherent understanding of physics and the limits of the human body," Mayu said with a sniff. Like she'd ever be so subpar that she'd kill somebody by accident.

"Right," Dai said. "Well, go on, then. I think I see Shikaku-sama and Shikamaru-san waiting for you out on the steps."

Mayu spun around, then gave a little clap when she saw that the two men were, indeed, leaning against the wall that ran up either side of the wide cement steps that led into the building.

"Bye Dai-taicho!" she called.

She was the last one on her team to leave other than her captain since she had to fill out an incident report, so she darted past her team's empty desks and out the doors.

"Papa! Shika! Hi, what are you doing here? I had such a good day. I dropped a - hey, you both look like somebody told mom that you've been secretly smoking again. What's wrong?"

"Mayu, the Nara elders have asked us to appear before them. Right now," Shikaku said in a gentle tone and her stomach folded in on itself.

"Oh," she said.

Shikamaru moved to her side and put an arm around her shoulders, then leaned down and pressed his lips to her hair. "They probably just want to give you a hard time. They haven't denied a marriage request ever that dad can remember. Even Ryo's wife was approved," he said and all three of them shuddered. Mayu firmly believed that being married to her was what had turned him into such a sad, bitter man.

"Okay," she said, perking up a little.

She'd never said it aloud or even admitted it fully in her own mind, but she wanted to be a Nara. The clan stuff was annoying, but after working under Fugaku for a few years she felt she could handle it.

To be a part of the Nara clan was to  _really_ be a part of the family. She wouldn't have to worry about being kicked out of the compound or given side eyes or...any of it.

"Should I go home and change?" she blurted, then wished she hadn't when both men looked over at her, gazes sharp.

Mayu had just given away how important this was to her, which meant they'd be in full-on protective mode. She'd rather they walk away still engaged  _without_  blowing their relationship with the clan elders to smithereens. She really wasbecoming overly political. Fugaku would be so proud.

They took to the roofs, running silently until they dropped to the ground in front of the compound gates. The guards there sent her a sympathetic look. Great, the whole clan knew the elders wanted her and Shikamaru's love to disappear into a deep, dark hole. Possibly with her lying right next to it.

They made their way to the center of the compound until they entered a long, low building where clan events were held. She grabbed Shikamaru's hand and refused to think about what would happen if they denied her entrance into the clan.

The elders were sitting in a small room off to the right of the wide open space where large events were held. It was in the events room that Mayu had deduced two of the Elders' secrets. In front of everybody. She wished she could go back in time and slap a hand over her eight-year-old self's mouth.

Ryo, Lundo, and Miko were sitting on one side of a thick oak conference table. Miko's face was somber and Lundo and Ryo were both looking a little toohappy.

"Honorable Elders," Shikaku said and bowed his head just a little.

Shikamaru and Mayu repeated after him, though their bows were lower. They sat across from the three Nara, Mayu between Shikaku and Shikamaru and facing Miko. The woman wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Shikaku-sama, Shikamaru-san, Mayu-san," Lundo said. "I won't beat around the bush. We received your request to add a new member to the Nara clan through marriage to Nara Shikamaru. At this time, we have decided to deny the request for Nomaka Mayu to join the clan."

Shikamaru was stiff where he was sitting beside her and Shikaku paused, a sure sign that he was taken off guard. Then he leaned forward, eyes narrowed. Mayu's heart had dropped somewhere into the vicinity of her intestines and her fists were clenched in her lap. It was stupid to feel rejected by a group of people she neither liked nor particularly respected, but the sting was impossible to ignore.

"All three of you?" Shikaku asked. Lundo nodded and Miko met Shikaku's gaze.

"Miko-sama. If I may ask the reasons behind this? Because from where I'm sitting, this seems like personal bias born from a slight from when Mayu was eight,"he said, voice overly calm.

Miko sighed. "Shikaku-sama. It is this council's duty to protect the Nara clan and all its individual members. Nomaka Mayu has caused property damage throughout the years -"

"I haven't done that in ages! I grew out of that stage," Mayu protested, then sat back when Shikaku put a hand on her arm.

Miko sent her a sympathetic look, but kept going. "She is the focus of some very dangerous people due to the nature of her job -"

"She's a kunoichi, we all risk making enemies," Shikamaru said through gritted teeth and it was his turn to be shushed by Shikaku.

"We understand that," Miko said. "Those reasons are only part of why we made our decision. We also feel like she's not an...ideal wife for the future head of the clan.

"On top of that, we aren't sure that Shikamaru-kun can make this decision for himself. He's never had a chance to explore relationships with others, due to their living situation since Nomaka-san became your ward."

Shikamaru leaned forward and Mayu felt a very inappropriate jolt of lust in her center when she saw his face had gone cold and shadowed. "Are you doubting my ability to make my own decisions? That seems like a problem if I'm going to be your clan head one day."

"You are young yet," Ryo said and he looked so superior that Mayu wanted to jump across the table and thrash him, wrinkles and grey hair or no. Instead, she imagined that she was in a council meeting with Fugaku and that her job was to sit down and shut up and let him do his job.

Shikaku took a deep, steadying breath. "This is unexpected. You're setting a dangerous precedent. Our clan is full of intelligent men and women who won't be impressed if you start dictating their lives to them."

"We aren't completely unreasonable," Lundo said and Mayu couldn't help her little scoff.

She ignored their glares in favor of watching in interest as they handed a folder across the table to Shikaku. "We just want to give Shikamaru the chance to make sure this is what he wants and to decide whether this is what is truly best for the clan. In there you will find a proposal. There is a list of girls from various prestigious clans whose parents have agreed to allow Shikamaru to court them. He will choose three of them and go through the first stage of traditional courtship with each. If at the end of the three months he still wants to marry Nomaka-san, we will approve her addition to the clan."

There was complete silence for a few moments on their side of the table. Mayu felt like her body had just disconnected from reality. She was numb, but at the same time, she could feel a flush starting across her body. Shikamaru was going to have to court other women? What if he  _did_ find one he liked better?

"So let me get this straight. You want me to date other women. Even though I'm engaged," Shikamaru said, voice flat and face unreadable.

Mayu glanced over at the list that Shikaku was staring at and had to blink back tears. Temariwas on there. She was practically a princess. A beautiful, strong princess that Shikamaru already had a friendly relationship with that was built on trust and life-threatening situations.

Her eyes moved down the list. "Oh my god, did you put my  _best friend_ on there?" Hinata would probably dump a pitcher of hot tea over Shikamaru's head if he tried it, then set Neji on him. Once again the elders ignored her, though Shikaku's face was darkening and Mayu recognized that things were about to get scary.

"That's the gist of it, yes. Of course, we won't force you to marry any of them. As I said, in the end, you can choose Nomaka-san and we won't stand in your way. There's even a contract stating that." The look on Ludo's face plainly said what he thought the odds of Shikamaru sticking around once he experienced the joy of proper women were.

Mayu looked over at Shikamaru, who now had a thoughtful expression on his face. Then, he shrugged. "Alright," he said. " If that's how it has to be."

Mayu felt the blood drain from her face and she made a small noise in the back of her throat.

Shikaku twitched and was staring at Shikamaru like he'd never seen him before. Miko looked down at the table instead of meeting Mayu's eyes and both Lundo and Ryo looked like somebody had just told them that shadow jutsu were voted the coolest techniques of the year.

Then Shikamaru turned and gave her a small smile. "I think Nomaka Shikamaru has a nice ring to it, don't you?"

Mayu stared at him and he reached out and wiped a thumb across her cheek. A tear must have escaped at some point. He then leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers gently, ignoring the elders' gasps of understanding. "Like I could stomach even a moment with another woman, idiot girl."

Mayu just continued to blink at him in shock. Was he really saying he was going to leave his clan?

"Well then, I think we're done here," Shikaku said in a gruff voice and she heard him stand.

Shikamaru stood as well, not even looking across the table as he tugged her to her feet. She followed after him, still reeling, as they made their way to the door.

Shikamaru tilted his head and gave one last parting shot. "You'll probably be getting my formal emancipation declaration from the Hokage's office in a few days. I'll make sure I'm moved out of the compound by then."

"Now wait just a minute!" Ryo said and the sound of a chair hitting the floor met her ears as Shikamaru bustled her down the hallway.

"I," Shikaku's low voice said from the doorway, "have officially lost patience with you, Ryo. I suggest you sit down and shut up. You've done enough damage to the clan for the day. Miko...I'd expect this of them, but I never assumed you'd take leave of your senses along with Ryo and Lundo."

By the time they reached her parents' house, Mayu was crying steadily. They had rejected her, something they didn't even do with the crazy drama monger that was Ryo's wife. What did that say about her?

"You - you can't just leave the clan," she said when they were on the front porch. "You're a Nara! It's who you are. I ruined e-everything, I'm so sorry."

Shikamaru turned and cupped her face in his hands as the door flew open to show Yoshino, Ensui, and Kakashi standing in the entrance. The smell of dinner wafted out behind them - dumplings, probably, which meant this was a celebration dinner, but there was nothing to celebrate.

"What is it?" Yoshino asked.

"They rejected her application," Shikaku replied in a clipped tone. Dark chakra flared from Kakashi and Ensui and Yoshino gasped.

"Shikamaru has decided to leave the clan," Shikaku continued and Mayu realized that was the voice he used when he was  _proud._

"He - he can't though," Mayu said. "If he becomes a Nomaka then he'll be just a - just a no-name like me. He needs the political capital. He can't give it all up just because I'm terrible with people."

"No," Shikamaru said and tilted her face up so that she was staring at his face through her tears. He was smiling, as though she'd amused him, and looked fond of all things.

"It's true that the clan is part of who I am - but it's only part of me and, honestly, I don't need the name to keep that. I don't need the name to succeed, either. Just like you didn't. Doing what they suggested, hurting you by seeing other women -"

"They suggested what?" Yoshino growled, but Shikamaru kept talking.

"-would be like tearing out whole parts of myself. Mayu, I'll neverleave you, not for the clan, not for the village, not for anything. I'd be miserable, okay?"

Mayu sniffled, but nodded, then let him tug her in for a hug.

"This is bullshit," Ensui said. "They've never done this before. What possible reason could they have? And 'she made me look stupid nine years ago' doesn't count."

Shikaku sighed. "They said it was for the safety of the clan. I think it has more to do with her close relationship to the Uchiha."

"What?" Shikamaru's chest rumbled against her cheek as he spoke. "What difference does that make?"

"After Minato died and before we discovered Danzo's treachery, the Nara elders were big supporters of segregating the Uchiha clan. They thought they were dangerous.

"After Tsunade took the hat they were quiet about it, but I always suspected that one of the reasons I never caught on to what was happening was because one of them was helping Danzo. Maybe not with the kidnappings, but with spreading propaganda. They lived through two wars and have some strong opinions on how to position our village to discourage people attacking us."

"Damn," Ensui said. "So they're, what, worried Mayu would put the Uchiha above the Nara if she became the wife of the clan head?"

"I don't know," Shikaku said. "Maybe."

Mayu calmed down a little after that. If the reason they rejected her was that she was on the fast track to a leadership position in the MPF and her apprenticeship to Fugaku then, well, that was different. She couldn't and wouldn't regret the path her life had taken.

It hit her all over again, though, when they moved into the kitchen and she saw the tape that hadn't made it off the wall from where somebody had recently tugged something down. If she had to guess, she'd say it had been a banner with the words  _Welcome to the Clan!_ or something similar written on it.

The reminder of how excited Shikaku and Yoshino had been about her finally sharing their last name had her dissolving into sobs again. Ensui engulfed her in a hug while Kakashi did his large looming bird impression.

"Now - now we'll never be neighbors," she wailed.

"What," Kakashi asked in a flat tone, but Ensui just petted her hair.

"Aw, sweetheart, maybe we can just move out of the compound and find two houses close to each other," he soothed.

"Uh," Kakashi said.

"R-really?" she said. "But - how will Shika and I afford it? Buying a house is so expensive outside of clan land and now he'll lose his trust fund. It's all my fault! We'll never be a real family and it's all my fault."

"Nomaka Mayu, you stop that right this instant," Yoshino said and pushed Ensui away from her.

Mayu stared at her mother, wide-eyed and frozen because she had her scary face on. "We have always been and will always be a family and I don't ever want to hear you say otherwise again."

Mayu's head was already nodding along obediently out of habit in response to that tone and she was rewarded with a hug from Yoshino. Yay, hugs. Yoshino had succeeded in pulling Mayu from her haze of misery and self-pity long enough to think.

Yoshino was right. They were family and nothing was going to change that. Mayu shouldn't have let the elders get to her - after all, they weren't the whole clan. Akinobu and Torii and Ensui and loads of other Nara liked her just fine. Well, maybe not  _loads,_ but most of them were pretty apathetic about her in general.

"Right," Mayu said and took a breath. "Right, sorry. That was just -"

"We know," Yoshino said. "Don't worry, your father and I will take care of it. They're probably shitting themselves right now, anyway, since they just drove the heir out of the clan."

"Probably," Shikaku agreed. "You should have seen their faces. Come on, let's eat. We'll deal with their crap later."

They had just sat down when Kakashi spoke. "The Hatake land."

"Huh?" Mayu asked at the non sequitur, having just swallowed a large bite of food.

"You can live there. It's empty. It's not close to as large as the Nara compound, though. It's more of a large house on a plot of land, but. You can have it. It's yours," he shifted under Mayu's wide-eyed stare.

"But, sensei -"

"I don't...I don't want to live there, but it'd be nice if somebody else did. So. You can live there if you want it. It's run down and needs some work and -"

Mayu cut him off when she launched across the table and tackled him in a hug. He grumbled as he scrambled to keep them from tipping over, but they both knew he could have dodged, so she didn't feel bad when she forced him to endure the embrace for a full fifteen seconds.

000

Shikamaru was wrapped around her in her little bed in her apartment, sleeping soundly, when frantic knocking broke the silence of the night.

Mayu had already been awake, staring at the wall and trying not to drown in guilt. Shikamaru was leaving his  _clan._ That was...a Big Deal. When you were raised in a clan you were taught that you  _were_ your clan, that you should live for it.

Of course, Nara were known for their critical thinking skills, so they were less susceptible to propaganda, but still. It had to hurt, no matter how brave a face he was putting on. Why had she been such a little asshole when she was younger, anyway? Where was Fugaku when she was eight and needed to learn to keep her mouth shut?

Shikamaru jolted awake at the sound of knocking. Mayu turned in his arms and met his gaze for a moment. Then the sound came again, louder this time, and Mayu heard Sasuke's bedroom door open.

They both nodded and slipped out of bed. Mayu reached into the drawer of her nightstand and grabbed two kunai, handing one to him before joining Sasuke in the hall.

"I think it's Hinata," he said and Mayu was a little jealous of his ability to sense chakra signatures so well. She increased the chakra flow to her nose and yep, that was Hinata.

She padded over to the door and opened it. Hinata stood there in a dressing gown over flannel pajamas, eyes wide and hair messy. Mayu was concerned, since the only time she hadn't seen Hinata looking perfectly put together was when they'd stayed over at each other's houses. She certainly didn't leave the house in her pajamas.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" she asked, pulling the girl into the hallway and then guiding her to the living room.

Her face was white and she was wringing her hands together. Mayu exchanged a look with Sasuke, who headed into the attached kitchen and started making tea.

Hinata looked up at her. "I - Shisui-sempai just sent me a message. He said that - that the Akatsuki are going to attack Konoha."

000

"Tell me again, exactly what Roiyaru said to you," Itachi said from where he was seated in a chair Mayu had pulled in from the kitchen for him. Roiyaru was one of Shisui's summons that Hinata had met a few times while training under him.

Hinata was still on the couch, tea long since having grown cold in front of her. Mayu sat on one side of her and Shikamaru was on the other.

Shikaku and Ensui were leaning against the wall behind Itachi and Kakashi was perched on the counter in the kitchen. Sasuke was helping Yoshino put together more tea for everybody.

"Roiyaru came to my window. I've met him before, so I recognized him. He asked me to hear him out before I called for help." Hinata paused here, probably to see if anybody would ask why she decided to trust the summons of a traitor. Nobody did.

"He told me: 'Shisui sent me to warn you. All of Akatsuki is going to attack Konoha in two days' time. You must evacuate the village and hide the jinchuuriki.' And that was it. Then he flew away." Hinata's lower lip trembled before she took a deep breath and straightened her back.

"That's your wedding day," Shikamaru said. "It could be a trap or a distraction."

Itachi's face was drawn. "Shikaku-sama. Ensui-san. What do you think?"

"If they're after the jinchuuriki, it would make sense for them to attack while we have so many gathered in one place," Shikaku said.

"They've got to have some serious firepower if they think they could take out five jinchuuriki, one of which is a Kage, and two other Kage on top of that," Ensui added.

"It could be a move of desperation," Kakashi said, then eye smiled at Yoshino when she handed him some tea.

"We did mess up this 'Madara's' plans more than a few times," Ensui said.

"But - but why would Shisui warn us?" Hinata asked, voice low and pained. "He left. He betrayed us."

"He said...that he did it for the village and for the people he loves," Mayu said. "Maybe attacking Konoha outright wasn't supposed to be part of the deal."

Shikamaru hummed his agreement from where he was brooding on the other side of Hinata. Mayu patted her knee. "We've got proof that he doesn't really want to kill us. Just, um, somehow stop us from feeling pain ever? I don't know."

Itachi sighed. "I think the only thing we can do is hope the warning is genuine. Shikaku-san, Ensui-san, Kakashi-san. I'm clearing my schedule for today. Mayu, go get my father. The four of us need to figure out how to handle this."

He disappeared in a swirl of leaves and Mayu pouted. She couldn't even have a day to angst about her own personal stuff. She swallowed back her fear and prayed that they'd all come out of this in one piece.

000

The plan, as it turns out, was 'spring the trap.' Itachi had decided it was time to take care of the Akatsuki once and for all and this might be the only time they got them all out in the open. Mayu hoped they weren't all, once again, putting their faith in the wrong person.

She didn't think so, but psychology wasn't her strong suit, so who knew whether her hope that Shisui had come to regret his decisions was just that - hope.

Itachi had quietly told important political figures that they should probably stay home. All of the jinchuuriki were given a chance to leave and go into hiding. None of them took the out.

The Allied Shinobi Forces were almost all invited to the wedding anyway, which most likely wouldn't be happening, though everybody went about their business as though it would. Hana was, unsurprisingly, unconcerned about the whole 'my wedding is being ruined by monstrously strong shinobi' thing.

She was looking forward to the final confrontation and Mayu had a feeling somebody was going to have to hold her back if she caught sight of Shisui. He'd hurt Itachi and Hana was the picture of unimpressed by his life decisions.

The MPF's first job on the day of the wedding was to inform the citizens of Konoha that they'd be heading for the mountains and to protect the entrances from harm.

Shikamaru and Ensui were in charge of creating a guard for the jinchuuriki. If one fell, their objective was to keep them from being taken. Shikaku and Asuma were working on coordinating the rest of the forces into defense and protection squads.

Nobody thought that the leader of the Akatsuki would be unaware that they knew he was coming, but the jinchuuriki were still going to be wandering about flaunting their bijuu-holding selves, so most likely they'd still attack. If not, yay, wedding time.

Mayu spent the two full days before the deadline in her lab, rounding up a few unsuspecting chemists from the Science Corps and putting together hundreds of smoke bombs and Mayu Cocktails to give out to the MPF and her friends and family.

She attended the debrief with the rest of the officers, who were solemn and determined. She felt more a part of the MPF than she ever had before. They were all united in their determination to keep their village safe. Her eyes had widened when she saw Mikoto standing next to her husband in a jounin uniform.

"It's my village, too, Mayu," she'd said when she saw her incredulous look. "I'm a trained kunoichi. I'm going to defend my home." She Fugaku's audible grinding of teeth with an ease that spoke of long practice.

Mayu was put into the group of officers in charge of evacuating the hospital along with Torii and Hinata. Mayu because Yoshino requested her and Torii and Hinata because they were also medics. Yuhui was placed on their team along with fifteen other officers.

"Hey! My engagement buddy," Mayu said and Yuhui tilted her head and smiled.

"We'll have to watch out for each other."

"Well, duh. Don't worry, me and the puppets have your back. You have the smoke bombs and cocktails I gave you?"

"I do," Yuhui said and they busied themselves with unsealing their weapons. Yuhui strapped her sword to her back and Mayu put Bukimi on hers and let Wara Wara skitter along beside her.

"Your puppets are going to scare the patients," Torii grumbled and Mayu gave him an affronted look and put her hands over both sides of Wara Wara's head as though to shield her ears. Hinata giggled and a few of the officers around them chuckled.

Torii rolled his eyes and motioned for them to fall into formation. They took off across the rooftops in the early dawn light. The hospital was organized chaos when they arrived. Yoshino had spent the night working with other medics to set up some sort of medical base in the mountain and they were now trying to get the most injured ready to move in the first wave of evacuations.

Mayu waved at Team Kakashi when she saw them - they'd been added as extra protection for their most vulnerable citizens. One of Itachi's biggest concerns was that the Akatsuki would try to take hostages in an attempt to force the jinchuuriki to surrender. The sick, injured, and elderly couldn't move very fast and made a good target.

The first three hours were spent moving painfully slow as they transported people to the caves. Mayu and Yuhui were on the outer guard since they weren't medics and were more useful as guards.

They were just moving those patients who could walk or hobble on their own two feet when the sound of something bashing through the outer walls reached their ears. Mayu and Yuhui looked at each other when the screams started.

"Mayu, Yuhui, Sasuke, Naruto - to the roofs. I want to know what's coming," Kakashi said into their comms.

Mayu followed Yuhui to stand on the roof on one side of their procession, Sasuke and Naruto going to the other side.

"Oh," Mayu breathed.

In multiple places across the village, there were large chunks of the walls missing and huge creatures were entering battle against shinobi. A large centipede was being engulfed by lava and steam - Han and Roshi, then - and in another area a group of Uchiha were setting a bear on fire.

"We've got multiple high-level summons!" Mayu called down. "So far the inner perimeter is being held, but the walls are breached."

Kakashi nodded up at her. "Okay. I want everyone who isn't a medic to set up a line of defense around us. Naruto, Sasuke, Yuhui, and Mayu - stay on the roofs. You, you, you, and you, join them. The rest of you spread out on the streets. We've got another ten minutes before we reach the caves."

Mayu pulled Bukimi off her back so that both puppets were ready. Movement in the air caught her eye and she looked up.

"Uh, Sensei? There are...some flying shinobi moving over the village. Six of them. Itachi-sama and Gaara are moving in to intercept."

"Got it. Let me know if they get too close."

Itachi was standing on the back of a large crow summons with two of his guard and Gaara was on his sand along with Temari, Kankuro, and...Shikamaru. There were also bubbles floating through the air and she spotted Utakata in one of them.

Mayu swallowed her fear and turned back to her job. The civilians and injured shinobi had sped up as much as they could and she caught a glimpse of Hinata helping a man in a cast along, while Sakura encouraged a crying woman to keep walking.

The sky lit up with fire and Mayu gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep her eyes forward. Bukimi and Wara Wara were comforting presences on either side of her and she knew Yuhui was watching her blindspot from where she was running behind and to the right of her. Ahead she could see another two MPF uniforms and let out a slow breath. She wasn't alone and neither was Shikamaru. She had to trust her team.

A huge toad and slug had appeared on the eastern side of the village, two tiny figures on top of them, and were fighting off some of the larger summons. Mayu shivered at the two-headed dog that was viciously trying to get through the toad.

In another section of the village, she caught sight of what looked liked tentacles. Mayu had to force herself to keep moving through the waves of strong chakra coming at her from all sides. It was humbling, and she felt very small in the face of it.

The building she was running on shook under feet and she staggered for a moment as cries and screams sounded from her right. She glanced over and winced as a large white tail extended over the top of the building.

"Sensei! We've got a summons, we're going to intercept," Mayu said into her communications device.

"Understood. Do you need backup?"

"No," Mayu said.

She doubted that she and Yuhui wouldn't be able to take care of it and he needed everyone he could keep with the civilians. She turned towards the tail, wincing as a plume from a great fireball flew past it.

"Yuhui - we'll come in from the top," she said.

"Looking forward to it," she said grimly and drew her sword just as they hit the ledge.

Mayu took in the snake-like white lizard that was hunched close to the ground. It had a long snout that it was using to knock two Uchiha against the brick wall of a nearby building. One scrambled to get away from its follow up with a clawed and webbed foot. The other didn't get back up.

Mayu took a split second to decide where to attack, then launched herself from the ledge. She pulled Wara Wara with her, flicking the puppet in front of her and sending it careening towards the large right eye on the side of the lizard's head. She sent Bukimi to the other side and ignored Yuhui's cut off curse before she followed Mayu over.

The lizard didn't see them until Wara Wara was a foot from his eye. Mayu initiated her acid spray and the summons let out a loud screech as it got an eyeful of it. Bukimi landed crouched next to the other eye. With a flick of Mayu's fingers, he lifted his front two feet and stabbed them deep into it.

Yuhui and Mayu both landed on the back of its neck, barely able to keep their place on the thrashing lizard even with a judicious use of chakra on their feet. Yuhui grimaced as its screams hit her ears, but lifted her sword in two hands and drove it down in the space between two scales and into its spine.

Mayu flapped her arms like a bird to keep her balance as the thing let out one last screech and then fell to the ground with a crash. They both leapt from its head and landed on the ground, Mayu's puppets next to them.

"Is he alive?" she called to the officer who was now crouched next to the Uchiha that had been knocked against the wall. He nodded and Yuhui let out a breath of relief.

"Okay, grab him, we'll cover your retreat," Yuhui said and turned to face three dogs as tall as she was at their shoulders that were running down the street towards them. Mayu bit her thumb and slapped her hand on the ground and Anzu appeared next to her.

"Huh," Anzu said when he took in the dead lizard and approaching animals and Mayu grinned at him.

Yuhui glanced at her and twirled her sword in one hand jauntily. Mayu took a deep breath and as one they moved forward to cut the summons off.

Mayu let Yuhui and Anzu take point and sent Bukimi and Wara Wara to skitter up the walls of the buildings lining the street, where they ran sideways across the brick and wood facades, keeping pace with her.

Yuhui engaged with the dog in the middle and Anzu crashed into the one next to her. They rolled away in a series of growls and yowling. Mayu wasn't worried - she'd trained Anzu to take on much bigger foes. He'd be fine.

The last one was headed straight for Mayu. She didn't falter, running at it head-on. These might be summons, but they didn't hold the same intelligence of the summons Mayu was used to interacting with. They were more like regular animals.

The muscles in the dog's haunches bunched and Mayu pushed herself off the ground just as the animal did, twisting her body to the side so that they sailed past each other. The dog was looking over its shoulder at her with bared teeth, still in midair, when she turned so that her back was to the ground.

Her hands were out in a 'T' shape and she snapped them forward. Wara Wara and Bukimi descended on the animal from either side, driving their various blades into it. It yelped and when it hit the ground it landed on its side, sliding across the dirt before lying still, her puppets leaping away just before it landed.

Mayu turned and saw that both Yuhui and Anzu had finished off their own prey. Mayu was breathing hard, which was annoying - she was still out of shape.

"Anzu, I want you to go ahead to the caves and tell them we're on our way. Then dismiss yourself and be ready to be re-summoned as needed," Yuhui said as she wiped her blade off on the fur of the dog and then sheathed it.

"I will be ready," he said, looking more than a little terrifying with all the blood spattered across his muzzle and chest. He turned and darted off through the streets.

They came around the corner just in time to see Sakura punch a large panda in the face and knock it out before it could go on a rampage against the civilians.

There was a large bird lying on its side, Sasuke and Naruto standing suspiciously close to it. Hinata was helping Torii move the terrified people forward and Kakashi kept turning concerned looks towards the sky, where Rōshi and Han had joined the fight on the back of large ink birds that Mayu thought were Sai's.

Mayu looked over just in time to see multiple smoke bombs go off around the flying enemies. She gasped when Gaara, his siblings, Shikamaru and Itachi all disappeared into the smoke.

A few moments later five bodies in familiar cloaks with red clouds fell from the sky. Mayu split her attention between the cloud of smoke and their surroundings. They had just made it to the entrance of the caves when she saw Itachi and Shikamaru exit the cloud, followed by Gaara's crew.

Mayu let out a breath of relief, then squeaked when Shikaku appeared in front of her. "Thank goodness," he said gruffly and pulled her in for a hug. "Yoshino was worried when you didn't arrive on time. Kakashi, any casualties?"

"One injured shinobi, other than that, no."

"Alright, let's -" Shikaku started to say, but was cut off by a voice.

"Ah, what do we have here?" Mayu spun and stared at the four men who had quite literally just appeared next to the civilians. Shisui stood next to a man in an orange mask with a single eye hole cut into the middle of a spiral. They both wore the cloaks of the Akatsuki.

Standing behind them, dressed in black, was what looked like an Aburame and a Yamanaka. The mysterious Fu and his partner, most likely. They hadn't heard anything from them since her kidnapping.

"Shisui," Hinata breathed even as she and the medics moved to stand between the threat and the civilians, who were cowering in fear.

"Fuck," Kakashi snapped.

"Shisui!" Naruto yelled. "You don't want to do this. You love the village, don't you? Look around you! You see what they're doing. So many people have already died."

Shisui's eyes went to the village for a moment, taking in the smoke rising from various places, the buildings lying crumbled beneath the bodies of defeated summons.

"Ah, ah, ah, little jinchuuriki. Better be silent, or -" Mayu jolted as the man in the orange mask swirled in on himself, disappearing and then reappearing next to an elderly man. He had a kunai against his throat. Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he pressed his lips together.

"That's better. Now, if we could just get - oh, yes, there he is," the man said almost cheerfully from behind his mask.

Itachi leaped from his summons, Ensui and Shikamaru at his side. Shisui's face paled even further and Mayu realized he looked almost sick. The past months had not been kind on him. He'd lost weight and his eyes were bleak and empty.

"Shisui," Itachi greeted. Then, "Madara, I presume?" he added in a wry tone.

"Hmm, you can call me Tobi, actually," he said, still cheerful. "Now that you're here, let me tell you what I need."

Mayu glanced over at Shikaku, who was slowly lifting his arms into familiar hand signs from where he was mostly hidden behind Kakashi. If he could catch Tobi in his shadows, maybe Itachi could get the civilian away from him. Mayu had to give the hostage credit. He was standing with his chin raised, terrified but not even whimpering.

"You give me the jinchuuriki - all of them - and I leave your village alone."

"You know I can't do that," Itachi said.

Mayu flexed her fingers and sent a few threads into her flak jacket after putting Wara Wara in the 'rest' position.

"Oh? I suppose you think that Nara of yours is going to stop me, hm?" He disappeared with a chuckle and left the old man standing there just as Shikaku's shadows reached him.

Mayu's eyes widened and she turned towards Shikaku. "Papa!" she called, sending the beetles on the end of her strings towards him.

He and Kakashi spun at the same time, but Tobi was already there. Mayu screamed when he sunk a kunai into Shikaku's chest. Right over his heart.

"No!" she and Shikamaru both called.

Tobi danced out of the way of Kakashi's attack with a laugh and Shikaku slumped to the ground. Shikamaru had dropped down next to his father and was staring down at his face. Mayu could only see his back from where she was standing, but she knew from the stillness of his body that he was dead.

She turned towards Tobi, who was twirling in and out of reality, dodging the attacks of the shinobi around him. She felt disconnected from herself. The man who had saved her, given her a home, raised her...was dead.

Even as she fought to get her body to respond through her shock she watched Tobi's movements. Kakashi growled when his hand went straight through Tobi and then blocked a solid hit from the man after he twirled away. Ensui and Shikamaru had joined, both of them trying to catch him in their techniques, but he kept phasing through them.

When he teleported away, the last thing to disappear was always his one eye, which she saw was red. Itachi had engaged with Shisui and the medics were fighting against the Aburame and Yamanaka. Mayu winced when Sakura put a hand through the Aburame's chest, ignoring the bugs that surrounded her arm before dropping away as their holder died.

The Yamanaka fell to Hinata's gentle fist and Mayu realized that they had barely even tried. Tobi had an issue with keeping morale up, it seemed. Tobi, who was...playingwith them. Mayu took a deep breath and the world snapped back into focus around her. She dropped the threads on her puppets again and instead sent them into her flak jacket pockets, pulling out multiple tags and beetles.

There, Tobi had just grabbed a small girl, then dropped her off on the other side of the clearing. In the air, there was large percussive  _boom_ and the oppressive feeling of chakra.

"B-san," Naruto whispered.

Mayu glanced up and blinked at the very odd sight of eight tentacles flying around midair. How was he even staying airborne? Jinchuuriki were  _terrifying._

Tobi was next to Kakashi, who didn't dodge his kick and ended up flipping through the air, landing ten feet away on his feet. Mayu narrowed her eyes - Ensui and Shikamaru were trying to flank him with threads of shadows.

She lifted a hand and sent ten beetles soaring towards Tobi just as he twisted in on himself. His body was twirling into nothing and at the last possible moment her beetles hit his face and she fed chakra into them.

When he disappeared, so did her beetles.  _So he is moving into some alternate...space,_ she thought to herself just as he appeared next to the first old man he'd taken hostage. He looked a little singed, but not seriously injured. His cloak was now missing an arm and a chunk of his hair was shorter. His mask was cracked in three places. Mayu watched, still feeling numb, as it broke apart and fell to the ground.

The face underneath was horribly scarred on one side, but definitely that of an Uchiha. He only had one eye, set into the scarred side, which seemed weird, and it was red and whirling. Mayu didn't recognize him but she was pretty sure he wasn't Uchiha Madara unless the drawings she'd seen of him in history books were completely off.

"Obito?" Kakashi whispered.

Tobi pressed his lips together and turned his one eye on Mayu. "Bakashi. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a student of yours would cause so much trouble."

Mayu's jaw dropped. Uchiha Obito? As in Kakashi's former teammate? That was...what the hell was wrong with these crazy people?

"I suppose you won't mind if I kill her, huh? After all, you're used to not being able to protect the people you love."

Mayu was standing apart from everyone else, thanks to her little mini-breakdown. She reached for her daggers and brought them up just in time to stop Obito's attack. She held them crossed in front of her, his kunai straining against their blades. Mayu made sure not to look into his eye, ignoring the various people calling her name as he disengaged and she blocked his next attack from burying itself in her stomach.

To everybody's surprise except Mayu's (she was aware of how badass she was when she needed to be) he was knocked off his feet by Hinata, who was now standing between Mayu and Obito, her hands held up in front of her, knees bent, Byakugan activated.

He studied her for a moment with his one creepy eye. Sakura was next, flying at him from the side and slamming her fist into the earth when it went right through him. He spun around her, then blocked a few rapid-fire kicks and punches from a desperate-looking Kakashi.

Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Ensui had moved forward to help but were stopped by none other than Hoshigaki Kisame.  _We're all going to die,_ Mayu thought and forced herself not to look over at Shikaku's still body.

Obito disappeared again and Mayu took a deep breath just before he appeared next to Mayu and Hinata. Wara Wara and Bukimi slammed into him from one side and he staggered, not having expected it. Hinata hit him in the shoulder while he was momentarily distracted and his arm went limp.

He turned a glare at her and Mayu tugged Wara Wara back to attack him, but he was expecting it and she phased through him.

"Hinata!" Mayu said as he lashed forward with a kunai. It was heading straight for her jugular. Hinata's hand was already moving to intercept, but she wasn't going to be fast enough. Mayu didn't want to watch another person she loved die.

The kunai stopped an inch away from her friend's neck and Mayu blinked at Shisui, who was now standing next to Hinata and holding Obito's wrist in his own.

"No," Shisui said, not bothering to elaborate, and Obito leapt backward.

"Ah. So the traitor becomes a traitor once again," he said, but he didn't sound torn up about it.

Itachi was standing twenty feet away, crouched and looking between the two other Uchiha warily. Mayu grabbed Hinata's hand and tugged her towards the civilians.

"We have to get them inside," she whispered. Hinata turned her gaze from where she'd been staring at Shisui in shock and nodded once.

Yuhui and Sakura were guarding the civilians and Mayu tried not to look at the dead shinobi littering the ground. Obito hadn't been kind in his 'games' while Mayu was having her little breakdown.

"You have lost your lieutenant, Obito," Itachi said.

Mayu spared a glance at where Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Ensui were facing off against Kisame about a hundred yards away in a large empty square with a fountain and relaxed when she saw that Team Gai had arrived and were now warily circling the man as well. They must have purposely pulled him away from the civilians.

"Come on," Mayu whispered to a young woman, who let herself be led towards the entrance.

Mayu pushed them through, hoping they weren't just sending them all to their deaths. The civilians, now seeing a chance to escape, were moving as quickly as they could towards the entrance.

Mayu gasped when Itachi looked at Obito, who was ranting at a heartbroken Kakashi and a glaring Naruto, and the area around him lit in black fire. Mayu had never seen anything like it before. Obito's arm lit up in the strange flames and Shisui jumped to stand at Itachi's side.

"Well that's useful," he said conversationally. Itachi snorted.

"Killing you came with an upgrade," the Hokage said and Shisui laughed. Men were so weird.

The last civilian entered the caves along with Torii, Hinata, and Sakura, and Mayu slammed the door shut behind them, hoping it took them a few minutes to realize she wasn't with them.

No way was she abandoning her family. Mayu turned and raced towards Shikamaru and Ensui. She skidded to a stop when she felt a tug on her whole body. She spun around and swallowed at the sight that met her.

In the sky, a lone figure with orange hair was holding up a hand and a dark orb was forming above him. Objects and people were drifting towards it and Mayu gritted her teeth and stuck her feet to the ground which chakra when it tugged her a few inches forward.

Her puppets were straining against her threads and just no, she did notwant to have to make a new set - she squeaked when the tug grew stronger. Where Itachi, Naruto, Shisui, Kakashi, and Obito had been facing off the space was now empty. Where had they gone?

Well, Naruto was highly visible as he was now glowing red and floating in the air in front of the cloaked figure, but Mayu couldn't hear what he was saying. The tug was starting to hurt and trees and debris were flying past her. She ducked down and put her hands over her head, letting her puppets go with a curse.

She was stuck out in the open and any moment now, she was going to be - she was hit from behind by something, hard,and her last thought was  _just after I finished healing up, too._

000

She woke up in a place that was as familiar as it was surprising. The Diogenes Club, where her father from Before used to spend hours and hours just basking in the silence.

Mayu blinked at the silent men reading newspapers or staring off at nothing around her. They didn't give her a second look, which was weird.

She had thought she'd never see this place again. Was her soul returned to its original world? Did that mean she'd never see her other family again? Never see Shikamaru again?

As if the thought had summoned him Shikamaru appeared at her side, eyes wide. She slapped a hand over his mouth when he went to speak. He stared at her and then tugged her in for a firm hug.

"Thought I'd lost you," Shikamaru whispered into her ear.

She pulled away just far enough to press her lips against his. Then she took his hand and tugged him through the room. He frowned at the men around them, eyes taking in the ostentatious space with its large leather armchairs and dark oak wood tables.

She pushed through a door and into an empty hallway. "We can talk here," she whispered when the door closed behind them.

"Where are we?" he asked in a low voice.

"It - it looks like a place my father used to spend time in. In my old world," she said and bit her lip.

"I see," Shikamaru said in a flat tone. "So I guess that means that...we're dead. Did the big black ball eat you too?"

Mayu shook her head. "No, I think I got hit by a piece of flying...something. Though the ball probably got me in the end. Do you think...do you think everybody is -"

"I don't know," he said. "But dad -" his voice broke and she tugged him into another hug.

After a moment she stepped away and wiped at her eyes. "Okay. Come on. Let's see if we can figure out what's going on."

She walked down the hallway, swallowing at the familiar feel of the plush carpeting beneath her feet. It was odd, being Nomaka Mayu in a place where she'd only been Diana Holmes before.

She was clinging to Shikamaru's hand by the time they reached the door she'd been searching for.

"Okay," she said to herself.

She reached out and grabbed the brass doorknob, the metal cool under her hand. She turned it and pushed the door open.

Sitting behind the desk, bent over a sheaf of papers, was Mycroft Holmes. She stared at him, taking in the familiar lines on his face. He glanced up and froze.

"Diana," he said after a short pause.

His voice was as calm and cultured as always, but she could tell by the way his voice went up just a bit at the end of her name that he was having a lot of Troublesome Feelings.

"Dad?" she asked, shocked.

He stood abruptly, then strode around the desk until he was in front of her in his perfect three-piece suit.

"Dad," she confirmed to herself and launched herself at him, ignoring the distressed noise Shikamaru made.

"Diana," he whispered and wrapped his arms around her. "I've been waiting for you a long time."

Mayu sobbed. "You're - what do you mean?"

Mycroft chuckled. "Well, I'm dead, obviously. I was told that I'd need to wait here to help you make a decision. I know you didn't keep your original body, but, blue hair? Really?"

Mayu laughed, voice wet. Of course, that's what he would focus on.

"It's natural," she defended.

"Pathetic, isn't it? He dies and can have any sort of world he wants to wait for you in while in purgatory, and he decides on this awful place," a clipped voice said.

Mayu pulled back and peeked around Mycroft, incredulous. "Uncle Sherlock?"

He was sitting on a couch, legs crossed, wearing his usual tailored pants and shirt. Next to him was an unassuming blonde man in a jumper.

"The one and only. I suppose if we had to sit around watching you run around on another world, you could have chosen a more boring one."

Mayu darted around Mycroft and launched herself at him, ignoring his sounds of disgust while she hugged and cried all over him. It was a few minutes before she was calm enough to let him push her to his other side, though he didn't argue when she remained plastered against him.

Mycroft was staring Shikamaru down, who was inside the room now, the door closed. His hands were in his pockets and he looked bored, but Mayu could see he was tense and uncomfortable.

"So," Mycroft said. "You're a little young to be engaged, don't you think?"

"I don't know, he seems properly invested. Look at him, he's ready to fling himself in front of her to take a bullet at any moment," Sherlock said, voice bored. "Besides, would you rather they keep having sex outside of marriage?"

"Sherlock," the blonde man said with a sigh and Mayu sent him a curious look, eyes running over him.

"Hmm, yours seems properly invested, as well, Uncle Sherlock. Never thought I'd see the day you found somebody crazy enough to put up with you. He seems like a normal enough bloke, too."

"John Watson, nice to meet you," he said and Mayu leaned over a grumbling Sherlock to shake his hand.

"Mayu Nomaka. That's my fiancé Shikamaru Nara. Uh, Shika, that's my...first father? Mycroft Holmes. My Uncle Sherlock, and, well, John Watson."

Shikamaru sent her a disbelieving look, probably thinking manners were the last thing they should be worried about. He then slunk past Mycroft and went to stand next to her, ignoring the glares from both the Holmes in the room.

"I thought your name was Diana," John said.

"Uh. Well, it was. It is. They...both work?" Mayu shrugged.

"I wonder," Shikamaru said in a level tone, "if somebody could explain why we're here."

Mycroft looked down his nose at Shikamaru and Mayu knew he was thinking something about how manners were always necessary.

"As I said, we were told we could wait here in the in-between to greet Diana when she died for the second time. She has a choice to make. I suppose you do, too."

"A choice?" Mayu asked and Mycroft turned to her.

"Yes. You can move on with us, or you can go back."

Mayu straightened. Go back? But...go back to what? Would Konoha even be there when they arrived?

Shikamaru had stiffened and their eyes met. After a moment she nodded. They had to go back - it was their duty.

"Ah. I had wondered how much of their ridiculous propaganda had gotten to you," Sherlock sniped. "Honestly, you literally died for them, you don't have to go back and clean up their frankly appalling mess. Their various and sundry villains are lucky we weren't allreborn into that world. We'd have cleaned house in a month. On your own, you did more when you were  _six_ than they could handle as adults."

John narrowed his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to serve your country, Sherlock," he said mildly.

Sherlock sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest, but his complaining subsided. Mayu giggled at the show of domesticity and Sherlock glared at her.

"I have to go back," Mayu said, turning and looking at Mycroft, eyes wide and willing him to understand.

He tilted his head to the side and after a moment he gave her a gentle smile, one that only ever came out for her and on rare occasions Sherlock if he was far enough away that he'd never see it.

"Yes. I suppose you are my daughter in that regard." He sat down across from her on the oak coffee table, then leaned forward and took her hands. "I missed you," he said and Mayu leaned forward too, resting her forehead against his chest.

"I missed you, too," she admitted and he brought one hand up to rest on the back of her head.

"I wonder if you might appear to me as I knew you, just until you're called back," Mycroft asked almost apologetically.

Mayu pulled back and looked up at him. "Um, how?"

"Just...will it so," he said with an elegant shrug. "When the three of us appeared it was as we died - fairly old men. We changed our age to something you would be more familiar with."

"Oh," Mayu said. "So then...you lived a long time?"

"We did," he said and she beamed at him. She had been so worried that Moriarty would get them, too.

Mayu glanced over at Shikamaru, who gave a small smile and shrugged. "It won't bother me." He looked a little curious, so she closed her eyes and thought  _Diana Holmes._

She felt her hair lengthen and grow thicker and when she opened her eyes they were level with her father's. She looked down and saw she was wearing designer jeans and a silk blouse over a slim body.

"Huh," Shikamaru said. Mayu glanced at him and he smiled. "Still beautiful, no matter what." He yawned and leaned back against the wall.

"Charming," Sherlock said, but his voice was strained. Both he and Mycroft were drinking in her features and John was studying her with a head cocked to his side.

"You look a lot like Sherlock," he said and she smiled.

"I'm so sorry," Mycroft said, voice strained, and Mayu turned back to him.

"It's not your fault," Mayu said, picking up on what he meant right away.

"I'm your father. I should have protected you." Mayu leaned forward and put her hand on his cheek.

"You were a fantastic father. Please, don't beat yourself up."

"He hurt you to get to us," Sherlock said and she looked at him, wincing at the drawn lines on his face. John moved his hand to his shoulder and met her eyes.

"I met them when they were in the midst of taking Moriarty down," he said. "It wasn't pretty."

Mayu assumed he was talking about both Moriarty's death and Mycroft's and Sherlock's state of mind at the time.

"I knew you two would get him," she said and Mycroft's smile was sharp.

"Get him we did. The two of us together were quite the foe."

"And John was an unexpected variable as well," Sherlock said, voice soft. "He was our secret weapon."

"Indeed," Mycroft said and Mayu smiled at John again.

"Thank you for being there for them," she said and he shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So, you got the bad guy. Tell me what else you guys did."

"What, for the rest of our lives?" Sherlock asked, baffled.

"Yep," Mayu said and Shikamaru snorted.

"Sherlock became an internet sensation," Mycroft said and Sherlock made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat.

"You make it sound so  _vulgar -"_

"He had a hat."

"That was hardly my fault! One picture! One!"

Mayu leaned back and watched them bicker with a small giggle, the sight a familiar one from Before. John met her gaze again and rolled his eyes.

"I think we should talk about Diana. Maybe about her  _fiancé,_ perhaps?" Sherlock snapped. "What kind of father doesn't even threaten the little ass that proposed to her at eighteen?"

"Hey, eighteen is an acceptable age to get engaged in Konoha! Ninja are kind of obsessed with, you know, experiencing stuff before you die horribly," she chirped and Shikamaru sighed.

"I love her. I'll treat her well and I'll never betray her," he said, then shrugged.

Mycroft gave him an unimpressed look. "I suppose you're intelligent enough for her and brave, too. Sometimes we'd catch glimpses of what was happening to her, it's part of the deal up here," he said with a careless gesture. "You seem to treat her well enough."

Shikamaru went a little pale. "You, uh, watched us?"

"Oh, calm down, we never saw you defiling my niece," Sherlock said. "If we had, Mycroft would have already shot you."

Mycroft tugged on the end of his sleeve, a sure sign that he was a pissed off.

"You approve, right dad?" Mayu asked, leaning forward and grabbing his hand. "He makes me happy."

Mycroft sighed. "Yes, yes, I suppose he'll do. Though he does at times show an abysmal understanding of female logic. For the most part, however, he...means well I suppose."

Shikamaru relaxed next to her and she smiled up at him. She then frowned as she felt a small tug in her stomach.

"Oh," she whispered. "I think...it might be time to go."

"I feel it, too," Shikamaru said.

Mycroft's face twisted before clearing. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I will see you when you are done living, Diana."

"I love you," she whispered, then turned to look at Sherlock, who was glaring at nothing.

"And you, Uncle Sherly," she teased and for once he didn't complain about the nickname she'd used when she was too young to pronounce his ridiculous name.

"Goodbye, Diana," he said. The room disappeared in a flash of white light and the last thing she saw was the small proud smile on Mycroft's face.

In Konoha, Mayu opened her eyes. She sat up and looked down at her body, somehow whole and alive. She was lying in a pile of rubble and could hear the sounds of a large battle going on a good distance away.

She crawled up the bricks and pieces of broken wood and hard dirt surrounding her. She peaked up over the edge of her little nest and her eyes widened at the destruction around her. Half of Konoha was just...gone. The six Hokage in the mountain were looking over a crater where the main streets of the village used to reside.

The residential areas seemed untouched outside of the damage that had been done before the floating man had hit them all with a big black ball. Around her other shinobi and kunoichi were sitting up, disoriented, and she assumed by their freaked out expressions, freaked out by their own actual-death experiences.

She was looking over the edge of the new crater and had a clear view of the fight below her. Kisame was lying on the ground, presumably dead. Sakura had come back out of the mountain and was kneeling next to a prone green-clad figure, hands glowing. Sasuke was next to her, guarding her back as she healed him.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Fugaku were facing off against what looked like a humanoid figure that was half white and half black with a tuft of green hair. Mayu recognized it from the description of the 'plant creature' that had attacked Rōshi and Han.

On the other side of the crater Shisui, Itachi, Naruto, and Kakashi were facing off against Obito. There was back flame burning around them and Obito was looking a little worse for wear.

"This isn't the way to find peace, Obito!" Naruto yelled. He was swaying in place and looking not so great himself. "This hatred...it only creates more hatred. A fake world isn't the answer. Shisui-san saw that. Nagato-san saw it at the end. Can't you, too? Only love can save us. Only all of us coming together and..."

Tsunade punching the plant guy into the side of the crater blocked out the rest of what he was saying. Mayu reached into her flak jacket, which was a little torn but still had plenty of cocktails left. Plants burned, right?

Jiraiya was writing something onto a scroll with fast, efficient movements while Fugaku and Tsunade fought the plant man. They jumped away from tree shoots that burst out of the earth and Fugaku made some hand signs before three large fireballs flew from him.

Mayu blinked when they multiplied into twelve fireballs and the plant guy couldn't dodge them all. It sunk into the earth as its white side lit up in flame.

Tsunade punched the ground again and it cracked open to reveal the creature, smoking but no longer actively on fire. Mayu carefully picked her way through the detritus, wincing when she cut her leg on a piece of metal rebar.

Jiraiya had stood and was moving around the plant man. Tsunade attacked to distract it and it was kept busy avoiding her hits. Mayu got into position above them.

Fugaku moved in and swiped his sword at the creature, then winced when he didn't dodge a tentacle...thing that came out of its side. He already had multiple abrasions and cuts and this was just another to add to his list.

Mayu tossed two of her cocktails at the creature and stuck out her lower lip when it dodged. Of course, he didn't account for splash (they never did) and its focus was pulled to its now flaming legs. Mayu cheered and Jiraiya unrolled the scroll.

Mayu's eyes widened when multiple lines extended from the paper, growing out and wrapping around the creature's body, which started to struggle. She wrinkled her nose as the black side actually tried to melt away to escape, yellow eye glowing, but the lines caged it in.

Jiraiya gritted his teeth and the lines tightened and began dragging the plant man closer.

"You cannot bind  _me,"_ it said and gross, it talked.

"Watch me," Jiraiya gasped. "I've been working on this with Naruto since the first time they ran into you. I don't think the sage himself could get away."

Mayu watched, horrified, as it was dragged into the large scroll, sinking down into the white paper as though it was water. His screams echoed across the clearing and Mayu heard Obito yell, "No! Zetsu!"

The ground shook and she looked over to see Obito disappearing and reappearing next to wriggling black lines of the seal, only to be cut off by a wall of sand that had made a timely appearance. A dazed Gaara with that 'just woke up from the dead' look about him was standing on the edge of the crater about twenty feet from her, sand flowing around him.

The creature - Zetsu - gave out one last scream before sinking under the surface. The scroll rolled itself up and Jiraiya pounced on it. Mayu grimaced as he proceeded to unhinge his jaw and  _swallow_ it, but her attention was soon brought back to the other fight.

Kakashi was standing behind Obito and the kunai in his hand was sunk into the man's one remaining eye. Naruto had his hand wrapped around Kakashi's wrist, stopping him from pushing it in any further and killing him.

"No, that's enough, Kakashi. You don't want to kill him," he said.

Obito sank to his knees and Kakashi pulled the kunai from his eye and let him.

000

Half of Konoha had been destroyed by Pein before Naruto defeated him and convinced him to bring everybody back to life. If he hadn't, a very large number of people would have died for real. Including Mayu, Shikamaru, and Shikaku.

When Shikaku came stumbling towards Mayu and Shikamaru a few minutes after the fighting ended, eyes wide and face white, they both tackled him, knocking him to the ground. Shikamaru abandoned his cool, unconcerned facade to do it, but Mayu didn't think he was too fussed about it.

Mayu was never, ever going to accuse them of overreacting to her fake-death again. Thinking Shikaku was gone had been like watching a whole part of her world crumble. Kind of like a large portion of Konoha just had.

"I'm fine," he grumbled but tugged them in for a firm, long hug. He then pulled back and looked them over. "And you? Are you alright?

"Yeah," Mayu said, deciding not to mention that she and Shikamaru also died for an undetermined amount of time.

People were starting to emerge from the caves and rubble, stumbling down into the crater to stare at a shaking Obito and Kisame's dead body. Shisui was allowing Fugaku to put handcuffs on him while Itachi watched with an unreadable expression.

"Oh thank goodness," Yoshino said when she found them, looking exhausted but  _alive._ Soon they were standing in a little circle hug and when Ensui joined a moment later Yoshino pulled him, ignoring his protests.

Once a large crowd of civilians and shinobi had gathered Itachi raised his hands in the air. The assembled people went silent. His hair had come loose and his robes were dirty and bloodied, yet he still looked like a leader.

B and A stumbled through the crowd and went to stand with him, also with that 'just died' look on their faces. An expression Mayu never thought she'd have memorized before today. A moment later Gaara joined them, having recovered his usual serene expression.

Hana also emerged from the throng of people. She stood next to Itachi, her ninken huddled around them, and he reached out and took her hand in his. They then turned their faces towards the mass of people now watching them.

"Today, you all fought a foe that seemed insurmountably powerful. Many of you died doing your duty not just to Konoha, but to all of the Elemental Nations.

"The Akatsuki claimed that this world was irredeemable. That only a circle of hatred remained in this life. Yet I watched as two men and a woman who seemed the picture of irredeemable turned their backs on their hatred." He motioned towards Shisui, then at a purple-haired kunoichi in grey pants and a long-sleeved shirt with tear tracks on her face.

"I saw this happen before my eyes when Uzumaki Naruto let go of his own feelings of anger and showed them a better way. There are many heroes here today, but that may have been the most heroic moment of this battle.

"Now, go. Find your loved ones. Rest. Tomorrow, we rebuild our village, but not Konoha. Because Konoha is here, standing before me, still whole."

He held a hand out, palm up and swept it in front of him, encompassing all the people that were listening to him speak. Naruto was sitting on the ground rubbing the back of his neck when the applause started. It grew and grew until it was thundering in Mayu's ears.

People moved forward towards their heroes and Mayu watched as Naruto, Gaara, A, and B were all lifted onto shoulders. She assumed they were too terrified to manhandle Itachi. She didn't blame them.

A was scowling down at the smiling people holding him aloft and Mayu thought that B might be rapping something about love and unity. Badly. Gaara was blinking rapidly in shock and Naruto...Naruto was smiling so widely that his eyes were scrunched closed.

Soon Utakata, Rōshi and Han were added to the mix, faces dumbstruck, and Rōshi mouthed the words  _Crazy Konoha Shinobi_ at Han. Mayu leaned against Shikamaru, who put his arm around her, and closed her eyes.

Tomorrow, they would start rebuilding. Today, they would rest.

000

The next five months were spent on clean up, both physical and otherwise. It would have taken longer, but the Allied Shinobi Forces had decided to step in, along with the allies Tsunade had made in Wave when she helped the drunken bridge builder out all those years ago.

Itachi turned both Obito and Shisui over to the Allied Shinobi Forces as international criminals. The trials were short but brutally revealing. Shisui's time under Danzo, and the death of his first lover at the hands of the village when she wouldn't surrender, were taken into account as proof that he hadn't been the picture of mental stability for the past decade.

His change of heart, both when he sent a warning to Hinata and when he joined Itachi in the fight against Obito in the end, meant that he ended up with a lenient sentence. Three years in Konoha's prison, with the stipulation that he receive a  _lot_ of therapy. At the end of his sentence, he would be up for a parole of sorts. Hinata visited him once a week and Mayu hoped for her sake that he truly had repented.

Obito was more complicated. He was showing remorse and Mayu had heard mutterings of him having been brainwashed by the weird plant creature that was now sealed away in an undisclosed location that Mayu hoped wasn't still 'Jiraiya's stomach.' His fate was still up in the air, pending more evaluation of his mental state, though she knew Kakashi had taken to visiting him.

On the fourth week of the rebuild, when the reality of half their village being destroyed set in after the euphoria of  _we won!_ had settled, Itachi and Hana were kidnapped by their own guard. Hana was handed over to Tsume and a few other women of her clan and Itachi was delivered to his father and brother.

They were brought to a clearing in the Nara forest an hour later. The space had been tastefully decorated with spring flowers and silk streamers. There were hundreds of chairs set up, all occupied by people from various nations. Others were simply standing along the edges of the clearing, straining to catch a glimpse of the flustered couple.

Hana was in a beautiful blue kimono with white and pink flowers printed on it, her obi the same hue of rose as the blossoms dotted throughout the rest of her outfit. Her hair was pulled back into an intricate knot, two curled tendrils left down to frame her face.

Itachi was in a black kimono with the Uchiwa fan on the back and his hair was free from its usual band. At the other end of the clearing was a platform with a priest kneeling on a pillow, smiling at Itachi and Hana as they were practically herded down the path between the benches by their parents. Next to him were two cups and a bottle of sake.

By the time they reached the platform, Itachi had gathered his usual aplomb around him. He knelt on one of the cushions and a now-beaming Hana knelt on the other.

Their parents stood behind them, Fugaku solemn and proud, Mikoto with a small, pleased smile on her face. Tsume was grinning unabashedly and wiggling her eyebrows at Fugaku in an attempt to make him break his stoic expression. All she got was an eyebrow twitch. Mayu could have told her it took more than that to ruffle her shishou.

When the priest began to speak Shikamaru squeezed Mayu's hand from where he was sitting next to her. She glanced over at him and returned his smile. On her other side, Yoshino was whispering to Shikaku about wedding planners and kimono colors.

Mayu shuddered, but couldn't find it in herself to be too fussed. After all, what was a little wedding drama in the face of being alive and with the people she loved most in the world?

_Ten Months Later_

"I've changed my mind," Mayu said as she burst into the room where Shikamaru was getting ready.

Shikaku and Ensui were both hovering around him, adjusting his black kimono. Mayu had to stop for a minute as she lost her train of thought. He looked really good.

"You did?" Shikamaru asked and looked so wretched that she squeaked.

"Not about marrying you! Just. Let's elope. Let's go and find Itachi-sempai and have him elope us."

Shikaku sighed and looked at the ceiling and Ensui covered a smile with his hand.

"Nomaka Mayu, you come back here  _right now!"_ Yoshino's voice bellowed.

Mayu slammed the door behind her and put her back to it, eyes wide and probably a little crazed, especially since one had eyeliner perfectly applied and the other was still bare. Her Nara green kimono was open, obi not yet in place, showing the white and brown layers beneath. Her hair was lying in perfect curls around her face.

"She's gone crazy," she hissed. "She - she's insane! Papa, you have to save me!"

The doorknob turned and Mayu slammed her weight against the door as it started to open.

"What is wrong with this door," Yoshino grumbled from the other side. A moment later it flew open when Yoshino shouldered it and Mayu yelped as she stumbled forward.

Shikamaru caught her easily and she wiggled around and hid behind his back, peaking around him at Yoshino, whose eyes were narrowed.

"Mayu! What are you doing here? You're not ready yet. Now the surprise is ruined."

"I - I can't stand it anymore!" Mayu yelled, then squeaked as Yoshino's face darkened.

"Mayu, you get one wedding in your life. Well, if you're lucky," Yoshino added and Shikamaru made a distressed noise. "Everything has to be perfect."

"Shika, don't let her do this to me. I'm  _so bored,_ I shouldn't be bored on my wedding day!" She yelped and dodged Yoshino as she darted forward and tried to grab her, moving to hide behind Ensui who was now laughing outright.

"Mom, maybe you should -" Shikamaru started and clicked his teeth together in an effort to stop talking as quickly as possible when Yoshino turned her glare at him.

"Traitor," Mayu hissed at him as Yoshino grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room, lecturing her and exclaiming over the state of her now-wrinkled kimono.

The door slammed behind them, leaving all three Nara men blinking at it.

"Ten bucks says she runs away to Sand and marries Kankuro," Ensui said and pretended not to see Shikamaru's glare.

000

The ceremony itself was almost as boring as the getting ready had been, but Mayu found that she didn't mind quite as much as she thought she would. Throughout the whole thing, Shikamaru didn't take his eyes off of her and she couldn't tear hers from his face, either.

She said her vows in a daze but meant every word of them. She couldn't imagine a time where she wouldn't love him. It just didn't seem possible.

After they drank sake and then handed the cups to their parents, she smiled widely at Shikamaru and was rewarded with one of his adorable half-smiles.

The party afterward was rowdy. The Uchiha and Nara watched from the sidelines as the Inuzuka gathered up as many people as they could for a conga line.

Mayu couldn't stop smiling as people came to offer them congratulations. Shikamaru was looking smug and Mayu kept getting distracted by all the ways she was going to make him feel even smugger that night. The first one involved him still wearing his kimono, though she supposed it would have to be open for her to get to his -

"Congratulations, Mayu-taicho," Luto's cheerful voice said and Mayu's attention was brought from Shikamaru's face to the happiest Uchiha she had ever met. Torii was beside him, looking tired. His job as lieutenant of the Investigative Department under Hayao was taking up a lot of his time as they got the new department up and running.

"Hey, Luto-san, Torii. Thanks for coming," Mayu said dutifully, fear of Yoshino swooping down upon her like a great wedding-obsessed bird still strong.

"This is an awesome wedding," Luto said. He leaned forward to continue in a low voice, "watching Fugaku-sama interact with the Inuzuka is always a treat."

The three of them all looked over at where Fugaku was drinking his third cup of sake and resisting Tsume's encouragements to "let loose and live a little!" while Mikoto giggled behind her hand. Mayu couldn't wait until he had a bunch of wild Inuzuka grandchildren.

"Congrats," Torii said, then yawned.

Sasuke and Yuhui were next and she hugged a grumbling Sasuke. Yuhui reached forward and took Mayu's hand between her two cool ones. She looked beautiful in her purple kimono. She and Sasuke were quite the pair. "I'm so happy for you."

A few minutes later Sakura wandered up to them. She didn't have a date but didn't seem bothered by it. She had told Mayu last week that she was enjoying 'dating around.' They stood huddled together giggling, ignoring the disturbed and curious looks Shikamaru kept shooting them.

When Harumi approached them with Tenten on her arm, both looking gorgeous in their own formal wear, Mayu's jaw dropped. Well, damn. Harumi did land a hot girlfriend. Harumi winked at her and Shikamaru huffed out an annoyed breath.

Soon Naruto, Kakashi, and Ensui had joined them and Mayu was thankful for their presence when the Nara Clan Elders made their way over to offer congratulations.

Shortly after the attack, Lundo had stepped down, though nobody ever gave a reason why. Shikaku and Yoshino had looked entirely too self-satisfied about the whole thing, however, so Mayu assumed they had something to do with it.

Four days later Miko, Ryo and the new elder, who was Akinobu's older cousin, came to see her and Shikamaru. They'd asked him to reconsider his position and apologized for their initial refusal to let Mayu into the clan. He'd refused and gone back to cleaning out one of the rooms in the Hatake complex.

They were extra desperate to keep him in the clan after his actions in the fight against the Akatsuki. He had been responsible for figuring out that the six paths of Pein had shared a field of vision and that they'd need to take most of them out in one decisive move.

He'd come up with a plan to have Kankuro use his chakra threads to set off smoke bombs around them, removing their three hundred and sixty-degree line of sight and take out as many as they could at once. It had turned the tide of the battle and he was now considered a bit of a war hero himself.

Losing him as both a clan member and the future head would be a huge blow to the Nara.

Shikamaru could hold quite the grudge and the months after that Mayu watched the complex courting rituals that involved the Elders basically begging for Shikamaru's forgiveness with a mix of bafflement and amusement.

Shikamaru had admitted to her that, if she was willing to join the clan despite what had happened, he wanted to stay a Nara. He was just making them sweat, partially because he was still pissed off and partially because he wanted to make his position on Mayu clear.

She was his and he didn't take insults against her lightly. Mayu had just shrugged and told him that she could handle the clan if that's what he wanted. It wasn't a lie. She was, after all, Uchiha Fugaku's apprentice and that man lived and breathed clan politics.

The elders held themselves with admirable aplomb under the force of Team Kakashi and the Nara's glares but still left as quickly as they could while still being polite.

People were moving from 'pleasantly tipsy' into 'incredibly drunk' territory when Mayu wandered up to Naruto and leaned against him. He was alternating between staring down at his drink and watching Gaara, who was fending off Kankuro's attempts to get him to dance.

"How are you doing?" Mayu asked and he started, sloshing sake on his hand.

"Mayu! Hey. Man, you look so pretty," he said and tugged her in for the fifth hug he'd given her that day.

"Naruto," she said with a sigh. "It's okay to be sad, you know? Breaking up sucks."

He pulled back and blew out a breath. "Yeah. But...it's okay, actually. We'll always be friends and we will both be living our dreams. We'll accomplish so much together once I'm the Hokage," he said and Mayu smiled at him when she saw he was being genuine.

Gaara and Naruto had a bit of a fling after the Akatsuki were defeated, something that just about everybody in the Elemental Nations had seen coming.

They'd broken it off when Itachi formally announced that Naruto would be his successor when Naruto turned twenty-five. The conflict of interest didn't get much bigger than the Kages of two large villages being romantically involved. They both took it well, but then, they both had hearts of gold, so it wasn't like they'd have a nasty breakup.

"You'll find the right person," Mayu said and he smiled at her.

"Yeah, you're right. Like you and Shikamaru." Naruto leaned forward. "He hasn't stopped looking at you all night, you know," he said in a low voice.

Mayu glanced over and met Shikamaru's eyes from where he was chatting with some rich merchant. His lip quirked up on one side and her breath caught. "Yeah. I know."

After the reception was over, they headed for the house that the elders had gifted them 'just because' after Shikamaru had finally agreed to stay a Nara. It was about thirty feet from Kakashi's and Ensui's house, right next to the small pond and stream, in the exact spot Mayu had always imagined they would live in.

"Well," Mayu said, waving at a slumped Kakashi from their front porch as he and Ensui disappeared into their own house. "Let's go in, huh?"

Shikamaru took her hand in his own and pushed open their door before leading her inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for staying with me through the end!
> 
> I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> It's been fun - if you feel like leaving a comment on the way out, I LOVE hearing from you. Either way, thank you so much for reading!


	19. Fanart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fanart for Deduction in Shadows!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to make the fantastic fanart that a few amazing artists did of Mayu and Shikamaru easily viewable for everybody directly on AO3. So grateful to them for bringing Mayu to life.
> 
> When I tried to embed into the other chapters, it made the reading experience wonky on mobile, so I just gave them their very own chapter!

[Home in the Shadows](https://ap3x-phantom.deviantart.com/art/Home-in-the-Shadows-726196341) by [Ap3x-Phantom](https://ap3x-phantom.deviantart.com)

Looks like this is in the Nara forest. :)

 

[Shadow Puppet](https://ap3x-phantom.deviantart.com/art/Shadow-Puppet-726215591) by [Ap3x-Phantom](https://ap3x-phantom.deviantart.com)

I believe this one is from chapter twelve, when she, Asuma, Genma, and Shikamaru had a run-in with Deidara and Sasori.

[Mayu](https://rubyparker93.deviantart.com/art/Mayu-unfinished-724430086?ga_submit_new=10%3A1515379152) by [rubyparker93](https://rubyparker93.deviantart.com)

 

Mayu and Shikamaru by [Ellry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellry/pseuds/Ellry)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It makes me squee SO HARD that there's fanart for DiS. :)
> 
> If you're hoping for more Mayu and co. to read, you can check out some [Extras and Outtakes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13079283/chapters/29920893) or you can read the [Sequel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14452515/chapters/33386229). I also have some [Silly ShikaMayu AUs](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1091301) that I wrote.


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